Venus Terzo
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Venus Terzo is a Canadian actress. She has often worked as a voice actress, both in original works and in the English dubs of anime series. Her most notable-live action roles were the detective Angela Kosmo in the crime drama series "Da Vinci's Inquest" (1998-2005) and the politically-themed sequel "Da Vinci's City Hall" (2005-2006), and physician Dr. Elisa Schwartz in several seasons of "Arrow" (serving as a supporting character from 2016 to 2019).
Her first notable voice role was the obsessive inventor Biko "B-ko" Daitokuji in the direct-to-video films "Project A-ko 2: Plot of the Daitokuji Financial Group" (1987), "Project A-ko 3: Cinderella Rhapsody" (1988), and "Project A-ko 4: FINAL" (1989). In this film series, B-Ko's primary motivations were her unrequited affection for the ordinary schoolgirl Shiko "C-ko" Kotobuki, and her intense rivalry with the superhuman schoolgirl Eiko "A-ko" Magami. Terzo also voiced a bounty-hunter version of B-Ko in the spin-off two-part film "Project A-ko: Grey Side/Blue Side". This two-part film featured alternate reality versions of A-Ko and B-Ko as business partners who have to prevent the end of a multiverse and the intended birth of a new universe.
In 1989, Terzo voiced the female form of shape-shifter Ranma Saotome in the first of the two animated series based on the manga "Ranma ½" (1987-1996). The series only lasted for 18 episodes. Terzo also voiced Ranma in the second series, which lasted from 1989 to 1992. In both series, Ranma is an adolescent martial artist who constantly shifts between male and female forms due to a curse. He has four fiancees (Akane Tendo, Shampoo, Kodachi Kuno, and Ukyo Kuonji), but he tends to attract suitors from both genders.
In "Captain N: The Game Master" (1989-1991), Terzo voiced Princess Lana. Her character was the heiress and current regent of Videoland, in replacement to her exiled father. Lana acted as the mediator within a team of heroes with different backgrounds and clashing personalities, and was the main love interest of protagonist Kevin Keene. The series lasted 3 seasons and 34 episodes.
In the "New Adventures of He-Man" (1990), Terzo voiced the Sorceress of Castle Grayskull, He-Man's mentor. In this series, He-Man has time-traveled into the far future and has been recruited to fight a war. The Sorceress still communicates with him through telepathy, and at times intervenes to help him. In this series, Terzo also voiced the evil mutant Crita (a love interest for the villain Skeletor), and the heroic queen Mara (Crita's archenemy). The series lasted for a single season and 65 episodes, though the last episode hinted that Skeletor and Crita would eventually return.
Terzo voiced the tomboy heroine PJ of the Dream Patrol in "Captain Zed and the Zee Zone" (1991-1993). PJ and her partner Captain Zed had to defend the dreams of children from villains who controlled nightmares and could shape-shift at will. The series lasted for 26 episodes. The character of PJ was redesigned in the series' second season to look more feminine. At about the same time, Terzo was cast in "My Little Pony Tales" (1992), a slice of life series about preteen female anthropomorphic ponies. Terzo voiced the athletic tomboy Patch (one of the main characters) and the newscaster Dazzle (a guest character). She also voiced the medieval adventurer Squire, who turned up in ghost form in the first episode. The series lasted a single season and 26 episodes. Terzo left the series before its completion, replaced by Brigitta Dau.
In "King Arthur and the Knights of Justice" (1992-1993), Terzo voiced supporting character Lady Elaine. Her character was an attendant to Queen Guinevere (voiced by Kathleen Barr), and the love interest of the crossbowman Sir Darren (one of the main characters). Elaine was initially unaware that her lover was a time-traveler from the 20th century. The series lasted 2 seasons and 26 episodes.
In "Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog" (1993), Terzo voiced the sentient female robot Breezie. Created by the villain Dr. Ivo Robotnik to set a trap for the hero Sonic the Hedgehog, Breezie soon developed genuine emotions and morality. She rebelled against her programming, and set out to create a life and career for herself. Breezie initially served as a recurring damsel in distress in subsequent episodes, but eventually developed considerable survival skills of her own. The series lasted for a single season and 65 episodes.
In the superhero series "Skysurfer Strike Force" (1995-1996), Terzo voiced the female cyborg Lazerette. Lazerette and her teammate Cerina were the only recurring female villains in the series, serving the plans of would-be world conqueror Cybron (Cerina's father). The series lasted for 2 seasons and 26 episodes. It was the last animated series created by the studio Ruby-Spears Productions.
