Elena Magoia was an Italian actress and voice artist, recognized for her extensive contributions to theater, film, and dubbing. Born in Turin on May 17, 1934, she built a diverse career spanning several decades until her death in Rome on August 9, 2024. Her early professional life, from 1955 to 1970, was rooted in Turin's vibrant theatrical scene, where she performed with the Teatro Stabile di Torino and was a founder of the Teatro delle Dieci. In this period, she took on significant roles in works by playwrights such as Anton Chekhov, Luigi Pirandello, Bertolt Brecht, Dario Fo, and Eugène Ionesco. She later moved to Rome, continuing her work on stage, in film, and on television from 1970 onward.

In the realm of dubbing, Magoia became a familiar voice to Italian audiences, lending her talents to numerous animated films and series. Among her most notable anime roles was that of Ingrid, alongside Ermenrich, in the Italian-language version of the classic series The Wonderful Adventures of Nils. Her other prominent work in animation included voicing the grandmother in Hayao Miyazaki's Porco Rosso, one of the Fates (Clotho) in Disney's Hercules, the owner of Donkey in Shrek, and the Sea Hag in a Popeye series. She also provided voices for characters in shows like Golion and The Blue Bird.

Beyond animation, Magoia's voice work spanned a wide variety of live-action films. She dubbed actresses such as Patricia Hayes in both The NeverEnding Story and A Fish Called Wanda, Liz Smith as Grandma Georgina in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Kathleen Freeman as Donkey's owner in the live-action Shrek film. Her other dubbing credits include roles in Madagascar and Psycho II. In addition to her voice work, Magoia appeared on screen in several notable films, including Federico Fellini's Ginger and Fred, Andrei Tarkovsky's Nostalghia, and the Italian comedy classic Febbre da cavallo. Her career also included work as a narrator and voice actor on a 1963 recording titled Memorie Dei Bambini Di Terezin, based on the works of Jiří Srnka and Petr Eben. Throughout her career, Magoia was married to the writer Aldo Zargani, and in her later years, she helped curate the republication of his works.