Yasuo Yamada was a renowned Japanese actor and voice actor, celebrated for his definitive portrayal of Arsène Lupin III across numerous installments of the Lupin III franchise for over two decades. He was born on September 10, 1932, in Tokyo, Japan. Yamada left the faculty of literature at Waseda University to pursue a career in performance, initially training with the Mingei Theatre Company before becoming a freelancer and later a key member of the Theater Echo troupe.

Yamada's most iconic and enduring role began in 1971 when he was cast as the voice of Arsène Lupin III in the first Lupin III anime series. He would continue to voice the character for the rest of his life, appearing in all the subsequent television series, including Part II and Part III, as well as numerous television specials and theatrical films. This extensive list of Lupin III credits includes the television specials Lupin III: Dragon of Doom (1994), Lupin the 3rd: Napoleon's Dictionary (1991), Lupin the 3rd: The Hemingway Papers (1990), Lupin the 3rd: From Siberia with Love (1992), Lupin the Third: Bye Bye, Lady Liberty (1989), and Lupin III: Voyage to Danger (1993). His film work in the role includes the classic films directed by Hayao Miyazaki, Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro (1979), as well as Lupin III: The Mystery of Mamo (1978) and Lupin III: Legend of the Gold of Babylon (1985).

Beyond his defining work as Lupin, Yamada had a varied and prolific career in animation. He voiced the character Jim in the 1976 television series Huckleberry no Bōken. He took on the comedic role of the villainous Dr. Mashirito in the Dr. Slump franchise, appearing in films such as Dr. Slump: "Hoyoyo!" Space Adventure (1982). He also lent his voice to Zucco, a character who introduced stories in the 1971 series Andersen Monogatari, and played the role of Uranari in the 1980 adaptation of the classic novel Botchan. His other notable anime voice roles include the policeman in the 1972 short film Panda! Go, Panda!, Andro Umeda in Tekkaman: The Space Knight, and Usatan in Hoshi no Ko Chobin.

In addition to his work in anime, Yamada was highly respected for his foreign film dubbing. He was the official Japanese dubbing voice for actors Clint Eastwood and Jean-Paul Belmondo for many years. His association with Eastwood began with the television series Rawhide and became so definitive that fan protests would occur if another actor was chosen to dub Eastwood's voice. He also provided the Japanese voice for beloved characters such as Kermit the Frog from The Muppets and Winnie the Pooh in early Disney productions.

Yasuo Yamada passed away from a brain hemorrhage on March 19, 1995, at the age of 62. His passing marked the end of an era for the Lupin III series. In the credits of the first Lupin III film released after his death, Farewell to Nostradamus, a tribute was included that read, "To Yasuo Yamada, Eternal Lupin the Third: Thank you!". Following his death, the role of Arsène Lupin III was passed on to Kanichi Kurita, who continues to voice the character today.