Yuriko Ishida is a Japanese actress, voice actor, and essayist born on October 3, 1969, in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. She began her career in the entertainment industry in the late 1980s, initially gaining recognition as a talent for commercials before transitioning to acting. While her primary career has been in live-action film and television, she has established a significant body of work as a voice actor, particularly in animated films.

Ishida’s career as a voice actor includes several prominent roles in major Japanese animated productions. One of her earliest and most notable voice roles was in 1994 for the Studio Ghibli film Pom Poko, where she voiced the character Okiyo. She gained further international recognition for her work in another Studio Ghibli film, Princess Mononoke, released in 1997, in which she provided the voice for the lead character, San, as well as the character Kaya. More than two decades later, she reprised her voice role for the film’s re-release.

Her voice acting credits also include a recurring role in a series of films based on the Fist of the North Star franchise. From 2007 to 2008, Ishida voiced the character Yuria across five films in the Shin Kyūseishu Densetsu Hokuto no Ken series, which included Yuria-den, Raoh-den Gekitō no Shō, Toki-den, Kenshirō-den, and a film simply titled Yuria-den. In 2011, she took on the role of Miki Hokuto in the Studio Ghibli film From Up on Poppy Hill.

Throughout her broader career as an actress, Ishida has received recognition for her work, including the award for Best Supporting Actress at the 20th Annual Television Drama Academy Awards in 1999 for her performance in the series Over Time. She was also nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the 29th Japan Academy Film Prize for her role in the 2005 film Kita no Zeronen.