António Santos Franco, a technical assistant and designer for Alenquer City Council, from the village of Paúla, appeared as a contestant in two episodes of the Portuguese version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? on December 29, 2003.
He won 250 000 €, becoming the fourth top prize winner overall, the first after José Fernandes, and the first contestant to win the top prize after the changeover from the Escudo to the Euro.
At some stage, the klaxon called time and António would return on the next episode.
5 000 € (9 of 15) - Not Timed
Where is the island of Armona located?
⬥ A: In the Algarve
⬥ B: In the Caribbean
⬥ C: In Spain
⬥ D: {{{d}}}
16 000 € (11 of 15) - Not Timed
In Latin mythology, which figure corresponds to Dionysus?
⬥ A: Bacchus
⬥ B: Jupiter
⬥ C: Nereus
⬥ D: Narcissus
32 000 € (12 of 15) - Not Timed
Maria do Céu Guerra is at the origin of which of these theatre groups?
⬥ A: Teatro da Cornucópia
⬥ B: O Bando
⬥ C: A Barraca
⬥ D: Seiva Trupe
64 000 € (13 of 15) - Not Timed
What was the last name of the Portuguese king Afonso II?
⬥ A: The Conqueror
⬥ B: The Venturous
⬥ C: The African
⬥ D: The Fat
125 000 € (14 of 15) - Not Timed
The first European rocket was called...
⬥ A: Ariane
⬥ B: Po Sat
⬥ C: Spot
⬥ D: Apollo
250 000 € (15 of 15) - Not Timed Top Prize Question
Who designed the Santa Justa Elevator in Lisbon?
⬥ A: Gustave Eiffel
⬥ B: Mesnier de Ponsard
⬥ C: Frank Lloyd Wright
⬥ D: Charles Rennie Mackintosh
António Franco: MILIONÁRIO
Trivia[]
At some stage, António had used up all three of his lifelines, before the second safety net of 5 000 €. He would go on to answer the remaining six questions correctly, achieving the feat of answering the whole of the third tier of questions without lifelines.
In an interview in 2009, António remarked that: “I’m not going to say that being a stutterer is fantastic, but I’m going to try to explain that a person who stutters doesn’t have any limitations...”. This line stems from the fact that he has a stutter, something which was not lost at the time of his appearance on the show.
At the time of the seventh edition of the show, in 2013, António admitted that, if allowed to, he wouldn't appear on the show "...to make money", but to donate his winnings to the Portuguese Oncology Institute. A year after his appearance on the show, António's son was diagnosed with cancer, but fortunately was able to make a full recovery with thanks to the Institute.
In 2021, António announced his intentions to run as an independent candidate for the presidency of Alenquer City Council via Facebook. He was interviewed for a podcast soon after, giving more information and laying out his potential campaign.
The following year, he published an article on Tapa Ao Sal presenting his love of vintage cars — he took a Ford Cortina on a tour of Alenquer, visting different sights and places across the municipality.
