[6] During World War II, he played the long-suffering sergeant trying to make a soldier out of Donald Duck in a series of animated shorts.
He appeared as Sylvester Shyster's dimwitted sidekick in the early Mickey Mouse comic strips before evolving into the main antagonist.
Pete later made several appearances in television, most extensively in Goof Troop (1992–1993) where he was given a different continuity, having a family and a regular job as a used car salesman and being a friend (albeit a poor one) to Goofy.
Pete also appears in House of Mouse (2001–2003) as the greedy property owner who is always trying to exploit devious ways and loopholes to get the club shut down.
Although Pete is often typecast as a villain, he has shown great versatility within the role, playing everything from a hardened criminal (The Dognapper, The Lone Chipmunks and most of his depictions in comics) to a legitimate authority figure (Moving Day, Donald Gets Drafted, Mr.
On some occasions, Pete has even played a sympathetic character, all the while maintaining his underlying menacing nature (Symphony Hour, How to Be a Detective).
In the animated TV series Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, which is aimed at preschoolers, he is largely a friendly character, although his antics can occasionally prove an annoyance.
[14] On the other hand, in the 1942 cartoon Symphony Hour, Pete is a sympathetic impresario who sponsors Mickey's orchestra in a concert, which goes terribly wrong but is a great success.
As Mickey's popularity declined, Pete would serve as an antagonist for Donald Duck and to a lesser extent Goofy and Chip 'n' Dale.
Donald Gets Drafted, The Old Army Game) In Disney comics, Pete is consistently depicted as a professional criminal, who often teams up with Mickey Mouse enemies Sylvester Shyster, Eli Squinch, or the Phantom Blot.
Sometimes, Pete also teams up with other bad guys in the Disney universe, such as Scrooge McDuck's enemies (the Beagle Boys and Magica De Spell), Mad Madam Mim, Captain Hook, and the Evil Queen.
In the 1943 comic strip story Mickey Mouse on a Secret Mission, he was an agent of Nazi Germany, working as the henchman of Gestapo spy Von Weasel.
In the 1950 comic strip story The Moook Treasure, he is even portrayed as the Beria-like deputy chief of intelligence in a totalitarian state on the other side of the Iron Curtain.
Usually, Gambadilegno is depicted as the antagonist of Chief Seamus O'Hara ("commissario Adamo Basettoni") and Detective Casey ("ispettore Manetta") and is either a rival or a partner-in-crime of the Phantom Blot ("Macchia Nera").
During World War II, Pete was "drafted" by Walt Disney and appeared as the official mascot of the United States Merchant Marine.
His mother is known only as Maw Pete and was mentioned in the story "Donald Duck Finds Pirate Gold" by Carl Barks and Jack Hannah (first published October 1942) as a resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Her only appearance was in "The River Pirates" (Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #336–338, published September–November 1968) by Carl Fallberg and Paul Murry.
Pete's twin brother, named Zeke appears in "Double Trouble", by Carl Fallberg and Paul Murry.
[28] The second character to be created by Scarpa is Pete's cousin, the criminal scientist Portis (Plottigat in the original Italian version; English name first used in Walt Disney's Comics and Stories 695, 2008).
She first appeared in Topolino e i piccioni "poliziotti" (Mickey Mouse and the Pigeon Police, first published in December 1981) and starred as Pete's partner-in-crime in eight stories from 1981 to 1984.
In the Italian comic story of 1998, Topolino e il diario di zia Topolinda (Mickey Mouse and Aunt Melinda's diary), Pete's grandma appears, depicted as the only honest member of his family.
In the series, Pete is often the victim of Goofy's clumsiness and mishaps, usually resulting in the destruction of his property or great personal injury.
Pete owns a used-car dealership, and though no longer openly villainous, is still conniving (as well as abrasive, obnoxious, truculent and suspicious) and often exploits his good-hearted and somewhat addled friend Goofy.
While Clubhouse has a great deal of fun at Pete's expense (or "expanse", as he is the biggest and fattest character; they use his overalls for a sail in "Mickey and Minnie's Jungle Safari"), it also depicts him in a sympathetic light; he is openly sentimental in "Clarabelle's Clubhouse Carnival", not wanting to part with his "Petey doll" prizes.
In this Disney version of Mark Twain's The Prince and the Pauper, Pete once again played as the primary villain, this time as the English king's captain of the guard.
To do so, he must get Princess Minnie out of the way, but it proves to be difficult for him, even when he hires the film's titular trio to be her bodyguards, believing they will not do a good job protecting her.
Pete also made a non-speaking cameo appearance as a Toontown police officer in the very final scene of Who Framed Roger Rabbit; he is viewed from the back, alongside Tom and Jerry's Spike and Horace Horsecollar in security uniforms, just before Porky Pig and Tinker Bell close the movie.
He is also voiced by Jim Cummings and has a peg leg, and when Mickey is trapped in his body he gains Pete's signature buck teeth to boot.
After Disney Castle was built in their world, with Mickey its new king, Pete began causing all sorts of mischief until he was banished to another dimension.
He was subsequently freed by Maleficent, to whom he became indebted, and vowed to amass an army of Heartless, creatures born from the darkness of people's hearts, to return the favor.