Andrea Innocenti This morning, the small community of Santo Stefano Briga had to say goodbye to a true pillar of Italian entertainment: Peppino Mazzullo . After celebrating his 100th birthday in June, the artist passed away at his home, leaving a profound void in the history of the Italian voice.
His last message, “I live to be useful to others, but it is a world that no longer belongs to me,” was shared by friends and acquaintances,
His first steps in the Santo Stefano theatre and his training in Rome and Milan
Peppino Mazzullo was born in Santo Stefano, just outside Messina, in 1926. As a boy, he set foot on the stage of the Teatro Auditorium San Gaetano, where fellow countryman Placido Andriolo wrote tailor-made monologues for him. One of these performances earned him a scholarship to the Academy of Cinematographic Arts in Rome and, later, the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Milan.
Those four years of training prepared him for a life entirely dedicated to the stage and voices.
Experiences with RAI, Guglielmo Della Seta and Enzo Ferrieri
In the 50s Mazzullo joined the Rai prose company and collaborated with the director Guglielmo Della Seta, taking part in highly successful radio and television shows.
Shortly thereafter, he joined Enzo Ferrieri's company, cementing his reputation as a versatile and reliable actor. At the same time, he took part in the Zecchino d'Oro shows of the 1960s, playing the mischievous Richetto, the boy who perpetually fails his exams.
The long collaboration with Topo Gigio and the awards
The true legend of his career began in 1961, when he lent his voice to Topo Gigio, the puppet created by Maria Perego. For more than four decades, his sweet, ironic voice accompanied the little mouse's adventures, becoming an integral part of the childhoods of entire generations. In 2004, thanks to his work in Santo Stefano Briga, he founded the "Piccolissimo Teatro di Messina" and directed the "School of Comic and Dramatic Theater." That same year, he received the Leggio d'Oro award for cartoon voices , and in 2011, he was awarded the Voice of Memories Award during the eighth edition of the event.
The last years, the return to Santo Stefano Briga and the funeral
In recent years, Mazzullo gradually withdrew from the entertainment world, choosing the tranquility of his homeland. On October 1st, at 15:30 PM, the Church of San Giovanni in Santo Stefano Briga will host a funeral service, during which friends, family, and colleagues will be able to pay tribute to a life dedicated to the public. His latest audiovisual project, released in 2026, reinterprets the Dante myth with the participation of young students from the Piccolissimo Teatro, confirming his commitment to culture and art until his dying breath.