The voice actor Leonardo José died this Thursday (18th), in the city of Rio de Janeiro at the age of 78, as a result of lung cancer. The information has been confirmed to CNN by the actor’s wife, Angelamaria Lachtermacher.
She said that Leonardo passed away peacefully in his sleep this Thursday morning. “He had just arrived in Rio de Janeiro and set up his dubbing studio,” said his wife.
Angelamaria reported that her husband discovered the cancer about four months ago, and comments that the disease was aggravated by Covid-19, which the voice actor contracted in November last year.
About a week ago, a group of dubbed friends and admirers of Leonardo José ran a campaign on social media to finance the actor’s medical treatments.
One of the main profiles specialized in Brazilian dubbing, “Dublapédia Brasil” spoke about the death. “Another sad farewell in this year of 2021. It’s hard! Rest in peace!” he wrote.
Career
Born in Niterói in 1943, Leonardo José started dubbing in 1972 after a quick journalistic career as a reporter and broadcaster.
The starting point to become a voice actor was one of the main studios in Latin America, Herbert Richers, based in Rio de Janeiro.
Over the decades of his career, he has lent his voice to some of the main characters in animations in film and video games.
Among the successful examples are the villain Thanos, from Marvel’s “Avengers” saga, professor Xavier from “X-Men”, Shan-Yu, the main antagonist of the Disney movie “Mulan”, and even the character Volibear, of the game “League of Legends”.
Recall some of Leonardo José’s main works below.
Reference: CNN Brasil
