Antonio Viana Gomes, better known as Tony Tornado or Toni Tornado (b. May 26, 1930, Mirante do Paranapanema, Brazil), was a Brazilian actor and singer. In 1970, he won the Brazilian stage of the V International Song Festival with the soul song "BR-3".
The son of a Guyanese father and a Brazilian mother, at 11 years old Gomes ran away from home and ended up in Rio de Janeiro where he became a street kid and made a living selling peanuts and shining shoes.
At 18, Gomes served in the Deodoro School of Parachuting along with the future TV presenter and entrepreneur Silvio Santos. In 1957, he fought in the Suez Canal.
Tony began his artistic career in the '60s with the stage name Tony Checker, lip-synching and dancing on Jair Taumaturgo's show Hoje é dia de rock. At that time, Gomes imitated singers Chubby Checker and Little Richard. After that, he traveled to the United States, where he lived for five years in New York.
In New York, Gomes worked as a drug dealer and pimp. To deceive the immigration officials, Gomes pretended to be an employee of a car wash. At that time, Gomes met Tim Maia, another Brazilian singer who was living in New York.
Back in Brazil in 1969, Gomes worked in Ed Lincoln's group and also sang at night under the pseudonym Johnny Bradfort. The owner of the club forced Gomes to pretend to be a foreigner.
In 1970, Gomes adopted a stage name and came to be known as "Tony Tornado". Influenced by James Brown, Gomes was one of the artists who introduced soul music and funk to Brazilian music. That same year, alongside Trio Ternura, he sang the song "BR-3", which won first place in the V International Song Festival. His first role on television was in 1972, on the telenovela Jerônimo on TV Tupi.
Tornado also participated in several soap operas and miniseries, although almost never in prominent roles. The biggest role of his career on TV was as Gregorio Fortunato, the "Black Angel", the chief of the security of president and statesman Getulio Vargas in the 1993 miniseries Agosto, based on the work of Rubem Fonseca. Another important role of his career was as the foreman Rodésio, who worked for Viúva Porcina (Regina Duarte) in Roque Santeiro. Gomes also appeared as Ganga Zumba in Carlos Diegues Quilombo.
Tornado was married to actress Arlete Salles in the '70s. He was the father of Lincoln Tornado, also an actor and singer.
Tornado later returned to performing on stages all over Brazil singing his greatest hits, accompanied by the band Funkessência and Lincoln Tornado.
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