Kaoru Yachigusa was a Japanese actress with a career spanning over seven decades, who also contributed her voice to anime productions later in her life. Born on January 6, 1931, in Osaka Prefecture, her career began in 1947 when she joined the Takarazuka Revue, a renowned all-female musical theater company, where she performed for ten years until 1957. Following her time with the revue, she established herself as a prominent and beloved actress in film and television, appearing in numerous dramas and movies.

While primarily known for her on-screen performances, Yachigusa took on notable voice acting roles in the 2000s. From 2004 to 2005, she provided the Japanese voice for the character Jane Marple, the famous amateur detective, in the anime television series Agatha Christie no Meitantei Poirot to Marple. This series adapted the works of Agatha Christie, featuring both Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. Nearly a decade later, she voiced the character Sawako in her older years in the 2014 animated film Giovanni's Island. In the film, the elderly Sawako returns to the island of Shikotan with the protagonist, Junpei, providing a narrative link to the past.

Throughout her long and distinguished career, Yachigusa received several awards and honors recognizing her contributions to the arts. In 1997, she was awarded the Medal with Purple Ribbon by the Japanese government. She received the Order of the Rising Sun, 4th Class, Gold Rays with Rosette in 2003. The following year, in 2004, she won the Japanese Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film Ashura no Gotoku (Like Asura) and was also honored with the Tanaka Kinuyo Prize at the Mainichi Film Awards. Kaoru Yachigusa passed away on October 24, 2019, at the age of 88.