Bahian director, screenwriter and filmmaker Ricardo Spencer passed away this Monday, July 20, 2026, in São Paulo, at the age of 49. The information was confirmed by a close family member, although the exact cause of death has not been disclosed so far.
Recently, Spencer had moved from Rio de Janeiro to the capital of São Paulo. He was preparing to start filming a new series, which would be shown on a streaming platform.
Until the last update of this article, details about the artist’s wake and burial had not been made public.
As the grandson of the renowned actress and director Nilda Spencer, an iconic figure in Bahia theater, Ricardo’s childhood was immersed in the artistic universe. His fascination with cinema began in his youth, during his frequent visits to video stores, a period in which he cultivated his love for the audiovisual language.
After completing his training in Arts, the director deepened his knowledge in Cinema Aesthetics at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), in the United States. His career was shaped by notable performance in both directing and writing scripts.
Before focusing on dramaturgy, he stood out in creating music videos for various artists, both nationally and internationally.
His list of collaborations includes big names in music such as Rita Lee, Pitty, Criolo, Sandy, Emicida, Johnny Hooker, Liniker, Cachorro Grande and Vanguart, as well as the Norwegian artist Aurora and the American group Sebadoh. These productions earned him recognition and awards from MTV and Multishow.
In the last decade, Ricardo was part of the management team at TV Globo. He was in charge of notable projects such as the series “Mister Brau”, “Shippados”, “Segunda Chamada”, “Todas as Mulheres do Mundo”, “Amor e Sorte”, “Cine Holliúdy” and “Vermelho Sangue”. In addition, he also directed the soap opera “Segundo Sol”, which was set in Bahia.
The series “Segunda Chamada”, one of his projects, was awarded the award for best series of 2020 by the São Paulo Association of Art Critics (APCA) and received a nomination for the 2021 International Emmy Awards in the category of best series.
In an official statement, the Secretariat of Culture of the State of Bahia (SecultBA) expressed its regret at the death of Ricardo Spencer and emphasized the relevance of his professional journey as a filmmaker.
SecultBA releases a note of condolence and praises the legacy of Ricardo Spencer
The Secretariat of Culture of the State of Bahia (SecultBA) released the following note in full: “The Secretariat of Culture of the State of Bahia (SecultBA) regrets the passing of Bahian director and screenwriter Ricardo Spencer, which occurred this Monday (20). Spencer directed films and television productions throughout his career, in addition to having produced music videos for nationally recognized artists. Since childhood, he has lived with artistic productions and the legacy of his grandmother, the actress Nilda Spencer, honored in the authorial film “Tudo Sobre Minha Avó”. With the experience of someone who specialized in Cinema Aesthetics at the University of California (UCLA), Spencer was an audiovisual talent. Her work has been immortalized in a successful trajectory for 20 years, including recognition from International Emmy nominations. May the state’s artistic community find comfort in this painful time.”
