Akira Kume was a Japanese actor and voice actor, renowned for his extensive work as a narrator in film, television, and anime. He was born in Tokyo on February 8, 1924. A graduate of Tokyo University of Commerce, now known as Hitotsubashi University, Kume's career in the performing arts began in the post-war period. In 1949, he founded the Japanese Society for Theatre Research. Before becoming a prominent voice actor, he established himself in live-action television and film, appearing in productions such as the 1968 NHK serial Ashita Koso and the 1970 international film Tora! Tora! Tora!.

Kume became particularly celebrated for his work as a narrator. He served as the narrator for the long-running NHK variety program Tsurube's Salute To Families, continuing this work into his nineties. In the realm of anime, he was frequently engaged as a narrator. He narrated the 1980 anime film Botchan, based on the novel by Natsume Sōseki. He also provided the narration for the 1992 anime series In The Beginning: The Bible Stories and the 2004 anime series Phoenix, based on the manga by Osamu Tezuka.

Beyond his extensive narration credits, Kume took on various character roles in animated films. His filmography includes voicing Professor Toporo in Space Adventure Cobra: The Movie in 1982, Dan in Crusher Joe in 1983, and The Librarian in Penguin's Memory: Shiawase Monogatari in 1985. Later in his career, he voiced the role of Shizuka's father in the 1999 Doraemon film, Doraemon: Nobita's the Night Before a Wedding.

He was also highly active in the field of dubbing foreign films and television series into Japanese. He was particularly well-known as the primary Japanese dubbing voice for American actor Humphrey Bogart in many of his classic films. Other notable dubbing roles included voicing King Triton in the Japanese version of Disney's The Little Mermaid.

In recognition of his significant contributions to Japanese culture and the arts, Kume received several prestigious government honors. He was awarded the Medal with Purple Ribbon in 1992 and the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays with Rosette in 1997. Akira Kume retired from narrating in 2019 due to health concerns. He passed away due to heart failure in a Tokyo nursing home on April 23, 2020, at the age of 96.