Carlos Gracie Jr. was born on January 17, 1956, and grew up under the strong influence of his family of fighters. In sync with the life philosophy and teachings of his father, Carlos Gracie Sr., Carlinhos – as he is called by friends and relatives – observed and learned from some of the most influential figures in the Gracie family of all time: Carlos Gracie, Helio Gracie, and his brother Rolls Gracie. The most significant years of his childhood and adolescence were spent in the mountains of Rio de Janeiro, in the legendary house of Teresópolis – a ranch with dozens of rooms where the children of Carlos Gracie and Helio Gracie lived and trained together for years. It was there that Carlos Gracie Jr. learned to live in a community where everyone needed to coexist, share things, and learn from each other, a life dynamic that became an ideal for him. In many ways, Master Carlos Gracie Jr. seems to replicate this idea of community on a large scale today at Gracie Barra. That environment and the philosophy that came from it shaped his personality and, for many, was one of the ingredients that led him to achieve such great success in different professional fields.