Shinji Nakae was a respected Japanese actor, voice actor, and narrator, born Yoshitaka Satō on April 20, 1935, in Kōtō, Tokyo. He was affiliated with the talent management firm Aoni Production at the time of his death on June 28, 2007, at the age of 72. Nakae was married to fellow voice actress Michiko Hirai until her passing in 1984.

Nakae was highly regarded for his work as a narrator, a role in which he was particularly active. He possessed an intelligent and profound voice that became iconic for his narration in numerous tokusatsu (special effects) series and anime. He is perhaps most famously associated with the Kamen Rider franchise, having served as the narrator for almost all of the series in the Showa era, beginning with the original Kamen Rider in 1971. His voice became a signature element of the show, delivering the well-known opening introductions.

Beyond his extensive narration work, Nakae took on various character roles. In anime, he voiced Doctor Wong in Gaiking: Legend of Daikū-maryū (2005) and played the Shandian Chief in One Piece (1999). His other anime roles included the narrator for series such as Tekkaman: The Space Knight, Fruits Basket (2001), and Cromartie High School (2003), as well as the character Hurricane in Tomorrow's Joe (1970). His filmography also extended to tokusatsu productions where he provided voices for characters like Goggle Robo in Dai Sentai Goggle-V and alien characters in Ultraseven.

In his later career, Nakae became a familiar voice for a new generation through his narration of numerous Nintendo television commercials in 2006. He also contributed to video games, providing voices for titles such as Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, where he voiced Lyndon B. Johnson, and Super Tokusatsu Wars 2001 as the narrator.

Shinji Nakae continued working until his health declined, leading to his retirement in 2007. He passed away from hepatocellular carcinoma in a hospital in Koganei, Tokyo. His roles as narrator for Nintendo commercials and the game show Hey! Spring of Trivia were subsequently taken over by Hitoshi Kubota and Ryūzaburō Ōtomo, respectively. His legacy is that of a definitive narrative voice whose work spanned multiple decades and left a significant mark on Japanese popular culture, particularly within the tokusatsu genre.