Serge Sauvion
Description
Serge Sauvion was a French actor whose extensive career in dubbing made him a familiar voice to generations of French audiences. While he was renowned for his work on live-action films and television series, he also contributed to several notable animated productions, providing voices for both feature films and television series.
Born in Paris on February 18, 1929, Sauvion began his career in the 1950s, initially performing in cabarets before transitioning to film and television acting. Although he appeared in movies such as La Reine Margot (1954) and Si Paris m'était conté (1955), he was most celebrated for his prolific work as a dubbing artist. He became the official French voice of numerous international stars, most famously Peter Falk as Lieutenant Columbo in the detective series, a role that cemented his place in popular culture. His voice was also heard dubbing actors like Jack Nicholson, Burt Reynolds, Charles Bronson, and Stacy Keach, among many others.
In the realm of animation, Serge Sauvion took on several key roles. One of his notable performances in an anime series was as Le chef des pirates (the Pirate Chief) in the Franco-Japanese production Ulysses 31 (1981), a classic science fiction reimagining of Homer's Odyssey. He also provided the voice for the narrator in the first French dubbing of Disney's The Black Cauldron (Taram et le Chaudron magique, 1985).
Sauvion was a recurring voice in the animated film adaptations of the popular French comic series Astérix. He voiced the Roman leader Jules César (Julius Caesar) in both Astérix et la Surprise de César (1985) and Astérix chez les Bretons (1986). His animation credits also include the role of the villain Rastapopoulos in the animated series The Adventures of Tintin (Les Aventures de Tintin, 1991).
Serge Sauvion died on February 13, 2010, in Asnières-sur-Seine, France, just a few days before his 81st birthday. His enduring legacy remains that of a master of vocal performance, whose work as a dubbing actor brought a vast array of characters, both in live-action and animation, to life for French-speaking audiences.
Born in Paris on February 18, 1929, Sauvion began his career in the 1950s, initially performing in cabarets before transitioning to film and television acting. Although he appeared in movies such as La Reine Margot (1954) and Si Paris m'était conté (1955), he was most celebrated for his prolific work as a dubbing artist. He became the official French voice of numerous international stars, most famously Peter Falk as Lieutenant Columbo in the detective series, a role that cemented his place in popular culture. His voice was also heard dubbing actors like Jack Nicholson, Burt Reynolds, Charles Bronson, and Stacy Keach, among many others.
In the realm of animation, Serge Sauvion took on several key roles. One of his notable performances in an anime series was as Le chef des pirates (the Pirate Chief) in the Franco-Japanese production Ulysses 31 (1981), a classic science fiction reimagining of Homer's Odyssey. He also provided the voice for the narrator in the first French dubbing of Disney's The Black Cauldron (Taram et le Chaudron magique, 1985).
Sauvion was a recurring voice in the animated film adaptations of the popular French comic series Astérix. He voiced the Roman leader Jules César (Julius Caesar) in both Astérix et la Surprise de César (1985) and Astérix chez les Bretons (1986). His animation credits also include the role of the villain Rastapopoulos in the animated series The Adventures of Tintin (Les Aventures de Tintin, 1991).
Serge Sauvion died on February 13, 2010, in Asnières-sur-Seine, France, just a few days before his 81st birthday. His enduring legacy remains that of a master of vocal performance, whose work as a dubbing actor brought a vast array of characters, both in live-action and animation, to life for French-speaking audiences.
All Characters
- FrenchAnime overview: Ulysses 31