Guilherme Pontes Karam (8 October 1957 – 7 July 2016), best known as Guilherme Karan, was a Brazilian actor.
Biography
He was son of the admiral and Minister of the Navy in the João Figueiredo government Alfredo Karam and Lydiane Pontes Karam. Most of his work is comic, and was once a member of the Brazilian TV Piratacomedy show, one of the greatest hits of humor, screened by Globo TV. His most prominent work on TV is Butler Porfírio in telenovelaMeu Bem, Meu Mal.
Disease
On 29 April 2005, he was robbed in a taxi, with his purse stolen. Karam physically suffered nothing, but the taxi driver was killed by reacting.[1] Apparently, since the time of the assault Karam began to manifest symptoms of Machado-Joseph disease, a degenerative syndrome, also known as spinocerebellar ataxia type 3,[2] which compromises motor coordination and control over muscles. Forced to switch to a wheelchair to get around, he has since stayed away from the stage and television. According to his father, Alfredo Karam, who gave statements to the Rio newspaper Extra, he inherited the illness of his mother, who died due to this same genetic anomaly.[3][4] The other three brothers of the actor have already presented the disease - two already died.[5]
Death
The actor died on 7 July 2016, at the Hospital Naval Marcílio Dias,[6] as a result of the Machado-Joseph syndrome.[7][8][9] His body was buried in Cemitério de São João Batista.[10]
