Ichirô Nagai

Ichirō Nagai (永井 一郎, Nagai Ichirō) was a celebrated Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator from Ikeda, Osaka. Born on May 10, 1931, Nagai was affiliated with Tokyo Actor's Consumer's Cooperative Society, and at the time of his death, he was associated with the Aoni Production. His career spanned over five decades, from 1956 to 2014, and his contribution to the Japanese entertainment industry was profound. Nagai played roles in a myriad of works, demonstrating his versatility as a performer. He lent his voice to characters in some iconic anime, among them GeGeGe no Kitarō's Konaki Jijii and Sazae-san's Namihei Isono. In Urusei Yatsura, he portrayed the wandering monk Cherry, and in Ranma ½, he was Happosai, the founder and grandmaster of Musabetsu Kakutō Ryū. Nagai's distinctive voice has also been featured in numerous video games such as Dragon Ball series, Hunter × Hunter: Wonder Adventure, and Kingdom Hearts series. He also dubbed the character of Albus Dumbledore in the Japanese version of the Harry Potter series, and Yoda in the Star Wars series. Nagai's career ended abruptly on January 27, 2014, when he suffered a heart attack while recording for a program in Hiroshima. He was rushed to a hospital, but unfortunately, he passed away, leaving a rich legacy in the Japanese voice acting domain.