Kōhei Miyauchi was a Japanese actor and voice actor born on August 4, 1929, in Kagoshima Prefecture. He began his career in the 1950s and was active in the industry until his passing on June 2, 1995, at the age of 65. At the time of his death, he was represented by the talent agency Aoni Production. Miyauchi was known for his distinctive, often paternal or elder roles, and he built a prolific career spanning television animation, original video animations, theatrical films, and dubbing foreign productions.

Miyauchi's career was marked by several iconic and long-running roles. One of his most beloved performances was as the voice of Alm-Onji, the gruff yet caring grandfather in the classic 1974 World Masterpiece Theater series Heidi, Girl of the Alps. This role established him as a definitive voice for elderly characters in Japanese animation. He also portrayed the wise and kind Gaikan Osho in the long-running series Ikkyū-san.

For a generation of anime fans, Miyauchi is best remembered as the original voice of Kame Sennin, also known as Master Roshi, the Turtle Hermit in the Dragon Ball franchise. He voiced the character in the original Dragon Ball series, Dragon Ball Z, and numerous theatrical films, creating a template for the beloved and lecherous martial arts master. His work extended to other major series, including roles as Elder Ukoku and Jukei in Fist of the North Star, Mitsumasa Kido in Saint Seiya, and Chang Ang in Magic Knight Rayearth.

Beyond these prominent roles, Miyauchi's extensive filmography includes a vast number of other characters. He voiced Iwao Yamakawa in the Kobo-chan television specials Matsuri ga Ippai!, Yume Ippai!!, and Aki ga Ippai. In the original video animation (OVA) Prefectural Earth Defense Force, he played Dr. Toshio Inoue, and he was the voice of Grandpa Ayanokoji in the 3x3 Eyes Seima Densetsu OVA. He also took on the role of Rouran in Eiyū Gaiden Mozaika and King Kaiser in Grimm Douwa - Kin no Tori. In the 1987 animated film Ultraman: The Adventure Begins, he provided the Japanese voice for the character Walter Freeman. His talent also extended to dubbing foreign films, where he lent his voice to actors such as Lee Strasberg in The Godfather Part II and Robert Prosky in Gremlins 2: The New Batch for Japanese television broadcasts. Kōhei Miyauchi's extensive body of work left a lasting impact on the anime industry, defining many classic characters through his versatile and memorable performances.