Sumi Shimamoto: Movies & Box Office

Sumi Shimamoto (born Sumi Koshikawa on December 8, 1954 in Kōchi, Japan) is a celebrated Japanese actress, voice actress and narrator whose career spans more than five decades. After graduating from the Toho Gakuen College of Drama and Music she joined the theatrical troupe Gekidan Seinenza, where she honed her craft in stage performance before transitioning to voice work. She made her debut in the early 1970s and quickly became known for her clear, expressive vocal quality, landing her first major anime role as Clarisse in Hayao Miyazaki’s The Castle of Cagliostro (1979). Miyazaki was so impressed that he later cast her as the title heroine Nausicaä in the landmark film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984), a role that cemented her reputation as one of Japan’s premier voice talents. Shimamoto’s versatility allowed her to portray a wide range of characters, from the gentle mother Yasuko Kusakabe in My Neighbor Totoro (1988) to the stoic Princess Toki in Princess Mononoke (1997), and she continued to lend her voice to beloved series such as Maison Ikkoku (as Kyōko Otonashi) and Detective Conan (as Yukiko Kudo). In addition to anime, she has narrated documentaries, performed in radio dramas, and provided Japanese dubbing for iconic Western characters like Princess Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy. Throughout her extensive career she has received numerous accolades, including three Anime Grand Prix awards for Voice Actress of the Year (1984, 1987, 1988) and the Kazue Takahashi Memorial Award at the 11th Seiyu Awards in 2017. Outside of her professional life, Shimamoto married Daisuke Koshikawa, a founder of the comedy troupe Chibikko Gang, in 1984, and the couple have one daughter, Shiori, who has followed her mother into voice acting. Today she remains active as an independent talent, continuing to influence new generations of voice actors while contributing to a wide array of projects across film, television, video games, and stage.