Born in Itabuna on 30 November 1947, as a child Varela moved with his family to Salvador.[1] Before starting his television career Varella had several jobs, including as a labourer in a cement factory, a street vendor, a taxi driver and a professional football player for the Ypiranga Clube and the Associação Desportiva Leônico.[1][2][3] He began his entertainment career in the 1970s as a judge in the TV Itapoan variety show Big Ben, and later worked as a sports commentator on the program Papo de Bola.[2][3]
Varela had his breakout in 1981, as a presenter of the talk show Balanço Geral, which he hosted until 1990 and again from 1997 to 2020, later still appearing in the show as a pundit.[3] Beyond his television career, he ran several times as mayor of Salvador, always eventually dropping out of the race.[3] In 2006, he had a major kidney failure and underwent a liver and kidney transplant.[2][3] Varela died on 7 September 2023, at the age of 75.[3]
