Mafia II voice actor John Capodice dead at 83
By Brian Allen
John Capodice, one of the best "that guy you know from that thing" actors, died Dec. 30. His decades-long career saw him appear in Seinfeld, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, and General Hospital among his countless roles. Video game fans might recognize his voice as Sidney "The Fat Man" Pen in 2K's hit Mafia II.
Sidney Pen menaces the game's hero in its fifth chapter, The Buzzsaw. The Fat Man has been troubling his former business partner Alberto Clemente, who hires your character to take him out. I'm assuming it's not much of a spoiler for a 15-year-old game that your character gets the job done.
It was just one of the many roles in a lengthy career that defines the saying there are no small parts, only small actors. Capodice nailed every role, from mob boss to kindly father figure. Video game voice acting is no easy task.
It's hard to convey emotions such as love, anger, and time to summon a giant dragon all from the confines of a studio. Some of the best actors have tried and failed. Anybody remember the memeworthy "that wizard came from the moon that Peter Dinklage gave us?"
The line was delivered flat, removed from the game, and reinserted ascending to memehood. Voiceover actors do an often thankless job but they help bring the worlds we spend so much time in to life, whether it's a space opera or the mob scene of the 40s.
Speaking of the Mafia franchise, 2K is teasing a new game in the series. In Mafia: The Old Country, we'll dig into the origins of the mob in 1900's Sicily. Here's the latest trailer for the adventure: