Peppino Mazzullo

Giuseppe Mazzullo was born on 6 June 1926 in Santo Stefano di Briga near Messina, the son of Domenico Minicu Mazzullo and Antonina Busa, and one of five siblings (Peppina, Tanuzza, Tano, Giannina and himself). Wartime Santo Stefano used churches as theatres. Under Placido Andriolo he became first actor at the Teatro Auditorium San Gaetano, performing monologues written for him. He also worked as a lathe operator at the Leopoldo Rodriguez shipyards and learned farming from his father.

After industrial school he won a scholarship through his monologue work and studied between 1947 and 1950 at the Accademia d'Arte Cinematografica in Rome and the Accademia d'Arte Drammatica in Milan. He later recalled graduating from the Milan dramatic school around 1950 and being called to RAI by Renato Tagliani of Il Carro di Tespi in 1952.

From 1950 he worked with Guglielmo Della Seta's company and RAI prose. In Milan he was a leading actor at the Angelicum (including Le avventure di Pinocchio and Signor Bonaventura) and worked with Enzo Ferrieri. RAI radio prose credits include Non fare agli altri (Bracco, 1952), Melisenda per me (Meano, 1953), Il giardino dei ciliegi (Chekhov, 1954), La buona figliola (Lopez, 1954), La cucina degli angeli (Husson, 1956) and La medicina di una ragazza malata (Ferrari, 1957). He voiced characters such as the Postman Crow and Messer Coniglio and appeared on Il Gambero with Enzo Tortora. Television prose included Il tesoro di messer Tacca (1957).

Maria Perego created Topo Gigio; Mazzullo gave the puppet its historic Italian voice from 1961 to 2006 (some reference works note related children's variety work from the late 1950s). He wrote and improvised much of Gigio's dialogue and co-wrote Strapazzami di coccole with Gianni Boncompagni (music Franco Bracardi). Gigio appeared in about 94 Ed Sullivan Show episodes in the United States and became a fixture of RAI children's variety, Carosello-era goodnights, and Antoniano/Zecchino programmes. Mazzullo also created Richetto, the forever-failed schoolboy opposite Mago Zurli. He told interviewers he felt Gigio rather than merely dubbing, and asked never to see the puppet discarded like a marionetta.

He married Annamaria Dematteis (also reported as Anna Maria De Matteis), of Milanese origin. After retiring from the national stage circuit in 2004 they lived in a historic building in Santo Stefano di Briga. Around his centenary he said she still kept him alive and did everything for him. He remained close to his Messina roots, sometimes slipping dialect greetings into national broadcasts so villagers would know he remembered them.

In later interviews he described himself as part of the Self-Realization Fellowship founded by Paramahansa Yogananda, and said Topo Gigio was the instrument that let him awaken the divine within and give to others. He called himself a spiritual philanthropist, advised young people to be useful to others first, and said the secret of longevity was knowing what helped him and avoiding what harmed him.

From 2004 he directed the Piccolissimo Teatro di Messina and its school of comic and dramatic theatre. In 2016 he created a Dante and Beatrice audiovisual project with students Giuseppe Crupi and Miriam Pellegrino, re-presented with his narration in 2026 as a message against violence against women. On 6 June 2026 Messina celebrated his 100th birthday with Mayor Federico Basile, Leo Valli (current Topo Gigio voice) and Franco Fasano. His catchphrase Ma cosa mi dici mai and Strapazzami di coccole remain part of Italian popular memory.

In July 2008 he won the Leggio d'Oro Voce Cartoon at the fifth Leggio d'Oro. In 2011 he received the Premio alla voce dei ricordi at the eighth edition. In June 2026 the City of Messina presented a commemorative plaque for his centenary.

Topo Gigio under Mazzullo's voice appeared across RAI variety, international tours, Ed Sullivan broadcasts, and later animated and variety revivals. He sang the theme of the 2005 Topo Gigio Show on Italia 1 even when another actor voiced the character on that series. Archival clips with Raffaella Carra, Pippo Baudo and Ed Sullivan continue to circulate. Profiles appear on Il mondo dei doppiatori, MusicBrainz, Anime News Network and IMDb.

After celebrating his 100th birthday on 6 June 2026, Mazzullo's health declined. La Sicilia reported that he faded gradually and died in Messina on the morning of 30 September 2026 without suffering. Funeral Mass was arranged for Thursday 1 October 2026 at 15:30 in the church of San Giovanni Battista, Santo Stefano di Briga. Sicilian and national outlets remembered him as the historic voice of Topo Gigio.