Gilmara Sanches was a prolific Brazilian actress, voice actor, and dubbing director with a career spanning over six decades. Born Maria Aparecida Sánchez in São Paulo on June 15, 1943, she began her artistic journey at the age of eleven as a child radio actress. In the 1960s and 1970s, she appeared in numerous telenovelas for networks like TV Record and TV Excelsior, including productions such as A Menina do Veleiro Azul, Os Diabólicos, and Meu Rico Português. During this period, she also became a well-known face on television as a judge on the popular talent show Show de Calouros, presented by Silvio Santos.

In the later decades of her career, Sanches became highly respected for her extensive work in dubbing, lending her voice to a vast array of characters in anime and animated series for the Brazilian market. Among her many notable roles, she voiced Ursula in both seasons of Dinosaur King (Dinossauro Rei). For the Pokémon franchise, she was a recurring presence, voicing Officer Jenny (Policial Jenny) in Pocket Monsters: Diamond & Pearl and the film Pokémon: Zoroark: Master of Illusions, as well as characters like Casey, Solidad, and the Pokémon Pikachu and Skarmory in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Team Go-Getters Out of the Gate!. In the Bakugan franchise, her voice was featured as Ingram in Bakugan Battle Brawlers: New Vestroia and as Code Eve in Bakugan Battle Brawlers: Gundalian Invaders. Other significant credits include Supu Rocket (Sprocket) in Viewtiful Joe and Mãe da Misha in Koguma no Misha.

Sanches was also the original voice of several iconic anime heroines in Brazil. She is fondly remembered as the first voice of Marin (Eagle Marin) in the Gota Mágica dubbing of Os Cavaleiros do Zodíaco (Saint Seiya), as Lois Lane in Superman: The Animated Series, and as Amy Mizuno (Sailor Mercury) in the early Gota Mágica dubbing of Sailor Moon. Her versatility extended to Yu-Gi-Oh!, where she voiced the Dark Magician (Feiticeira Negra) from the Legendary Dragons arc onward, and in Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, she took on multiple roles including Blair, Camula, and Ms. Eko.

Beyond her on-screen voice work, Gilmara Sanches was an accomplished dubbing director. She served as the director for numerous series, including several for which she also provided voices, such as Dinosaur King, the Bakugan franchise, Viewtiful Joe, and Yu-Gi-Oh! GX. Her work in this field also extended to other popular shows like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (As Tartarugas Ninja) and Kirby: Right Back at Ya!.

Her significant contributions to the art of dubbing were recognized in 2008 when she received the Prêmio Yamato, considered the "Oscar da Dublagem" (Dubbing Oscar) in Brazil, for Best Redub or Continuation for her work on the ninth season of Naruto. Gilmara Sanches passed away on March 29, 2023, in São Paulo at the age of 79, leaving behind a lasting legacy in Brazilian television and animation.