Rivalry between Vera Cruz families inspired Benedito Ruy Barbosa in O Rei do Gado Born in Gália and raised in Vera Cruz, in the region of Marília (SP), Benedito Ruy Barbosa used true stories from the cities as inspiration for characters and stories in his soap operas. One of the best known is the dispute between the Mezenga and Berdinazi families, portrayed in "The Cattle King". ? Join the g1 Bauru and Marília channel on WhatsApp In real life, however, the rivalry was between the Mezenga and the Haraguchi. There were secret marriages, bans on families and disputes over inheritance, elements that were taken into the soap opera. READ ALSO Benedito Ruy Barbosa leaves a legacy of nostalgia with roots in the interior of SP for Brazilian television See images of Benedito Ruy Barbosa's farm in Sorocaba that inspired Rei do Gado, Terra Nostra and Renascer The playwright died this Tuesday (7), aged 95, in São Paulo, due to kidney complications. The body was cremated. Childhood inspired career success Benedito was born in Gália, in the center-west region of São Paulo. As a child, he lost his father and had to work from an early age, after the family moved to Vera Cruz. "I was a coffee receiver. I was a notary's clerk's assistant. I worked as a cashier in a dry goods store", said Benedito in an interview with TV Modelo, now TV TEM, in 1998. In the city, he spent his childhood among the coffee plantations and living with families of Japanese and Italian immigrants. It was in this scenario that he found the story that, years later, would inspire one of the biggest hits of his career. Benedito Ruy Barbosa was born in Gália and spent his childhood in Vera Cruz, in the region of Marília (SP) Reproduction Paulo Mezenga Haraguchi is the son of Zoraide Mezenga, who served as inspiration for the character Nena Mezenga, played by Vera Fischer in O Rei do Gado. In an interview with TV TEM, he told how his mother's story became known in the city. "My mother fled to Aparecida do Norte to marry my father, who was Japanese, because the relationship was not accepted by the family. The greatest journalist in Brazil at the time, from the magazine O Cruzeiro, was the best man at the wedding and the story appeared on four pages of the magazine. At that time there was no TV, radio was still not widespread and the only medium was the magazine O Cruzeiro", says Paulo. Benedito Ruy Barbosa used rivalry between families in the interior of São Paulo, where he grew up, as inspiration for 'O Rei do Gado' Reproduction With the repercussion of the story, which already seemed like a television plot, Benedito decided to write, years later, O Rei do Gado. The soap opera portrayed the disagreements between the Mezenga and the Berdinazi. In the plot, the Haraguchis gave way to a fictitious surname, inspired by that of a gravedigger in the city. "He was a gravedigger in Vera Cruz. As his tomb was next to the Mezenga's tomb in the cemetery, I think the mind of a great master placed the two together to be visited," said Paulo. The Mezenga family house, in the center of Vera Cruz, is still standing. "This house has been here since 1927. My grandparents, my great-grandparents, all of the Mezenga family lived here." The Mezenga family house, in the center of Vera Cruz (SP), is still standing soap opera. "At the time, everyone went to visit the tombs of the Mezenga and Berdinazi. They said the story really existed. It became one of the most visited tombs", recalls Paulo. For him, who saw part of his family's history reach television screens and become known in other countries, there is a feeling of gratitude. "I thank Benedito for everything he said about our family and about Vera Cruz. I thank. Go with God, my friend." Benedito Ruy Barbosa used rivalry between families in the interior of São Paulo, where he grew up, as inspiration for 'O Rei do Gado' TV TEM/Reproduction