Lauren Bacall, the legendary Hollywood actress, also contributed her distinctive voice to the world of English-dubbed animation. Her most prominent role in anime is the Witch of the Waste in the English-language dub of Hayao Miyazaki's acclaimed Studio Ghibli film Howl's Moving Castle, released in 2004. The film, based on the novel by Diana Wynne Jones, features a star-studded cast including Christian Bale and Billy Crystal, with Bacall taking on the part of the vain and powerful witch who curses the young protagonist Sophie. When asked to take the role, as the character was considered somewhat despicable, Bacall famously responded, Darling, I was born to be despicable. Her performance contributed to the film's success as a major release from the celebrated Japanese director.

Before her work in anime, Bacall had an established career as a major film star, making her debut at age nineteen in To Have and Have Not. She later received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress and was awarded an Honorary Academy Award in 2009, in addition to winning two Tony Awards for her stage work. Her final voice role in animation was in the English dub of the critically acclaimed French film Ernest & Celestine, where she voiced the character known as The Grey One. She also voiced the Grand Witch in the animated Scooby-Doo! and the Goblin King. While she did not have a long list of recurring collaborations with specific Japanese animation studios, her work on Howl's Moving Castle remains a notable achievement within the anime voice acting landscape, showcasing her talent to a new generation of audiences in one of her later roles.