Rodrigues was born in Campos do Jordão, São Paulo, on November 25, 1951, and raised in Caldas, Minas Gerais. [1 ] [2 ] He was the son of journalist Joaquim Rodrigues and of Helle Alves, sister of actress Vida Alves.
In 1977, when he was 17 years old, he moved to São Paulo to take acting classes, but later abandoned his studies and went to Rio de Janeiro; there, he had a number of short-term jobs, including as a bartender and as a clothes salesman…