Hideyuki Umezu was a Japanese actor and voice actor born on July 24, 1955, in Aichi Prefecture. A graduate of the prestigious Tokyo Medical and Dental University, he initially had a path toward becoming a dentist. His foray into acting began when a friend asked him to search for a theater club to join together; this led Umezu to the Waseda University theater group Kiryu. Although his friend eventually left, Umezu discovered his own passion for performance.

He started his career appearing in period dramas but felt his training was incomplete. Seeking to refine his skills, he enrolled in acting school and later joined the NHK Actors Seminar. It was there that he was encouraged to pursue voice acting, leveraging his experience in stage and screen. He made his voice acting debut in 1982, voicing Dr. Hyblow in the television anime Cybot Robotchi. Over his decades-long career, he was affiliated with several agencies, including NPS Theatre and Arts Vision, before eventually joining 81 Produce, where he remained until his passing.

Umezu became a ubiquitous presence in Japanese animation, known for his versatile voice that could handle comedic, fatherly, villainous, and eccentric characters. Some of his most notable anime roles include Barry the Chopper in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, the narrator and Armonia Jastin Beyondllemason in Death Note, Diamante in One Piece, Ian Vashti in the Mobile Suit Gundam 00 series, Battera in Hunter × Hunter (2011), and the Second Mizukage, Gengetsu Hōzuki, in Naruto Shippuden. He also voiced numerous characters in long-running franchises, such as Amachi in Naruto and Collins in Blood+, and took on roles in series like Re:Zero, Gabriel DropOut, and Zoids Wild.

Beyond anime, Umezu was highly active in Japanese dubbing for foreign films and television series, becoming the familiar Japanese voice for many Western actors. His most prominent dubbing role was as Arthur Weasley (played by Mark Williams) in the Harry Potter film series. He also regularly voiced characters played by actors such as William H. Macy (including Frank Gallagher in Shameless), Don Cheadle (including Paul Rusesabagina in Hotel Rwanda), Steve Buscemi, and Stanley Tucci. In animation dubbing, he was well-known as the voice of Pinky in Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain, Splinter in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise, and Zazu in The Lion King.

His work extended to live-action tokusatsu productions, where he frequently lent his voice to monsters and villains in the Super Sentai series. His many credits include characters in Kousoku Sentai Turboranger, Choujin Sentai Jetman, Mahou Sentai Magiranger, and Samurai Sentai Shinkenger. He also contributed his voice to numerous video games, such as Dr. Wily in Mega Man 11, Lee Shuwen in Ehrgeiz, and Vindel Mauser in the Super Robot Wars series.

Umezu was known for his professionalism and kind demeanor in the studio. Outside of work, he was an accomplished musician who could play the violin, shamisen, and flute, and he also enjoyed horseback riding. He passed away on May 17, 2024, due to interstitial pneumonia at the age of 68, leaving behind a vast body of work that spanned over four decades. His legacy is that of a superb supporting actor whose voice enriched countless stories and brought comfort and joy to audiences worldwide.