Wagner Maniçoba de Moura is a Brazilian actor, director and filmmaker. Wagner started his career doing theater in Salvador, where he worked with renowned directors, and soon scored some appearances in films. In 2003, he got his first leading roles in movies, in addition to having a prominent role in Carandiru, which propelled him to the main scene of Brazilian cinema. He continued starring in national feature films, including the box office hits Elite Squad and Elite Squad 2, playing the famous character Captain Nascimento. The first film received the Golden Bear award and both productions reverberated outside Brazil, which boosted the actor's international recognition.

Carandiru is a 2003 Brazilian drama film directed by Héctor Babenco. It is based on the book Estação Carandiru by Dr. Drauzio Varella, a physician and AIDS specialist, who is portrayed in the film by Luiz Carlos Vasconcelos.