Arata Furuta is a Japanese actor and voice actor, born on December 3, 1965, in Kobe, Japan. His career is primarily rooted in live-action performance, where he is a prominent character actor in film, television, and theatre, known for his wide-ranging roles and longtime association with the theatrical troupe Gekidan Shinkansen. Despite his focus on on-screen and stage acting, Furuta has built a notable body of work in anime, bringing his distinctive vocal presence to a variety of characters.

Furuta's entry into the entertainment world began after high school, where he was active in his school's drama club. He attended Osaka University of Arts but did not graduate, subsequently joining the Gekidan Shinkansen theater company in 1984, which launched his professional career. Over the decades, he has become a familiar face in Japanese dramas, with acclaimed performances in series such as "Amachan," "Nobunaga Concerto," and the highly popular "The Full-Time Wife Escapist".

In the realm of voice acting, Furuta has lent his voice to several high-profile animated projects. He voiced the character Oku-chan in the Ghiblies short films, part of Studio Ghibli's experimental works. He took on the role of Yattaran in the 2013 CGI film "Space Pirate Captain Harlock". For the "One Piece" franchise, he portrayed the villain Byrnndi World in the 2014 special "One Piece 3D2Y: Overcoming Ace's Death! Luffy's Pledge to His Friends". In 2016, he had a dual role in "One Piece Film: Gold," voicing the characters Pork and Kent Beef Jr.. He voiced the character Watanabe in the 2017 film "Napping Princess". A significant role came in 2018 when he voiced the iconic lead character, the eccentric Papa, in the new adaptation "Late Night! The Genius Bakabon". He voiced Buon in the 2019 CGI film "Dragon Quest: Your Story". That same year, he took on the role of the powerful Deus Prometh in the acclaimed animated film "Promare" from Studio Trigger.