Bon Ishihara was the stage name of Sumio Ishihara, a Japanese actor and voice actor born in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, on November 22, 1955. He passed away on February 8, 2024, at the age of 68. His career in entertainment began in the 1980s as a stage and television actor after starting with the Mirai Theater Troupe. He expanded into voice acting in the early 2000s and was affiliated with Kekke Corporation at the time of his death.

Ishihara was known for his deep and expressive voice, which he lent to a wide variety of supporting characters, often portraying authoritative elders or whimsical figures. Among his most recognized anime roles are Sōichirō Shimogamo, the absent father of the tanuki family in The Eccentric Family and its sequel; the experienced and beloved Admiral Alexandre Bucock in Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These; and the high school principal in the comedy Daily Lives of High School Boys. His other notable anime credits include roles in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Silver Spoon, Black Cat, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS, and Gintama.

Beyond anime, Ishihara's work extended to video games, such as Arslan: The Warriors of Legend and the ten Trials of the Dark Dragon series, as well as drama CDs and Japanese dubs of foreign television dramas like The West Wing and CSI. A unique and long-running aspect of his career was his in-suit performance as Lion-chan, the costumed mascot for the popular Japanese variety shows Lion no Itadakimasu and Lion no Gokigenyou. Following his passing due to illness, his role as Admiral Bucock was succeeded by voice actor Hiroshi Naka.