Peppino Mazzullo, the voice behind Topo Gigio, dies at 100
Peppino Mazzullo, the Italian actor whose voice gave life to the mouse puppet Topo Gigio for 45 years, died at age 100 at his home in Santo Stefano di Briga, Italy.
He died in the morning on 30 September, according to Italian news agency ANSA. Santo Stefano di Briga is a frazione, a small settlement within the city of Messina, in Sicily. His funeral was set for Thursday in the church of San Giovanni Battista in Santo Stefano di Briga. The Hollywood Reporter
He was born Giuseppe Mazzullo on 6 June 1926. He worked as an actor and a dubber, a performer who records voices for screen roles, and built an early career as a dramatic actor. He became a star of early Rai, Italy's public broadcaster. ANSA
Topo Gigio was created by Maria Perego. Mazzullo began voicing the soft-spoken mouse in 1961 and continued through 2006. He also played the character in the 1961 film The Magic World of Topo Gigio. Corriere della Sera
American viewers knew the puppet from The Ed Sullivan Show, the long-running US variety programme. Topo Gigio debuted on the programme on 9 December 1962 and appeared through its final broadcast on 6 June 1971. He usually closed each appearance with the line "Eddie, kiss me goodnight."
An earlier profile credited the puppet with 100 appearances on the Sullivan programme. That run made the tiny mouse, operated by puppeteers and voiced by Mazzullo, familiar to millions of households watching family variety television in the 1960s. La Sicilia
After retiring from the role, Mazzullo founded the Piccolissimo Teatro di Messina. He turned 100 on 6 June this year. A public celebration of his birthday had been scheduled in Messina for that date.
He leaves behind a character that outlived its first television slot. Topo Gigio continued in books, cartoons and stage shows after Mazzullo stopped voicing him.
