Valerio Ruggeri was an Italian actor and voice actor whose career spanned from the late 1950s until his death in 2015. He was born in Cinisello Balsamo, near Milan, on February 12, 1934. Ruggeri began his professional journey on stage, working with the renowned theatrical company of Dario Fo and Franca Rame in the early 1960s. While he made cameo appearances in Italian cinema, he became best known for his extensive voice dubbing work, particularly for animated characters in both films and television series.

Ruggeri was notably active in dubbing for Italian productions of anime and Western animation. Among his most recognized roles in anime was the character of Edvarg in the series Guru Guru - The Circle of Magic, a role for which he was fondly remembered by fans for the character's eccentric "Kita Kita" dance. He also provided the voice for Kagome's grandfather in the Italian dub of the Inuyasha movies, including Inuyasha the Movie: A Sentiment That Transcends Time and Inuyasha the Movie: The Sword of the World Dominator. In the anime film Akira, specifically the 1992 Italian dub, he voiced Doctor Ōnishi. His other anime credits include roles in Medarot, where he played Doctor Akihabara, as well as secondary characters in series such as Lupin III, Cat's Eyes, and Lady Georgie.

Beyond the specific genre of anime, Ruggeri had a prolific career dubbing characters from Disney and other major animation studios. He was the long-standing Italian voice of Rabbit in the Winnie the Pooh franchise for over two decades, appearing in numerous films and series including The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, The Tigger Movie, Piglet's Big Movie, and the animated series The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. He also voiced Grimsby in The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea, Elder Gutknecht in Tim Burton's Corpse Bride, Sam McKeane in Atlantis: Milo's Return, and Abner in Home on the Range. In live-action dubbing, he was known as the Italian voice of Grandpa Joe in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Nels Oleson in Little House on the Prairie. He also voiced the character Waldorf in the Muppets films and took over the role of Herbert in the later seasons of the Italian dub of Family Guy.

Valerio Ruggeri died of a heart attack in Rome on July 4, 2015, at the age of 81. His death marked the end of a long and active career that made him a recognizable voice for generations of Italian viewers of animated works.