In the fantasy series "The Vision of Escaflowne" (1996), Terzo voiced the supporting character Princess Millerna Aston. Millerna was a talented medical student, who was forced by her family to drop her studies and to become engaged to a man who was a mere acquaintance to her. Millerna eventually fled her home planet, in order to pursue her own life goals. The series lasted for 26 episodes. In the science fiction series "Saber Marionette J" (1996-1997), Terzo voiced Tiger, a sentient female marionette who loyally served megalomaniac dictator Gailhart von Faust. The main motivation of Terzo's character was her unrequited love for Faust, who only viewed her as a disposable tool. The series lasted for 25 episodes.
In "Beast Wars: Transformers" (1996-1999), Terzo voiced Blacharachnia, a female Transformer who could shape-shift into a black widow spider. She was created by the villainous Predacon faction, but she was a rebellious member in their ranks. She was mainly motivated by self-interest and self-preservation, and was unwilling to die for their cause. She eventually switched sides to the heroic Maximals, after they helped her survive a lost battle. She remained a selfish individual, but started a romantic relationship with her new teammate Silverbolt. The series lasted for 3 seasons and 52 episodes. Terzo also voiced Blacharachnia in the sequel series "Beast Machines: Transformers" (1999-2000). In this series, Blacharachnia was trying to survive in an apocalyptic version of her native planet Cybertron, with most of the planet's population having vanished just prior to the series' events. The series lasted for 2 seasons and 26 episodes.
In the romantic comedy series "Trouble Chocolate" (1999-2000), Terzo voiced Deborah. Her character was a female security officer, and maintained a romantic relationship with her immediate superior, Murakata. She also voiced a robotic doppelganger of Deborah. The series served mainly as a parody to other animated series. It lasted for 20 episodes. Terzo voiced Millerna Aston again in the dark fantasy film "Escaflowne" (2000) , which featured alternate reality versions of the characters from the television series. This version of Millerna was a war refugee who joined a resistance group.
In the series "Star Ocean EX" (2001), Terzo voiced the treasure hunter Celine Jules. Her character was a powerful magic user, but had a crippling fear of insects. The series lasted for 26 episodes. In the series "Project ARMS" (2001-2002), Terzo voiced Katsumi Akagi, the best friend and love interest of protagonist Ryo Takatsuki. Like several of the other main characters, Katsumi was created through a genetic experiment for the creation of super-humans. Unlike the others, she was not granted cybernetic implants and initially had no superhuman abilities. The series lasted for 52 episodes.
In "X-Men: Evolution" (2000-2003), Terzo voiced mutant superheroine Jean Grey. Like her comic book counterpart, Jean was a powerful telepath and telekinetic. Unlike her comic book counterpart, she was still an adolescent. She struggled with her shyness and a number of personal insecurities. It was hinted in the series that she was destined to become a host for the Phoenix Force, but the event was not actually depicted. The series lasted for 4 seasons and 52 episodes, though the writers had plans for a 5th season which was never produced.
In the "My Little Pony" Generation 3 direct-to-video films (2003-2009), Terzo voiced both the imaginative Sparkleworks and the stylish fashionista Rainbow Dash. This incarnation of "My Little Pony" was aimed at a younger audience than the previous versions, with conflict-free narratives. In "Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny" (2004-2005), Terzo voiced Talia Gladys, captain of the spaceship Minerva. She was a loyal member of the military organization ZAFT, but found herself often disagreeing with the erratic orders of her superiors. Talia eventually chose to die by the side of her former lover, Gilbert Durandal, in his final battle. The series lasted for 50 episodes.
In the superhero series "Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes" (2006-2010), Terzo voiced the Latverian supervillain Lucia von Bardas in two 2007 episodes. The comic book version of Lucia was a cyborg, but the animated version was one of Doctor Doom's androids. Terzo voiced Jean Grey again for a 2012 guest appearance in "Iron Man: Armored Adventures" (2009-2012). This version of Jean was hiding from her enemy Magneto, and used an alias. When eventually confronted by Magneto, she bested him in combat.
In the alternate history series "Gin Tama" (2015-2016), Terzo voiced recurring villain Matako Kijima, a ruthless gunslinger. Matako was part of an extremist organization, but was mainly motivated by her unrequited love for its leader, Shinsuke Takasugi. She and her teammate Nizou Okada openly hated each other, with multiple attempts on each other's life. Terzo has not had any major voice roles since the end of this series.
