José Carlos Aranha Manga is the son of the lawyer Américo Rodrigues Manga and Maria Isabel Aranha. He was born on January 6th, 1928, in the city of Rio de Janeiro. He started to work as a bank clerk, however his passion for cinema would soon lead him to the film industry, through the singer Cyll Farney. On the occasion he was hired by “Atlântida”, to work as a warehouse clerk. He quit his law college course in the second year. He worked as a prompter, assistant editor, film development assistant and eventually film director. His artistic name – Carlos Manga – was a suggestion made by Luiz Severiano Ribeiro Júnior who was the company’s president at that time.

Along with Watson Macedo, he was one of the main directors of Atlântida’s golden period – the 1950’s – where he ran trashy classic films like “Nem Sansão nem Dalila” (1954) Nor Samson neither Delilah, “Matar ou correr” (1954) Killing or Running and “O Homem do Sputnik ” (1959) The Sputnik Man. He made his debut in a film produced in 1952 by the former company and directed by José Carlos Burle, “Carnaval Atlântida”, Atlantida’s Carnival. On the occasion he was responsible for the direction of the musical performances. Carlos Manga would direct 32 films within his career. The first one was “A Dupla do Barulho”, in 1953, The Messy Guys. There were great stars of that time besides Oscarito and Grande Otelo, names like Wilson Grey, Fregolene, among others.

He started working on TV in the early 1960’s in the former TV Rio, through an invitation of Chico Anysio. He debuted directing the TV show “O Riso é o Limite”, The Laughing is the Limit, after that he went through “Noites Cariocas” Carioca’s Nights, “Agora é Que São Elas” (What about now?), among others. Still in that company he was responsible for the first videotape edition of the Brazilian television along with the technician Marcelo Barbosa, made for the sitcom “Chico City”, in 1961. Still in the early 1960’s he also started to work with publicity which he would develop along his entire career both in the cinema and on TV.

He was hired by "TV Excelsior", where he would get to the position of General Director. He directed very important TV shows like the musical Times Square, "Vovô Deville", Deville Grandfather "A Cidade se Diverte", The City has Fun, "Dois no Balança", Two in the Building, My Fair Lady, among others. Carlos Manga worked as well in "TV Record" from São Paulo, in the late 1960’s, along with reputed professionals like the producer Nilton Travesso, the editor Paulo de Carvalho, the novelist Manoel Carlos and the comedian Jô Soares. Still on “TV Record” He created TV shows like “Preto no Branco”, Black in White and “Quem tem Medo da Verdade?, Who’s afraid of the Truth?, besides participating in the “Prêmio Roquette Pinto”, Roquette Pinto Award, especially in 1968, when he performed, properly characterized, imitating the American singer Al Johnson.
In the early 1970’s Carlos Manga lived for four or five years in Italy, when he got to know the "Cinecittá" and worked with his great idol, the film director Federico Felline. When he got back to Brazil in 1974, he wrote, produced and directed the film "O Marginal", The Bad Guy, stared by Darlene Glória and Tarcísio Meira, inspired on the direction methods he had learned with Felline. Right after that, still in 1974, he wrote and directed "Assim era Atlântida" (That’s the Way Atlantida Was) in which he had as his assistant director a promising newcomer, Sílvio de Abreu.

In 1980, Carlos Manga was hired by "TV Globo", also invited by Chico Anysio, where he directed the second version of the sitcom "Chico City". Still in the sitcom line of that TV channel, he also directed "Os Trapalhões", The Bunglers, during the most successful period of that program. His last work related to cinema would be beside them in the film “Os Trapalhões e o Rei do Futebol” (1986), The Bunglers and the King of Football, with the participation of the great Edson Arantes do Nascimento, Pelé.

In the 1990’s, as the TV Globo’s mini-series artistic director, Carlos Manga was responsible for great productions of Brazilian soap operas and mini-series like “Agosto” (1993) August, “Memorial de Maria Moura” (1994), Maria Moura’s Memorial, stared by Glória Pires, and “Engraçadinha… seus amores, seus pecados” (1995) The Beautiful Girl, Her Love Affairs and Her Sins, which was an adaptation of the novel by Nelson Rodrigues, staring Cláudia Raia in the lead role. Carlos Manga also directed "A Madona de Cedro" (1994) The Cedar Saint, adapted by Walther Negrão from the novel of the same name by Antonio Calado, "Incidente em Antares" (1994) Episode in Antares, based on the novel by Érico Veríssimo, and "Decadência" (1995), Decadence, by Dias Gomes.

Besides the mini-series, Carlos Manga became the Core Director and was responsible for the production of two soap operas from TV Globo. The first one was the remake of "Anjo Mal" Evil Angel, originally written by Cassiano Gabus Mendes in 1976 and adapted by Maria Adelaide Amaral, with Gloria Pires as the villain Nilce. The second one was "Torre de Babel" (1998) Babel Tower, by Sílvio de Abreu, which had in its cast the greatest stars of that TV channel, like Tarcísio Meira and Glória Menezes, Édson Celulari and Cláudia Raia, Tony Ramos, among others.

In the late 1990’s, after his experience with soap operas, and the great success he got with his work, Carlos Manga got back to work with TV shows, which had started his career about forty years before. He directed entertaining shows like “Domingão do Faustão” (1989) Faustão’s Sunday, and TV series like “Sandy e Junior” (1999) Sandy and Junior, and “O sítio do picapau amarelo (2001) The Yellow Woodpecker Ranch.

Carlos Manga began the 2000’s working as the Artistic Director of the sitcom "Zorra Total"(1999), Total Mass, , that program gathered several comedians from that TV channel. In 2004, he worked again as an Artistic Director in a mini-series from TV Globo. In "Um Só Coração" (2004) Only One Heart, by Maria Adelaide Amaral and Alcides Nogueira, the director was in charge of a great cast, stared by Ana Paula Arósio, Edson Celurari, among many others. That mini-series was produced as a celebration for the 450 years of the foundation of São Paulo.

The Director was honored in his 50 years of career as an especial guest performing his own life’s role in the soap opera "Belíssima" (2006) The Prettiest by his friend Sílvio de Abreu. Besides that, he received the first Oscarito Award, in Gramado’s Film Festival, for his contribution to the Brazilian cinema. In 2007, the core Carlos Manga was responsible for the production of the soap opera "Eterna Magia" (2007) Eternal Magic, by Elizabeth Jhin, which had the script supervised by Sílvio de Abreu. On September, 2008, the Legislative Assembly of Rio de Janeiro (Alerj) granted to the director Carlos Manga the title of citizen worthy of the State of Rio de Janeiro

Manga was the Patron of the 7th Santos Short films, 2009.