Hisako Kyouda is a highly respected Japanese actress and voice actress, born on February 22, 1935, in Tokyo, Japan. She is affiliated with the talent agency Haikyō, marking a career that has spanned from the 1940s into the 2020s. Her career began in theatre with various drama troupes before she joined Haikyō in 1969, transitioning into a prolific career in voice acting.

Kyouda is renowned for her distinctive voice, frequently cast in roles for elderly women, a niche in which she has become a definitive presence in the industry. Her filmography is vast and includes some of the most iconic series in anime history. One of her most celebrated roles is the elderly martial arts master Genkai in Yu Yu Hakusho. She is also widely recognized as the voice of the wise and gentle Kaede, the elder sister of Kaede from the village in Inuyasha, a role she reprised in the sequel series Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon. Other significant anime roles include Yukari Godai in Maison Ikkoku, Omusubiman in the long-running children's series Anpanman, and Zirconia in Sailor Moon SuperS. Her work also extends to acclaimed films, such as the voice of the village elder Obaba in Hayao Miyazaki's Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.

Beyond anime, Kyouda has an extensive career in dubbing foreign films and television series into Japanese. She is the regular Japanese voice for several iconic characters in Disney films, including the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella, Fauna in Sleeping Beauty, and Grandmother Willow in Pocahontas. Her dubbing work also includes live-action roles, such as Grandma Josephine in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz. She has also contributed her voice to numerous video games, including various titles in the Kingdom Hearts series.

Her contributions to the craft were formally recognized in 2019 when she received the Achievement Award at the 13th Seiyu Awards, a prestigious honor celebrating her lifetime of work and influence in the voice acting community.