Nobuko Terashima was a Japanese actress and voice actress born on January 23, 1929, in Tokyo, Japan. Her career spanned several decades, beginning on the stage before transitioning to radio, television, and voice acting.

Terashima's path to performance began after graduating from high school, when she joined the Shinkyō Gekidan as a trainee and made her stage debut. She later spent six years performing in the Shinpa theatrical style as part of a troupe led by Yaeko Mizutani, eventually becoming a company leader. When that troupe disbanded, she joined the inaugural class of the Radio Tokyo Drama Company, marking her entry into broadcast performance. Her film debut came in 1950 with the movie Hirenka.

In addition to her extensive work in radio dramas, Terashima appeared in numerous television dramas throughout the 1960s and 1970s. She was often cast in maternal roles in popular youth-oriented shows such as Kore ga Seishun da and Dekkai Seishun. Her film credits during this period included Waga re wa chusagari and Senso to ningen no natsu.

As a voice actress, Terashima was particularly active in dubbing foreign films and television series for Japanese audiences. One of her most recognized anime roles was providing the voice of Captain Akka, the wise leader of the wild geese, in the 1980 animated series The Wonderful Adventures of Nils. Another significant area of her voice work was becoming the regular Japanese dubbing voice for the acclaimed American actress Katharine Hepburn. Her extensive dubbing filmography includes roles in major films such as The Sound of Music (as Elsa Schraeder), The Quiet Man (as Mary Kate Danaher), and Oklahoma! (as Ado Annie), as well as television series like ER and Mission: Impossible. Due to her advanced age, Nobuko Terashima eventually retired from voice acting.