Toshiro Ishii was a Japanese voice actor and actor born on January 31, 1933, in Tokyo, though he was raised in Saitama Prefecture and later evacuated to Hokkaido during World War II. He studied at the prestigious Waseda University, graduating from the First Faculty of Literature. His career began on stage with theater companies such as Mingei and Sankai, before he transitioned to voice acting, a field in which he remained active for many decades.

Ishii is perhaps best known for his extensive work in the various Transformers anime series produced in Japan during the 1980s. In the original Transformers series, his roles were numerous and included the Autobots Gears and Slug, as well as the Decepticons Ramjet, Scrapper, Brawl, and Kickback. He also provided voices for several characters in the Japanese-exclusive OVA Transformers: Scramble City, which is specifically referenced for his roles as Jazz and Long Haul. He continued his association with the franchise in The Transformers: The Movie, voicing Brawl, Bonecrusher, Bombshell, and the Quintessons. His later work in the series included a role as Dr. Brian in Transformers: Super-God Masterforce.

Beyond the Transformers franchise, Ishii's voice can be heard in numerous dubbed versions of foreign films and television shows, a significant part of a voice actor's work in Japan. Notable dubbing roles included Captain Needa in The Star Wars Trilogy, Chief Henry J. Hurst in Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment?, and appearances in series such as Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He was also active in anime outside of Transformers, with credits including roles in Science Ninja Team Gatchaman and the Japanese dub of the animated series The Adventures of the Gummi Bears.

Beyond his artistic career, Ishii possessed a remarkable fluency in Chinese. This skill led him to work as a Japanese-language specialist for the Foreign Languages Press in Beijing and as a lecturer at Beijing Foreign Studies University in the late 1970s. After returning to Japan, he settled in Kazo City, Saitama Prefecture, and served four terms as an independent member of the city assembly from 1991, demonstrating a long-standing commitment to public service alongside his work in entertainment.