Tetsuo Goto was a Japanese actor and voice actor born on August 10, 1950, in Gifu Prefecture. He was a graduate of Tamagawa University. Before entering the world of voice acting, Goto built a strong foundation in theater. He joined the Engeki Kenkyūjo training unit in 1975 and became a member of the main Engeki Shūdan En theater group the following year, appearing in numerous stage productions throughout his career. He began his voice acting work in 1996, making his debut at the age of 46.

Goto became a familiar presence in anime, often providing voices for mature, authoritative, or comedic characters. He is well-known for his roles in long-running series, including multiple characters in One Piece, such as the Impel Down Vice-Warden Hannyabal, the Celestial Dragon Saint Mjosgard, and the Donquixote Family executive Lao G. He also voiced the kind-hearted Supreme Kai Gowasu in Dragon Ball Super. Another significant role was the sentient sword Derflinger across The Familiar of Zero anime series. His filmography also includes roles such as Dr. Sonoida in Dinosaur King, Martin in Squid Girl, Arvind "Robbie" Lavie in Planetes, and Bizeff in Hunter × Hunter (2011). Among his later roles was Village Chief Omuna in Monster Hunter Stories RIDE ON.

Beyond anime, Goto was an active dubbing artist, providing Japanese voices for numerous Western actors and films. He was the regular dubbing voice for actors Kevin Dunn and Mum Jokmok. His dubbing credits are extensive and include voicing Ron Witwicky in the Transformers film series, General Grievous in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, and the character Nigel in Finding Nemo. He also contributed his voice to video games, such as Supreme Executive Chairman Drek in Ratchet & Clank and Doctor Izel in Rogue Galaxy. In live-action tokusatsu, he voiced the yōkai Otoroshi in Shuriken Sentai Ninninger.

Tetsuo Goto passed away on November 6, 2018, due to esophageal cancer at the age of 68. Fellow voice actor Shigeru Chiba remembered him for his earnest and sincere approach to his roles in the recording studio. His final performances, including roles in Layton Mystery Tanteisha and the video game Devil May Cry 5, were released posthumously.