Italian actor Pino Colizzi has passed away at the age of 88 in his native country. The actor, who is probably most familiar from his television role in the miniseries “Jesus of Nazareth,” was also a prolific voice actor who dubbed major stars for Italian releases, including the likes of “Jaws” and “The Godfather.”
Colizzi passed away on February 14, but reports of his death are only just emerging outside of Italy.
Prolific Actor and Voiceover Artist Pino Colizzi Dies At the Age of 88
Outlets in Italy, including Il Messaggero and DiRE, reported the death, revealing that Colizzi had died at the age of 88. However, they provided no other details and did not confirm the cause of death.
“Today, dear Pino Colizzi left us,” Fellow actor and former colleague Tony Palazzo paid tribute to Colizzi and confirmed his death in a Facebook post.
“Great voice actor and good actor with whom I worked twice. The first was in the theater play ‘The Reverend’ for the Verghiate in 1987, where Pino was the main character,” Palazzo continued. “Three years later, we found ourselves in the cast of the movie ‘I wanted pants’… I like to remember him…as a person, as an actor, and for his very pleasant and brilliant voice. Rest in peace.”
Colizzi will be most familiar to English audiences for his portrayal of Jobab in the 1977 biblical epic miniseries “Jesus of Nazareth.” The actor starred along the likes of Anne Bancroft, Ernest Borgnine, Laurence Olivier, Christopher Plummer, Anthony Quinn, Rod Steiger, Peter Ustinov, and James Earl Jones in the series. He also lent his voice to the Italian version of the show, dubbing Robert Powell’s performance as Jesus.
Pino Colizzi Has A Long Career and Acted Alongside Hollywood Greats
Although his name might be as recognizable as many of his colleagues, Colizzi has hundreds of credits to his name. He appeared in the film “Tea with Mussolini” alongside Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, and Cher, and has been a regular voiceover dub artist for the likes of Jack Nicholson, James Caan, and Richard Dreyfuss.
Colizzi also dubbed Robert De Niro in “The Godfather: Part II,” Tom Selleck in “Three Men and a Little Lady,” and Christopher Reeve in several “Superman” films. He also provided the voices for the protagonist in the Disney animated movie “Robin Hood” and Julius Caesar in “Asterix the Gaul.
