Veteran Iranian dubber Mozaffari dies at 83
Saeed Mozaffari, one of Iran’s most celebrated voice actors and dubbing directors, died on Tuesday in Tehran at the age of 83 after suffering cardiac complications.
Born in July 1942 in Shahrud, he began his dubbing career in 1962 and became a defining voice in Iran’s postwar cinema culture, bridging global cinema and Iranian audiences through six decades of work, IRNA reported.
Mozaffari’s commanding tone and emotional range made him the Persian voice behind dozens of Hollywood and Asian screen legends.
He dubbed Clint Eastwood in Sergio Leone’s Westerns ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ and ‘A Fistful of Dollars,’ and voiced Ryan O’Neal, Pierce Brosnan, Matthew McConaughey, Brad Pitt and Jackie Chan in many of their films.
His versatility and precision established him as one of the few Iranian dubbers whose voice audiences could recognize instantly.
He also lent his voice to iconic television characters such as Rick Grimes in ‘The Walking Dead’ and Ragnar Lothbrok in ‘Vikings,’ roles that cemented his reputation across generations. Mozaffari often recalled his first dubbing experience — a short part in ‘The Miracle’ starring Roger Moore — as the moment that set him on a lifelong artistic path.
Beyond performance, Mozaffari became a respected dubbing director, mentoring younger artists and overseeing the translation of global cinema into Persian. Colleagues praised his discipline and artistry, calling him “a perfectionist with a golden ear.” Farshid Shakiba, head of IRIB’s dubbing unit, said the industry had “lost one of its firm pillars.”
Funeral services are scheduled for Friday, October 17, at the Artists’ Section in Behesht-e Zahra cemetery in Tehran.