KUALA LUMPUR: Japanese voice actress Noriko Ohara, best known for voicing Nobita Nobi in popular Japanese animated series Doraemon, died on July 12, her agency announced yesterday.
According to the agency, Ohara, 88, had been suffering from an illness.
In the original 1973 Doraemon series on Nippon Television, she played Nobita's mother, Tamako, but ended up playing Nobita himself in the TV Asahi 1979 version.
Ohara also worked as a dubbing actress for foreign films, voicing the Japanese voices of actresses such as Brigitte Bardot and Shirley MacLaine.
Other shows she worked on included Time Bokan, Yatterman and Time Bokan 2000: Kaito Kiramekiman.
Besides her voice work, she also gave lectures and released an audiobook which she narrated. Ohara leaves behind her husband and one son.