Gara Takashima is a veteran Japanese voice actress and actress born on March 2, 1954, in Tokyo, Japan. Her birth name is Yumiko Takashima. She is affiliated with Aoni Production, having moved to the agency in January 2018, which is also home to her husband, fellow voice actor Banjo Ginga. Takashima began her career in 1976 and has been active for several decades.

Takashima's career is notably marked by extensive work in voice-over for foreign films and television dramas, where she has provided the Japanese-language voices for numerous Hollywood actresses, including Sharon Stone, Julia Roberts, and Demi Moore. A prominent example of this work is her long-standing role as the Japanese voice of Lorraine Baines McFly in the Back to the Future film series.

In the realm of anime, Takashima is widely recognized for her role as Eri Kisaki, the mother of the protagonist in the long-running series Detective Conan, a character she has voiced since 1996 across the television series, films, and specials. Another significant and recurring role is Hild, the Great Demon Chief, in the Aa Megami-sama (Oh My Goddess!) franchise. Her filmography also includes Julia in Cowboy Bebop, Plakia Lexshue in the Seikai no Monshō (Crest of the Stars) series, Lebia Mavelick in Silent Möbius, Diana Barry in Akage no An (Anne of Green Gables), and Tenmoku in Legend of Himiko. In the 2019 anime Kenja no Mago (Wise Man's Grandchild), she voiced Melinda Bowen. In 2020, she took on the role of Barbaray Rose in BNA: Brand New Animal.

In recognition of her long-standing contributions and achievements in the voice acting industry, Gara Takashima was awarded the Kazue Takahashi Award at the 9th Seiyu Awards in 2015.