Enzo Consoli

Description
Enzo Consoli was an Italian voice actor and dubbing artist, primarily active from the 1960s through the 1990s, who became renowned for his portrayals of authoritative and comedic characters in anime and western television series. Born Vincenzo Benito Consoli in Catania, Sicily, on July 19, 1939, he established a prolific career in Rome, the center of the Italian dubbing industry.

Consoli is best known for his long-standing association with the Lupin III franchise, where he voiced two of the series' most iconic characters. He was the first Italian voice of the samurai Goemon Ishikawa XIII in the initial 1979 dubbing of the first anime series. However, his most famous and enduring role was that of Inspector Koichi Zenigata, the determined police inspector perpetually chasing Arsène Lupin III. Consoli voiced Zenigata across numerous series and films for over two decades, including in the series Lupin III: Crisis in Tokyo, Lupin III: Farewell to Nostradamus, and Lupin the 3rd: Bye Bye, Lady Liberty, as specified. His portrayal of the character, affectionately nicknamed "Zazà" by Italian fans, became definitive for a generation, blending the inspector's relentless pursuit with his comedic frustration.

Beyond his iconic work on Lupin III, Consoli had an extensive career in dubbing anime, particularly during the boom of Japanese robot and adventure series in Italy during the 1970s and 1980s. He lent his voice to a wide array of characters, demonstrating his versatility. His roles included Tetsugyu in the series Giant Robo, the Skipper in L'isola delle 1.000 avventure and Il pianeta delle 1.000 avventure, Captain Deis in Conan, il ragazzo del futuro, and Inspector Lestrade in Il fiuto di Sherlock Holmes. He was also a prominent voice in the "mecha" genre, with roles such as Hayashi in Atlas UFO Robot, Don in Jeeg Robot, uomo d'acciaio, Musashi Tomoe in Space Robot, Benkei Kuruma in Getta Robot, Tanosuke in Daltanious, and Futoshi in Cackeen, il robot magnetico. He also voiced the character Volpe in the series Kashi no Ki Mokku, as mentioned.

In addition to his animation work, Consoli was a highly active voice actor for live-action productions. He was the second Italian voice of Dr. Leonard McCoy, played by DeForest Kelley, in the Star Trek series and its animated spin-off. He also dubbed Tom Selleck in the film Coma profondo and provided voices for numerous television series, including roles in Petrocelli, La grande vallata, and MAS*H.

Enzo Consoli retired from dubbing several years before his death on February 15, 2007, in Rome. In his later years, he dedicated himself to writing, publishing numerous novels and plays, including works such as Il giardino dei limoni blu and Uova di passero. His legacy as a foundational figure in Italian dubbing, particularly for his work in anime, remains significant.
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