Massimo Lopez

Massimo Lopez (born 11 January 1952) is an Italian actor, comedian, impressionist, voice actor, and television personality.

Together with fellow actors Anna Marchesini and Tullio Solenghi, he has been a member of the comic group known as Il Trio (The Trio).

Biography
Lopez was born to parents from Naples who were temporarily working in Ascoli Piceno. He started his acting career in 1975, was first cast as a voice actor in 1980, and founded Il Trio in 1982 with Tullio Solenghi and Anna Marchesini: the Trio debuted on Rai Radio 2 with the Hellzapoppin radio show.

Following the great success of Hellzapoppin, the Trio participated in various television programs like Domenica in and the 1986 edition of Fantastico and took part to the Sanremo Music Festival editions of 1986, 1987 and 1989.

In 1990, the Trio reached the peak of success with the parody of Alessandro Manzoni's The Betrothed, which was broadcast on Rai 1 in 5 episodes. Together with Solenghi and Marchesini, Lopez brought on stage two theatrical shows: Allacciare le cinture di sicurezza (Fasten your seat belts) in 1987 and In principio era il trio (In the Beginning, there was the Trio) in 1990.

The Trio dissolved in 1994, due to the will of all three actors to work as soloists, but reunited for one last time in 2008 to celebrate its 25th anniversary with the TV-program Non esiste più la mezza stagione.

In 1998, Lopez made an appearance as a guest star in the soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful and in 2005 he hosted together with Solenghi Striscia la notizia. From 2005 to 2011 Lopez acted and sang in the theatre one-man-show Ciao Frankie (Goodbye, Frankie), also performed at the Colony Theatre in Miami, directed by his brother Giorgio Lopez and dedicated to Frank Sinatra, featuring songs, gags and impressions.

As a voice actor, Lopez is known for dubbing voices, such as Robin Williams' in the live action adaption of Popeye, Mike Myers in the second installment of the Austin Powers movies, and Stephen Fry in The Hobbit. In his animated roles, he has been providing the current Italian voice of Homer Simpson in The Simpsons since the death of Tonino Accolla in 2013 and has performed the Italian voice of Grand Pabbie in Frozen, Ramon in Happy Feet, Mr. Peabody in Mr. Peabody & Sherman and Lionheart in Zootopia.

On 27 March 2017 Lopez suffered a heart attack while he was performing on stage; he quickly underwent an angioplasty and was transferred to a cardiological rehabilitation center, where he recovered completely and came back on stage two months later.

Personal life
Lopez is the younger brother of the late actor, voice actor and theatre director Giorgio Lopez, who was the official Italian dubbing artist for Danny DeVito until his death in 2021. He is also the uncle of voice actors Gabriele and Andrea Lopez.

With the Trio

 * Domenica in (1985–1986)
 * Fantastico (1986–1987)
 * Sanremo Music Festival 1986 (1986)
 * Sanremo Music Festival 1987 (1987)
 * Sanremo Music Festival 1989 (1989)
 * Non esiste più la mezza stagione (2008)

As soloist

 * Scherzi a parte (1995, 1997)
 * Quelli che... il Calcio (2001–2002)
 * Striscia la notizia (2005)
 * Miss Italia Show (2018)

Animation

 * Homer Simpson, Jimmy Carter clone, George R.R. Martin, Oliver Hardy, Alf, Herb Powell, Phil Muhlstock in The Simpsons (season 24+)
 * Ramon in Happy Feet, Happy Feet 2
 * Grand Pabbie in Frozen, Frozen II
 * Ben Rodriguez and Larvae Levin in Futurama
 * Chilly McStuffins in Doc McStuffins (season 2+)
 * Mayor Leodore Lionheart in Zootopia
 * Mister Peabody in Mr. Peabody & Sherman
 * Captain Qwark in Ratchet & Clank
 * Eduardo in Rio 2
 * Papa Smurf in Smurfs: The Lost Village
 * Archibald Snatcher in The Boxtrolls
 * Horse in A Town Called Panic
 * Cowardly Lion in Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return
 * Bobby in Turbo
 * Bruno Bullnerd in ChalkZone

Live action

 * Master of Lake-town in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
 * Splinter in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows
 * Myron 'Count' Malachi, Sgt. Ryan and Jacques Dubois in Happy Days
 * Ben Urich and Ray Schoonover / Blacksmith in Daredevil
 * Ove and Young Ove in A Man Called Ove
 * Grand Pabbie in Once Upon a Time (TV series)
 * Popeye in Popeye
 * Latin Lover Narrator in Jane the Virgin
 * Mr. Johnson in Love & Friendship
 * George Falconer in A Single Man
 * Lee Chen-chiang in Game of Death II
 * Zanik Hightopp in Alice Through the Looking Glass
 * Tommy Brue in A Most Wanted Man
 * Austin Powers / Dr. Evil / Fat Bastard in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
 * Fernando Cienfuegos in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
 * Chuck Lumley in Night Shift
 * Papa Rudy in The Walk
 * Method acting teacher in The Disaster Artist
 * Ghost in 22 Jump Street
 * Stephen Hawking in The Big Bang Theory
 * Mr. Bennet in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
 * Aamir Barkawi in London Has Fallen

Video games

 * Homer Simpson in Lego Dimensions