Laranjeira Santos was born in Lisbon, in 1930. He graduated in Sculpture from the Faculty of Fine Arts of Lisbon and also completed a Degree in Sculpture at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma, Italy.

Between 1960 and 1962 he was awarded a Scholarship by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Rome, Italy.

He was a teacher in official secondary education, working in parallel as a sculptor.

In 1986, he was selected, along with two other sculptors, in a public competition run by the Lisbon City Council to create the Monument to Fernando Pessoa, which was later interrupted.

Throughout his artistic career he was awarded several awards, including the ANBA National Sculpture Prize, XVIII Missão Estética, Figueira da Foz (1955) , the Master Nanuel Pereira Prize, Salão dos Novíssimos, SNI, the Public Competition Prize, sculptural motif for the Bairro da Encarnão; Lisbon, the Public Competition Prize, sculptural motif for the Jardim do Bairro da Encarnaçde;ão, Lisbon Municipal Council (1963), the Silver Medal at the Modern Art Hall , Estoril (1966), the 1º Public Competition Award, Monument commemorating the 1st Travessisa Aérea Atlântico Sul, Lisbon City Council (1970), the 1st; Reconquista Cristã of the City of Silves, Municipal Council of Silves (1948), the 1º Prize from the International Iron Sculpture Symposium for the open air, Municipal Council of Abrantes (1996), Honorable Mention in the EDINFOR Sculpture Prize (1998) and Acquisition Prize ;o – National Academy of Fine Arts has already opened its doors. in 2002. 

In 2002 he was unanimously elected corresponding academic by the National Academy of Fine Arts.

He participated in several exhibitions in the country and abroad: Spain, Barcelona, Italy, Rome, Morocco, Casablanca, France, Paris, Marseille, Nice. His most recent exhibition took place in Monaco, being the only Portuguese artist invited.