Michiko Hirai was a Japanese actress and voice actress from Tokyo, born on September 9, 1935. Her career in entertainment began at a young age; she was an exclusive singer for NHK from the age of ten. After graduating from the music department at Ferris Women's Junior College, she was invited to join the theatre company Theater Echo in 1957, which marked the start of her professional acting career.

Hirai is perhaps best known for originating the role of the titular character in the 1966 anime Sally the Witch, one of the first magical girl series. She also voiced the character Starsha in the Space Battleship Yamato series, a role that spanned the original 1974 television series, the 1977 compilation film, and the 1979 film Space Battleship Yamato: The New Voyage. Her other significant anime roles included Ran in Ryu, the Cave Boy and various characters in the anthology series Andersen Stories.

Beyond anime, Hirai had an extensive career dubbing foreign films and series. She was particularly well-known as the regular Japanese voice for American actress Faye Dunaway, dubbing her performances in films such as Bonnie and Clyde, The Thomas Crown Affair, and The Towering Inferno. Her dubbing work also included providing voices for characters in western animation, like Lucy Van Pelt in Peanuts specials and Cruella de Vil in a 1981 dub of One Hundred and One Dalmatians.

Throughout her career, Hirai collaborated with many prominent figures in the industry. In the Space Battleship Yamato projects, she frequently worked with director Toshio Masuda and voice actors such as Ichirō Nagai, Kei Tomiyama, and Yōko Asagami. In addition to her acting, she was a skilled singer and performed the second ending theme song for Sally the Witch.

Michiko Hirai passed away on July 3, 1984, at the age of 48. Her final roles, including Mrs. Dracula in Lupin the Third Part III, were broadcast shortly after her death.