Jean-Claude Balard was a French actor and voice artist, born on September 28, 1935 in Vincennes, France, who passed away on April 27, 2022 in Paris at the age of 86. He trained at the Conservatoire national supérieur d'art dramatique in the 1950s before beginning his career on the stage, performing in numerous theatrical productions including works by Molière, Racine, and Shakespeare throughout the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.

Balard is best known for his extensive work in French dubbing, particularly for anime and animated series produced during the 1980s. One of his most iconic roles was Mendoza, the intrepid navigator, in the Franco-Japanese series Les Mystérieuses Cités d'or (The Mysterious Cities of Gold). In the series Ulysse 31, he provided the voice for multiple characters, including Priam, the Magicien Noir (Black Magician), and notably the character Atlas. It is worth noting that for the role of Atlas in Ulysse 31, Balard served as a replacement voice actor for certain episodes. His other major anime and cartoon roles from this era include the villainous Professor Chassard in Les Minipouss (The Littles), Audric in Jayce et les Conquérants de la Lumière (Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors), and Gavin in L'Âge de Cristal.

Beyond animation, Balard had a prolific career dubbing live-action films and television series. He was the French voice of Sio Bibble (portrayed by Oliver Ford Davies) in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, and voiced characters in Top Gun, Tomorrow Never Dies, Trading Places (Un fauteuil pour deux), The Faculty, Soleil Vert (Soylent Green), and Dr. House, among many others. He also contributed to Disney dubbing, providing the voice of the Magic Mirror in one of the French versions of Blanche-Neige et les Sept Nains (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs). In addition to his voice work, Balard appeared as an on-screen actor in television series such as Commissaire Moulin and Médecins de nuit, as well as in the film Guerre et Paix (War and Peace).