Japanese actress Yoshiko Ohta provided the voice for many beloved animated characters in Japan. When she was 89 years old, she passed away.
A death announcement from Theater Echo announced Monday, November 8 that their client had passed away at a hospital in Kanagawa, Japan. The cause of death was listed as heart failure.
Yoshiko, the spouse of Japanese actor Osamu Saka, provided the voice-over for numerous classic cartoons and 60s to 90s anime through Theatre Echo.
She played teenage characters well, switching between male and female voices.
She provided the voice of the titular character Doraemon in his first animated adaptation. This happened in 1973 and was only broadcast on Japanese Television for half a year. Since then, she’s never been used for any subsequent adaptations.
Yoshiko has acted in a variety of movies and TV shows as a voice actor. She played Leo in Kimba the White Lion, Princess Sapphire in Princess Knight and characters in Inuyasha and Ranma ½.
She did the Japanese dubbing for several Disney movies, including The Fox and the Hound, Bambi, Dumbo and Peter Pan.
