José Ruiz Lifante, known professionally as José Lifante, was a Spanish screen, television, and voice actor whose career in the entertainment industry spanned from the early 1960s until the early 2020s. Born in Barcelona on June 3, 1943, he was a licentiate in Philosophy and Letters with a specialization in Art History. Prior to his extensive work in film and television, he began his artistic path in theater, debuting as an actor in 1960 with the company of Enrique Diosdado and Amelia de la Torre.

Lifante's voice acting career saw him participate in the Spanish dubbing of several international productions. At the start of the 1990s, he worked at the Arcofón studios in Madrid, where he contributed his voice to the Spanish-language versions of series such as Columbo. However, he is best remembered in the field of animation dubbing for his extensive and prolific work on the classic Spanish dub of the anime Saint Seiya, known in Spain as Los Caballeros del Zodiaco. He is recognized as the voice actor who portrayed the highest number of distinct characters throughout the series' original run in Spain.

Within the universe of Saint Seiya, José Ruiz Lifante gave voice to a wide array of characters, creating a significant legacy for Spanish-speaking fans of the franchise. Among the most notable roles he performed in the classic series are Aioria de Leo, the Gold Saint of the Lion, and Deathmask de Cancer, the Gold Saint of Cancer. His portrayal of the villainous Deathmask is considered one of his most recognizable dubbing performances. Beyond these major Gold Saints, his voice was also heard as several other key characters, including the Black Phoenix, the warrior Syd de Mizar, Kanon de Gemini, Kasa de Lyumnades, the silver saint Capella de Auriga, and Tatsumi Tokumaru, the Kido Foundation's butler. He also lent his voice to other saints in isolated episodes, such as Argol de Perseo, Tremmy de Flecha, Camus de Acuario, Siegried de Alpha, and Hagen de Beta.

Lifante's association with the Saint Seiya franchise continued years later when he reprised one of his signature roles. In the 2014 CGI film Saint Seiya: Legend of Sanctuary, he once again provided the voice for the character of Cancer Deathmask. This performance served to reinforce his enduring connection to the character and the series in the public's memory.

Outside of his voice-over work, José Ruiz Lifante maintained a prolific career as a character actor in Spanish cinema and television, appearing in over one hundred films and numerous television series. His tall, lean physique often led to him being cast in supporting roles, frequently as butlers, irascible priests, or sinister figures. Some of his best-known film appearances include the dark comedy Patrimonio Nacional (1981) directed by Luis García Berlanga and the horror film Let Sleeping Corpses Lie (1974). On television, he was a familiar face to Spanish audiences for his roles in popular long-running series such as Aquí no hay quien viva and Cuéntame cómo pasó. José Ruiz Lifante passed away in Madrid on January 16, 2024.