Chiharu Kuri is a Japanese actress and voice actress born in Tokyo, Japan, on July 29, 1938. Her career in the entertainment industry spanned over four decades, beginning in the early 1960s and continuing until at least 2004. While she was primarily known for her extensive work in live-action film and television, she also contributed her voice to several animated features during the 1960s and 1970s.

Kuri's career was closely associated with Toei Animation (then known as Toei Doga), for which she voiced characters in some of its classic early animated films. One of her earliest and most notable voice roles was as Akahana, a little talking rabbit, in the 1963 fantasy film The Little Prince and the Eight-Headed Dragon. This film, directed by Yūgo Serikawa, is a landmark in Japanese animation, known for its stylized visuals and score by Akira Ifukube. It was also a critical success, receiving the Ōfuji Noburō Award at the Mainichi Film Awards and a Bronze Osella at the Venice Film Festival. In 1967, she voiced the character Shibari, referred to as Kiki's brother, in another Toei Animation feature, Jack and the Witch. In this fantasy adventure, her character is a young harpy named Harvey Harpy in the English-dubbed version.

Her other voice acting credits from this period include the 1968 film Andersen Monogatari, where she voiced the mouse character Keke, and the 1970 film Little Remi and Famous Dog Capi, in which she voiced the monkey Joli-Coeur. These roles demonstrate her involvement in the dubbing of Western literary adaptations produced by Toei during the 1960s and 1970s.

Throughout her career, Kuri appeared in numerous live-action films, often collaborating with prominent directors. She worked with director Yūgo Serikawa on the animated The Little Prince and the Eight-Headed Dragon and later on the 1970 live-action film Little Remi and Famous Dog Capi, for which she also provided a voice. She had a recurring collaboration with director森崎东 (Azuma Morisaki), appearing in several of his喜剧 (comedy) films in the early 1970s, including Kigeki: Onna uridashimasu and Kigeki: Onna ikitemasu. She also appeared in films by renowned directors such as铃木清顺 (Seijun Suzuki) in恶太郎 (1963) and大林宣彦 (Nobuhiko Obayashi) in超能校园美少女 (1981). Her later live-action roles include parts in films directed by Takita Youjirou, such as Tropical Paradise Club in 1994.

Chiharu Kuri's career is notable for its longevity and its bridge between live-action cinema and the golden age of Japanese feature-length animation. Her voice roles in influential films like The Little Prince and the Eight-Headed Dragon and Jack and the Witch form a part of the foundational history of Japanese animation. While her primary body of work was in live-action, her contributions to early anime have secured her a place in the history of the medium.