Franco Latini

{{Infobox person

| name = Franco Latini

| image = Franco Latini.png

| alt =

| caption = Latini in The Black Maid (1976)

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{birth date|1927|9|12|df=y}}

| birth_place = Pomezia, Kingdom of Italy

| death_date = {{death date and age|1991|2|2|1927|9|12|df=y}}

| death_place = Rome, Italy

| occupation = {{hlist|Actor|voice actor|dubbing director}}

| years_active = 1953–1991

| children = {{hlist|Laura|Fabrizio|Ilaria}}

}}

Franco Latini (12 September 1927 – 2 February 1991) was an Italian actor and voice actor.{{cite web|url=https://www.antoniogenna.net/doppiaggio/voci/vocifl.htm|title=Franco Latini's voice acting and dubbing contributions|website=Il mondo dei doppiatori, antoniogenna.net |date= |accessdate=18 September 2018|language=it}} He was considered one of the top voice dubbers for animated films and cartoons in Italy.{{cite web|url=https://www.mymovies.it/biografia/?a=140840 |title=Franco Latini |publisher=MYmovies |access-date= 31 July 2019}}

Biography

Born in Pomezia, which is in Rome, Latini started out working as a singer in nightclubs in the early 1950s, then he went on to act in radio comedies and theatre plays. In 1953 he starred in the film The World Condemns Them. Latini's filmography includes comedies such as the 1966 musical film Mondo pazzo... gente matta! starring Silvana Pampanini, the 1976 film The Black Maid starring Carla Brait and spaghetti westerns such as Blue Summer and Johnny Hamlet.

Latini was heavily active as a voice actor.[https://www.antoniogenna.net/doppiaggio/speciali/cronologia.htm Cronologia fondamentale dell'epoca d'oro del doppiaggio italiano Dagli albori agli anni 1970] (in Italian) He dubbed Stan Laurel in several redubs of Laurel and Hardy shorts and films in which he was paired up with Carlo Croccolo.{{cite news|url=https://www.laurel-e-hardy.it/storia-del-doppiaggio-in-italia-di-lorenzo-bassi/|title=STORIA DEL DOPPIAGGIO IN ITALIA (DI LORENZO BASSI)|publisher=laurel-e-hardy.it|language=it|access-date=15 April 2020|archive-date=8 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200808091120/https://www.laurel-e-hardy.it/storia-del-doppiaggio-in-italia-di-lorenzo-bassi/|url-status=dead}} He also dubbed characters in many animated productions: he was the Italian voice of Skeletor and other characters in the first season of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and from 1983 until 1988 he was the primary Italian voice of Donald Duck.{{cite news|url=http://www.archiviolastampa.it/component/option,com_lastampa/task,search/mod,libera/action,viewer/Itemid,3/page,20/articleid,0857_02_1991_0031_0020_24998652/ |title=Morto Latini, voce di Paperino|newspaper= Stampa Sera|date= 4 February 1991|access-date=18 September 2018}} Latini voiced most of the characters in the Italian editions of the Looney Tunes, various Muppets in The Muppet Show, Tom, the Cat from Tom & Jerry and the namesake character in the Van Beuren Studios Tom and Jerry series.

Latini founded his own dubbing company in the late 1970s, which was active until the end of the '80s. In 1981 he lost one of his legs in an accident, which rendered him unable to perform on screen. After that, he devoted himself exclusively to dubbing.{{cite web|url=http://looneyverse.altervista.org/approfondimenti/franco-latini-mille-voci-nell-ombra/ |title=Franco Latini – Mille voci nell'ombra |publisher=looneyverse.altervisita.org |access-date= 11 April 2019}}

=Personal life=

Latini had three children, daughters Laura and Ilaria from his marriage with dialogue writer Maria Pinto and son Fabrizio from his relationship with actress Piera Vidale. All three followed in Latini's footsteps.

Death

Latini died of a stroke at the Agostino Gemelli University Polyclinic in Rome around the evening of 2 February 1991, at the age of 63, it was also the 21st birthday of his son Fabrizio Vidale. He was later interred at Campo Verano.

Filmography

= Cinema =

class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"

!scope="col"|Year

!scope="col"|Title

!scope="col"|Role

!scope="col"|Notes

1953

|The World Condemns Them

|Double Bass Player

|Uncredited

1958

|{{ill|Serenatella sciuè sciuè|it}}

|Barone Paolino

1963

|The Motorized Women

|Plump Man with a Hat

|Uncredited

1964

|Bullet in the Flesh

|Bob Rusky

1965

|Blue Summer

|Oliveras

1966

|{{ill|Mondo pazzo... gente matta!|it}}

|Paolo Pizziconi

1967

|For Love... for Magic...

rowspan=2|1968

|Johnny Hamlet

|Gravedigger

May God Forgive You... But I Won't

|Undertaker

1972

|Jus primae noctis

1976

|{{ill|La cameriera nera|it}}

|Placido

= Television =

class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"

!scope="col"|Year

!scope="col"|Title

!scope="col"|Role

!scope="col"|Notes

1969

|{{ill|Stasera Fernandel|it}}

|Il capostazione

|TV miniseries, 6th episode (1969){{cite web|url=https://archive.org/stream/Radiocorriere-1968-53/RC-1968-53_djvu.txt|title=Radiocorriere 1968 53|date=28 December 1968 }}

1973

|Qui squadra mobile

|Padrone

1974

|L'avventura di un povero cristiano

|Cerbicca

|TV play{{cite web|url=https://www.teche.rai.it/teatro-1974-1975/|title=Teatro 1974-1975|website=teche.rai.it}}

Voice work

= Miscellaneous =

{{ill|SuperGulp!|it}} - {{ill|Enrico La Talpa|it}} (Henry, the mole from Lupo Alberto), {{ill|Jak Mandolino|it}}, Pop Corn [it], Carletto Spaccabue, Commendatore, Sturmtruppen narrator and other characters{{cite web|url=https://www.antoniogenna.net/doppiaggio/progtv/supergulp.htm|title=SuperGulp|website=Il mondo dei doppiatori, antoniogenna.net}}
Provolino (1969-1970)
Lobster for Breakfast (1976) - Radio voice{{cite web|title=Lobster for Breakfast |url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/lobster-for-breakfast-am57207 |website=allmovie.com}}
La liceale, il diavolo e l'acqua santa (1979) - Cry of the newborn{{cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/la-liceale-il-diavolo-e-lacquasanta-am57267|title=La liceale, il diavolo e l'acquasanta (1979) - Overview|website=allmovie.com}}