# Carlos Gracie ("Pai Branco")

> Red Belt | Brazil

## Overview

**Name:** Carlos Gracie

**Nickname:** Pai Branco

**Belt Rank:** Red Belt

**Nationality:** Brazil

**Gender:** Male

**Weight:** 62 kg

**Date of Death:** October 07, 1994


## Bio

The first Gracie to learn Jiu-Jitsu, Carlos Gracie was sent at age fifteen by his father Gastao to train under the Japanese emissary Count Coma (Mitsuyo Maeda) in Belém do Pará, absorbing roughly three years of instruction before the family’s bankruptcy forced a move to Rio de Janeiro in 1921. After testing his skills in no-holds-barred matches inside the Special Police, he opened his first academy at Rua Marques de Abrantes, 106, in 1925, recruiting brothers George and Helio to teach and fight. Though he eventually delegated daily instruction to Helio while pursuing other ventures and developing the Gracie Diet, Carlos cornered his brothers for nearly every major challenge match of their era. He fathered twenty-one children, eleven of whom he promoted to black belt, including legends Carlson Gracie, Rolls Gracie, and Carlos Gracie Jr.

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**Last Updated:** June 05, 2026

**Data Source:** bjj.space (https://bjj.space/people/carlos-gracie)