His parents are Ascânio Gomide Novaes and Sophia Gigliotti Novaes. Novaes belongs to the firt generation and had always an entrepeneur profile. When he was 14, he left home with a circus and started his carreer as a comic actor. In 1962, he partnered with the Seyssel family in circuses and amusement parks and later became the president of the ABED - Associação Brasileira de Empresários e Diversões (Brazilian Association of Entertaining Businessman). It was through him that the Brazilian family Orteney of jugglers got their first contract to perform in Las Vegas, United States.

Source of information: Sandra Ciocci, Novaes's granddaughter.