Norihei Miki was a Japanese actor and voice artist born on April 11, 1924, in Tokyo, Japan. He passed away on January 25, 1999. His entry into the entertainment industry came with an interesting story regarding his stage name. Born Tadashi Tanuma, he initially performed under the name Tadashi Miki. However, a printing error in a theater program listed him as Norihei Miki, a name he decided to keep for the entirety of his career. He graduated from Nihon University in 1947 with a degree in Law. Miki made his film debut in 1950 and later became an exclusive actor for Toho Studios in 1956, establishing himself as a recognizable presence in Japanese cinema, particularly in comedies and musicals.

Miki also had a notable career as a voice actor. He lent his voice to characters in several animated productions, including two prominent roles for Studio Ghibli. He voiced the character Seizaemon in the 1994 animated film Pom Poko. Miki also provided the voice for the character Katsuji Hanada in the series Dohyō no Oni-tachi. Beyond these credits, he had a long-running voice role with Momoya Animation in the Sukeroku Hen series of commercials, a role he performed for forty years from 1958 until 1998. After his death in 1999, his son took over this particular role.