Sumi Shimamoto (born December 8, 1954), is a prolific veteran Japanese voice actress who has been active since the late 1970's. She's probably best known for her multiple collaborations with Hayao Miyazaki, who cast her as the heroine in several of his early projects.† She happens to be the voice acting originator of the Yamato Nadeshiko archetype (later perfected by Kikuko Inoue), but also played a few action girls back in the day. Since the 80's, she has most often been cast as mothers to main characters. At the peak of her fame in the mid-'80s, she even voiced the girl who would be princess, Diana Spencer.note
She married Daisuke Koshikawa, a member of a comedy troupe called Chibikko Gang, in 1984. She apparently loves playing RPG games (and not just the ones she's in) despite now being over 60.
Voice actress Shiori Koshikawa, who plays minor roles in the Anpanman anime series, is Shimamoto's only child.
Notable roles:
- Anek in Porphy no Nagai Tabi
- Annette and Eriza in Sword of the Berserk: Guts' Rage
- Catherine Tramell (Sharon Stone) in the Nippon TV Japanese dub of Basic Instinct
- Asuka Mizunokuji in Urusei Yatsura
- Clarisse in The Castle of Cagliostro
- Cosmos in Dissidia Final Fantasy
- Diana, Princess of Wales in Princess Diana
- Dorothy in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
- Elice in the Fire Emblem OVA and Fire Emblem Heroes
- Eringi in Girls' Last Tour
- Fillyjonk in Moomin (1990)
- Flora in Berserk: Millennium Falcon Hen Seima Senki no Shō and Berserk and the Band of the Hawk
- GinRei in Giant Robo
- Hillary Wentworth in Mischievous Twins: The Tales of St. Clare's
- Irene Adler in Detective Conan Film 06: The Phantom of Baker Street
- Pulls triple duty as the Gofer sisters, Irene, and Operetta in Otomedius
- Isis (Ishizu) Ishtar in Yu-Gi-Oh!
- Princess Ixquic in the Cyborg 009 2001 series.
- Kanata Izumi in Lucky Star
- Kasumi Sumadera in Umineko: When They Cry (PS3 game only; in the anime she is voiced by Atsuko Tanaka)
- Kyoko Otonashi in Maison Ikkoku
- Princess Leia in the Nippon TV Japanese dub of the original Star Wars trilogy
- Mitsuba Okita in Gintama
- Marguerite Châteaubriand in Sakura Wars 2: Thou Shalt Not Die
- Miyako Shiba in Bleach
- Moeran in Fractale
- Mutsumi Hoshikawa in The☆Ultraman (her first role as a regular cast member)
- Nagi in Fire Emblem Heroes
- Narrator in the Japanese dub of first three Disney Fairies films
- Princess Nausicaa in Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
- Rei "Hana no Saint-Juste" Asaka from Dear Brother
- Princess Romina in Ninja Senshi Tobikage
- Ryō Nagare in Getter Robo Āḥ
- Sarah Crewe in Princess Sarah
- Shokupan-man in Soreike Anpanman (Definitely Playing Against Type and Cross-Dressing Voices as well!)
- Tae Sekihara in Rurouni Kenshin
- Toki in Princess Mononoke
- Lady Vishnu in Legend of Heavenly Sphere Shurato
- Yukiko Kudo in Case Closed
- Yuuko Asou in Mugen Senshi Valis
