‘Jesus of Nazareth’ Actor Dead at 88: RIP to Pino Colizzi

An actor from the legendary Jesus of Nazareth miniseries and many other high-profile projects has died.

Pino Colizzi has died on an unspecifed cause, according to Il Messaggero. DiRE reports a date of death of Feb. 14; he was 88.

The late actor is part of TV history by portraying Jobab, one of the crucified thieves, in the 1977 biblical epic Jesus of Nazareth. In the Italian version, his voice also dubs over Robert Powell’s performance as the titular religious figure.

Powell would not be the only English-speaking star whose voice Colizzi would translate for Italian audiences. The late performer dubbed over legendary performers such as Robert De Niro (The Godfather Part II), James Caan (The Godfather), Jack Nicholson (Mars Attacks!), Tom Selleck (Three Men and a Little Lady), Richard Dreyfuss (Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind), Michael Douglas (Fatal Attraction, The China Syndrome), Michael Caine (Sleuth) and Christopher Reeve (in his first three Superman films).

Colizzi also was an Italian voice actor for the legendary Disney movies Fantasia and Robin Hood, the Don Bluth classic All Dogs Go to Heaven and the Nickelodeon TV show ChalkZone.

Colizzi’s death comes less than a year after the death of another Jesus of Nazareth cast member, Lee Montague. Montague plated the prophet Habakkuk in the miniseries. Other notable cast members James Earl Jones (Balthazar) and Christopher Plummer (Herod Antipas) have also passed away in recent years.