Fumi Hirano (平野 文, Hirano Fumi) is a Japanese actress, singer, voice actress, narrator, radio personality, and essayist.
She is most famously known worldwide for voicing the main female protagonist Lum in the 1981 television anime series Urusei Yatsura.
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Biography
She attended Tamagawa University in Machida, Tokyo, where she graduated with a degree in Theatre from the Department of Fine Arts in the College of Humanities. Hirano has been formerly affiliated with the Komadori Theater Company, Keizo Productions, the Tokyo Actor's Consumer's Cooperative Society, Horipro, and Accent. As of April 1, 2014, she has been affiliated with Aoni Production.
Early life
Hirano was born on April 23, 1955 in Nishi-Ogikubo, Suginami, Tokyo, Japan.
After having watched her cousin perform in ballet, she joined the Matsuyama Ballet Company and started lessons in ballet. Hirano's mother had also used to do ballet back in the day. Thanks to an instructor, she started appearing in musicals and children's television programs, and after being told, that she should study acting at a children's theater company, she joined one. At the time, the husband of Nobuyo Ōyama, Keisuke Sagawa, was popular as Taisō no Onīsan and Hirano mainly made appearances in musicals with Sagawa. She also appeared in magazine gravures and worked as a model for illustrator Jun'ichi Nakahara. Having learned piano and other things besides ballet since childhood, performing in recitals, and playing the piano accompaniment for school arts and crafts performances, she felt she had the shortcoming of an outgoing personality with a lack of shame.
In elementary school, she was often mistakened for a boy even when in red clothing. She would only ever play with boys, but was a victim of bullying.
Career
She began performing on stage at the age of 3. Introduced by her ballet instructor, she made her television drama debut at the age of 12 portraying Chikotan in the NHK children's drama series Detective Kacchin. Up until then, she wanted to be ballerina, but after making her appearance in a TV drama, she decided, "I'm going to be an actress."
In 1972, at the age of 17, her theater troupe approached and asked her, "There's a radio DJ audition, would you like to go?", leading her to start working as a disc jockey for NHK Radio's Wakai Kodama and three other programs. After she graduated from university, she became a disc jockey for Nippon Cultural Broadcasting's Hashire! Kayokyoku. She appeared in the puppet show Kaze no Ko Kane at around the same time.
On July 23, 1980, the fan club known as the "Fumi Family Club" was officially formed. A listener of her radio show "Yorozu Omedeta Corner" sent a postcard to Hirano, suggesting, "Why don't you try voice acting?".
She made her debut as a voice actress in the television anime Urusei Yatsura where she voiced the lead female protagonist Lum. The role of Lum made Hirano into a huge star, as the show became a long-running hit on television. She had prior dubbing experience from her days as a child actress.
Personal life
In 1989, Hirano entered an arranged marriage with Koichi Ogawa, who was then the third-generation owner of a wholesale business at Tsukiji fish market. The marriage was announced within Rumiko Takahashi's Ranma ½, which was being serialized at the time.
Current activity
In 2003, she voiced Kanna in Rumiko Takahashi Anthology and in 2015, voiced Sakura's mother in Rin-ne. She expressed joy of her natural growth from voicing a heroine to a mother, as well as happiness about returning to a Takahashi work.
Filmography
Television animation
Anime Himitsu no Hanazono (Camilla)
Anime Sanjūshi (Milady)
Blue Comet SPT Layzner (Simone)
Blue Period (Masako Saeki)
Cat's Eye (Seira Nakamori)
Dandadan (Hana)
Dark Gathering (Touka Awamiya)
Detective Conan (Rumi Wakasa)
Fly Me to the Moon (Tokiko Tsukuyomi)
Gate: Jieitai Kano Chi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri (Mimoza)
I Got Married to the Girl I Hate Most in Class (Chiyo Sakuramori)
Infinite Stratos (Squall Meusel)
Kikōkai Garian (Hirumuka)
Kiratto Pri☆Chan (Martha Moegi)
Love Live! (Eli's grandmother)
Mission Outer Space Srungle (Sexy, Dolly)
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED (Aisha in Special Edition)
One Piece (Mother Carmel)
Platinum End (Muni)
Pokémon (Drasna)
Pro Golfer Saru (Benihachi)
Rin-ne (Sakura's mother)
Theatrical animation
The Garden of Words (Takao's Mother)
Magical Taruruto-kun
Detective Conan: The Private Eyes' Requiem (Reiko Shimizu)
Urusei Yatsura series (Lum)
Dareka no Manazashi (Narrator)
The Rose of Versailles (Madame Noailles)
Original video animation (OVA)
Ariel (Simone Trefan)
Legend of the Galactic Heroes (Dominique Saint-Pierre)
MD Geist (Vaiya in the Director's Cut)
Outlanders (Kahm)
Shōchū-hai Lemon Love 30s Ame ni Nurete mo
Urusei Yatsura (Lum)
Is This a Zombie? (Eucliwood Hellscythe)
Video games
Injustice: Gods Among Us (Catwoman)
Tactics Ogre: Reborn (Deneb Rove)
Live action
The Red Spectacles (1987) (Airport announcer)
Dubbing
Blue Jasmine, Ginger (Sally Hawkins)
Blue Steel, Megan Turner (Jamie Lee Curtis)
ER, Elaine Nichols (Rebecca De Mornay)
The Fall Guy, Jody Banks (Heather Thomas)
Goodfellas, Karen Hill (Lorraine Bracco)
Private School (1984 Fuji TV edition), Jordan Leigh-Jensen (Betsy Russell)
Superman III (1985 TV Asahi edition), Lois Lane (Margot Kidder)