Terzo has been entertaining her audience for more than 30 years, but she has not been particularly active in the 2020s. She is fondly recalled for her roles in several cult classics, but it is unclear whether she will make a comeback with a new major role.
Her first notable voice role was the obsessive inventor Biko "B-ko" Daitokuji in the direct-to-video films "Project A-ko 2: Plot of the Daitokuji Financial Group" (1987), "Project A-ko 3: Cinderella Rhapsody" (1988), and "Project A-ko 4: FINAL" (1989). In this film series, B-Ko's primary motivations were her unrequited affection for the ordinary schoolgirl Shiko "C-ko" Kotobuki, and her intense rivalry with the superhuman schoolgirl Eiko "A-ko" Magami. Terzo also voiced a bounty-hunter version of B-Ko in the spin-off two-part film "Project A-ko: Grey Side/Blue Side". This two-part film featured alternate reality versions of A-Ko and B-Ko as business partners who have to prevent the end of a multiverse and the intended birth of a new universe.
In 1989, Terzo voiced the female form of shape-shifter Ranma Saotome in the first of the two animated series based on the manga "Ranma ½" (1987-1996). The series only lasted for 18 episodes. Terzo also voiced Ranma in the second series, which lasted from 1989 to 1992. In both series, Ranma is an adolescent martial artist who constantly shifts between male and female forms due to a curse. He has four fiancees (Akane Tendo, Shampoo, Kodachi Kuno, and Ukyo Kuonji), but he tends to attract suitors from both genders.
In "Captain N: The Game Master" (1989-1991), Terzo voiced Princess Lana. Her character was the heiress and current regent of Videoland, in replacement to her exiled father. Lana acted as the mediator within a team of heroes with different backgrounds and clashing personalities, and was the main love interest of protagonist Kevin Keene. The series lasted 3 seasons and 34 episodes.
In the "New Adventures of He-Man" (1990), Terzo voiced the Sorceress of Castle Grayskull, He-Man's mentor. In this series, He-Man has time-traveled into the far future and has been recruited to fight a war. The Sorceress still communicates with him through telepathy, and at times intervenes to help him. In this series, Terzo also voiced the evil mutant Crita (a love interest for the villain Skeletor), and the heroic queen Mara (Crita's archenemy). The series lasted for a single season and 65 episodes, though the last episode hinted that Skeletor and Crita would eventually return.
Terzo voiced the tomboy heroine PJ of the Dream Patrol in "Captain Zed and the Zee Zone" (1991-1993). PJ and her partner Captain Zed had to defend the dreams of children from villains who controlled nightmares and could shape-shift at will. The series lasted for 26 episodes. The character of PJ was redesigned in the series' second season to look more feminine. At about the same time, Terzo was cast in "My Little Pony Tales" (1992), a slice of life series about preteen female anthropomorphic ponies. Terzo voiced the athletic tomboy Patch (one of the main characters) and the newscaster Dazzle (a guest character). She also voiced the medieval adventurer Squire, who turned up in ghost form in the first episode. The series lasted a single season and 26 episodes. Terzo left the series before its completion, replaced by Brigitta Dau.
In "King Arthur and the Knights of Justice" (1992-1993), Terzo voiced supporting character Lady Elaine. Her character was an attendant to Queen Guinevere (voiced by Kathleen Barr), and the love interest of the crossbowman Sir Darren (one of the main characters). Elaine was initially unaware that her lover was a time-traveler from the 20th century. The series lasted 2 seasons and 26 episodes.
In "Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog" (1993), Terzo voiced the sentient female robot Breezie. Created by the villain Dr. Ivo Robotnik to set a trap for the hero Sonic the Hedgehog, Breezie soon developed genuine emotions and morality. She rebelled against her programming, and set out to create a life and career for herself. Breezie initially served as a recurring damsel in distress in subsequent episodes, but eventually developed considerable survival skills of her own. The series lasted for a single season and 65 episodes.
In the superhero series "Skysurfer Strike Force" (1995-1996), Terzo voiced the female cyborg Lazerette. Lazerette and her teammate Cerina were the only recurring female villains in the series, serving the plans of would-be world conqueror Cybron (Cerina's father). The series lasted for 2 seasons and 26 episodes. It was the last animated series created by the studio Ruby-Spears Productions.
