Leah Applebaum is an American voice actress and Broadway actress best known for her work in English-language dubs of popular anime series in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Her start in voice acting came about by chance while she was performing in an Off-Off Broadway sketch comedy show called My Thoughts Here in New York. She received a call from a casting director looking for an actress for a Sci-Fi Channel program, which led to her first role in the Hugo Award winning production Think Like a Dinosaur. Following this, she appeared in other Sci-Fi Channel projects including an adaptation of Charles Dickens The Signal Man and an original musical titled The First & Last Musical on Mars, where she also showcased her singing ability.

Applebaum is most recognized for her role as Nanami Kiryuu in the landmark anime series Revolutionary Girl Utena. Nanami is the dramatic and often comedic younger sister of Touga Kiryuu, and Applebaum voiced the character for the English dub of both the television series and the subsequent film, Utena: The Movie, in which she played a version of the character referred to as Nanami the Cow. In an interview, Applebaum revealed that she found inspiration for Nanamis voice and personality from the character Buffy in the classic television series Family Affair. She noted that while her first impression of Nanami was that she was a fun, manipulative brat, she came to understand the character as a more psychologically complex and insecure individual as the series progressed.

At the same time, Applebaum took on several guest roles in the globally popular Pokémon television series. She voiced Erika, the Grass-type Gym Leader who runs a perfume shop and gives out the Rainbow Badge, and Suzie, a Pokémon masseuse who entrusts her Vulpix to the character Brock. She also voiced other minor characters in the series, including a Pokémon Contest Secretary and a character named Rita. Applebaum was active on the show from its first season through its sixth season. She has expressed surprise at the immense popularity of the Pokémon franchise, recalling a moment on a plane when a fellow voice actor showed her that her character Erika appeared in the Pokémon video games, which made the scope of the series feel real to her.

Beyond her voice work, Applebaum has reflected on the differences between voice acting and stage performance, noting the lack of immediate audience feedback in a recording booth and how attending anime conventions helped her reconnect with fans and appreciate the impact of her work. Her notable achievements include being part of the English casts for two of the most influential anime properties of the era, creating a lasting portrayal for the beloved character Nanami Kiryuu, and contributing to the early seasons of the Pokémon franchise.