José Lavat was a renowned Mexican voice actor born on September 23, 1948, in Mexico City. He began his career in the voice acting industry in the 1960s and became one of the most recognized and respected figures in Latin American dubbing. Over his extensive career, he lent his voice to a vast array of characters in both animated and live-action productions, working until his passing on May 15, 2018.

Within the realm of anime and animation, Lavat held over thirty voice acting roles. He is perhaps most famously known as the long-standing narrator for the Spanish-language dub of the Dragon Ball franchise, providing his voice for Dragon Ball Z, the first nine episodes of Dragon Ball GT, and Dragon Ball Super from 2015 until 2018. His other notable anime roles included Soichiro Yagami in Death Note and the narrator for the series Slam Dunk. In animated films, he voiced characters such as Kerchak in Tarzan and Tarzan II, Don Lino in Shark Tale, and King Fergus in Brave. He also voiced Don Poncho in the Mexican animated film series Un gallo con muchos huevos and its sequels. Confirming the user's example, Lavat provided the voice for the cyborg warrior Briareos Hecatonchires in the 2008 anime film Appleseed: Ex Machina.

In addition to his anime work, Lavat was the official Spanish dubbing voice for numerous acclaimed actors in live-action cinema, including Ian McKellen as Gandalf and Magneto, Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones and Rick Deckard, and Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth. His work earned him legendary status in the industry. In recognition of his contributions and to honor the work of other voice actors, he founded the Lavat Awards, which were first presented in 2019, the year after his death.