Fumi Hirano is a veteran Japanese voice actress, narrator, and essayist, who was born in Tokyo on April 23, 1955. She is affiliated with the talent management firm Aoni Production. Her career in the entertainment industry began at a very young age; she first appeared on stage at the age of three and made her on-screen debut as a child actress in an NHK drama at the age of twelve. Before becoming a voice actor, Hirano worked as a radio DJ as a teenager, a job she held while still in school and during her university years. She graduated from Tamagawa University with a degree in Theatre from the Department of Fine Arts.

Hirano's entry into voice acting was serendipitous. While working as a radio DJ, a listener suggested she try voice acting, which piqued her interest. She subsequently auditioned for and landed the lead role of Lum in the 1981 television anime adaptation of Rumiko Takahashi's manga Urusei Yatsura. This role, her debut as a voice actor, became an instant sensation and remains her most iconic and defining performance. The character of Lum, a spirited and electric oni princess, made Hirano a household name and established her legacy in the anime industry.

Following her debut, Hirano demonstrated her versatility by taking on a wide range of characters throughout the 1980s and 1990s, showcasing her ability to play everything from young heroines to villainesses. This included roles such as Milady in Anime Sanjushi, Hilmuka in Panzer World Galient, Simone Reflann in Aoki Ryūsei SPT Layzner, Yasha Hime in Fuma no Kojirou: Yasha-hen, La Midin Dimida in Tobira o Akete, Camilla in Anime Himitsu no Hanazono, and Samy Yoshino in the Paradox Dimensional Romanesque Samy series. She also took on roles in various OVAs, including Keiko in The Tokyo Project, Koiko in Koiko no Mainichi, and Maki Fujita in Chūhai Lemon LOVE 30S.

From the 1990s onwards, Hirano expanded her focus to include a significant amount of narration and commentary work. While her anime appearances became less frequent during this period, she remained active in the industry as a narrator and continued her work as an essayist. She made a notable return to regular anime roles in the 2010s, often appearing in mature or maternal character parts. This phase of her career includes roles like Akazome Emon in Chōyaku Hyakunin Isshu: Uta Koi, the grandmother of Eri in Love Live!, the Itami drapery store owner in Mitsuwano, Furuya in Seitokai Yakuindomo*, and Keiko in The Tokyo Project. She also narrated the short film Dareka no Manazashi.

In recent years, Hirano has continued to work steadily, appearing in productions such as Blue Period as Masako Saeki, Platinum End as the angel Muni, and the 2022 remake of Urusei Yatsura, in which she took on the role of Lum's mother. Her career also features recurring collaborations with voice actor Toshio Furukawa, with whom she shared many scenes in Urusei Yatsura. The two have been cast together in later works such as Tamayura and Tsuritama, often leading to in-jokes about their famous pairing.

Beyond voice acting, Hirano is also an accomplished essayist. Following her marriage to a wholesaler at the Tsukiji fish market in 1989, she wrote extensively about her life and experiences there. Her writings have been compiled into books and even inspired a manga and a live-action film about the Tsukiji market, to which she and her husband served as supervisors. She holds a license for small vessel operation.