In the fantasy series "The Vision of Escaflowne" (1996), Terzo voiced the supporting character Princess Millerna Aston. Millerna was a talented medical student, who was forced by her family to drop her studies and to become engaged to a man who was a mere acquaintance to her. Millerna eventually fled her home planet, in order to pursue her own life goals. The series lasted for 26 episodes. In the science fiction series "Saber Marionette J" (1996-1997), Terzo voiced Tiger, a sentient female marionette who loyally served megalomaniac dictator Gailhart von Faust. The main motivation of Terzo's character was her unrequited love for Faust, who only viewed her as a disposable tool. The series lasted for 25 episodes.
In "Beast Wars: Transformers" (1996-1999), Terzo voiced Blacharachnia, a female Transformer who could shape-shift into a black widow spider. She was created by the villainous Predacon faction, but she was a rebellious member in their ranks. She was mainly motivated by self-interest and self-preservation, and was unwilling to die for their cause. She eventually switched sides to the heroic Maximals, after they helped her survive a lost battle. She remained a selfish individual, but started a romantic relationship with her new teammate Silverbolt. The series lasted for 3 seasons and 52 episodes. Terzo also voiced Blacharachnia in the sequel series "Beast Machines: Transformers" (1999-2000). In this series, Blacharachnia was trying to survive in an apocalyptic version of her native planet Cybertron, with most of the planet's population having vanished just prior to the series' events. The series lasted for 2 seasons and 26 episodes.
In the romantic comedy series "Trouble Chocolate" (1999-2000), Terzo voiced Deborah. Her character was a female security officer, and maintained a romantic relationship with her immediate superior, Murakata. She also voiced a robotic doppelganger of Deborah. The series served mainly as a parody to other animated series. It lasted for 20 episodes. Terzo voiced Millerna Aston again in the dark fantasy film "Escaflowne" (2000) , which featured alternate reality versions of the characters from the television series. This version of Millerna was a war refugee who joined a resistance group.
In the series "Star Ocean EX" (2001), Terzo voiced the treasure hunter Celine Jules. Her character was a powerful magic user, but had a crippling fear of insects. The series lasted for 26 episodes. In the series "Project ARMS" (2001-2002), Terzo voiced Katsumi Akagi, the best friend and love interest of protagonist Ryo Takatsuki. Like several of the other main characters, Katsumi was created through a genetic experiment for the creation of super-humans. Unlike the others, she was not granted cybernetic implants and initially had no superhuman abilities. The series lasted for 52 episodes.
In "X-Men: Evolution" (2000-2003), Terzo voiced mutant superheroine Jean Grey. Like her comic book counterpart, Jean was a powerful telepath and telekinetic. Unlike her comic book counterpart, she was still an adolescent. She struggled with her shyness and a number of personal insecurities. It was hinted in the series that she was destined to become a host for the Phoenix Force, but the event was not actually depicted. The series lasted for 4 seasons and 52 episodes, though the writers had plans for a 5th season which was never produced.
In the "My Little Pony" Generation 3 direct-to-video films (2003-2009), Terzo voiced both the imaginative Sparkleworks and the stylish fashionista Rainbow Dash. This incarnation of "My Little Pony" was aimed at a younger audience than the previous versions, with conflict-free narratives. In "Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny" (2004-2005), Terzo voiced Talia Gladys, captain of the spaceship Minerva. She was a loyal member of the military organization ZAFT, but found herself often disagreeing with the erratic orders of her superiors. Talia eventually chose to die by the side of her former lover, Gilbert Durandal, in his final battle. The series lasted for 50 episodes.
In the superhero series "Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes" (2006-2010), Terzo voiced the Latverian supervillain Lucia von Bardas in two 2007 episodes. The comic book version of Lucia was a cyborg, but the animated version was one of Doctor Doom's androids. Terzo voiced Jean Grey again for a 2012 guest appearance in "Iron Man: Armored Adventures" (2009-2012). This version of Jean was hiding from her enemy Magneto, and used an alias. When eventually confronted by Magneto, she bested him in combat.
In the alternate history series "Gin Tama" (2015-2016), Terzo voiced recurring villain Matako Kijima, a ruthless gunslinger. Matako was part of an extremist organization, but was mainly motivated by her unrequited love for its leader, Shinsuke Takasugi. She and her teammate Nizou Okada openly hated each other, with multiple attempts on each other's life. Terzo has not had any major voice roles since the end of this series.
Terzo has been entertaining her audience for more than 30 years, but she has not been particularly active in the 2020s. She is fondly recalled for her roles in several cult classics, but it is unclear whether she will make a comeback with a new major role.
