Annie Balestra is a French actress and voice actor born on July 3, 1946, in Arles, France. Her career in animation is closely tied to the golden age of Franco-Japanese co-productions, which were instrumental in popularizing anime in European markets.

Balestra is best known for her significant contributions to the Once Upon a Time... franchise, a series of educational animated television series created by Albert Barillé. Within this universe, she provided the voice for the character Pierrette across multiple series. Her most notable roles include President Pierrette and Psi, also known as Mercedes, in the 1982 science fiction series Once Upon a Time... Space. This series was broadcast in Japan under the title Ginga Patrol PJ. She had previously voiced Pierrette and her younger counterpart, Petite Pierrette, in the 1978 series Once Upon a Time... Man.

In addition to her work on the Once Upon a Time... series, Balestra voiced the character of Ariane in the 1981 mythological science fiction series Ulysses 31. Another key anime credit from this era is her role as Yakuma in the 1982 adventure series The Mysterious Cities of Gold.

Beyond these iconic roles, her extensive voice acting filmography includes dubbing for numerous foreign television series and films. She became a regular French voice for American actresses Mary McDonnell, notably voicing President Laura Roslin in the reimagined Battlestar Galactica series, and Anne Lockhart in the original Battlestar Galactica. She also dubbed the role of Dee Dee McCall in the series Hunter and has been the voice of Taylor Hayes in the French version of the soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful. Her career has spanned from 1968 to the present day, demonstrating a long and prolific presence in the French dubbing industry.