Ary Barroso (November 7, 1903 – February 9, 1964) was a Brazilian composer, pianist, soccer commentator, and talent-show host on radio and TV. He was one of Brazil's most successful songwriters in the first half of the 20th century.
Barroso's two best-known compositions are the sambas "Aquarela do Brasil" ("Watercolor of Brazil"), written in 1939, and "Na Baixa do Sapateiro" ("Bahia"), composed a year earlier. "Watercolor of Brazil" was featured in Saludos Amigos (1942) and "Na Baixa do Sapateiro" in The Three Caballeros (1944), both Disney films. The two songs became international hits, and have been recorded by hundreds of artists around the world. Among his major interpreters are Carmen Miranda and João Gilberto.

In 1945, his song "Rio de Janeiro", featured in the 1944 film Brazil, was one of the five finalists nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

His song "Aquarela do Brasil" was adapted by Michael Kamen and used as the main theme of the 1985 film "Brazil".

He died of liver cirrhosis in 1964. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.