is a Japanese

actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

voice actress Voice acting is the art of Acting, performing a character or providing information to an audience with one's voice. Performers are often called voice actors/actresses in addition to other names. Examples of voice work include animation, animated, ...

, and

narrator Narration is the use of a written or spoken commentary to convey a story to an audience. Narration is conveyed by a narrator: a specific person, or unspecified literary voice, developed by the creator of the story to deliver information to the ...

who is most famous for the role of Sazae Fuguta from the long-running family

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

Sazae-san is a Japanese ''yonkoma'' manga series written and illustrated by Machiko Hasegawa. It was first published in Hasegawa's local paper, the , on April 22, 1946. When the ''Asahi Shimbun'' wished to have Hasegawa draw the four-panel comic for ...

''. She is also known for voicing Yoshiko in ''

Sally the Witch , originally titled , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Mitsuteru Yokoyama. It was serialized in Shueisha's monthly ''Ribon'' magazine from July 1966 to October 1967. Its 1966 anime adaptation was one of the most popular ...

'' and Osomatsu Matsuno in ''

Osomatsu-kun is a comedy manga series by Fujio Akatsuka which ran in Shogakukan's ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' magazine from 1962 to 1969. The series revolves around a group of sextuplet brothers who cause all sorts of mischief. It has been adapted in ...

'' (1966).

Biography

Early life and career

Midori Katō was born on 15 November 1939 in

Tokyo Prefecture Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital and most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is one of the most populous urban areas in the world. The Greater Tokyo Area, which ...

, which would later become

Tokyo Metropolis Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

four years after her birth, in the

Empire of Japan The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From Japan–Kor ...

.『週刊文春』2009年1月29日号、pp.134-138 She was educated at in

Suginami is a Special wards of Tokyo, special ward in the Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis in Japan. The ward refers to itself as Suginami City in English. As of June 1, 2022, Suginami has an estimated population of 588,354 and a population density of 17,274 pe ...

ward and , the now-defunct school of the troupe.Profile
at Kouenkai Info She originally wanted to be an actress in ''

shinpa (also rendered ''shimpa'') is a modern form of theater in Japan usually featuring melodramatic stories, contrasted with the more traditional ''kabuki'' style. Taking its start in the 1880s, it later spread to cinema. Art form Theatre historians ...

'', but she was unable to perform any of the required arts, and she expected that it would change if it was taught at a low price. Several of the students she was in the same graduating class with included actresses

Chieko Baisho is a Japanese actress and singer. In Japan, she is well known for her performance as Sakura in the ''Otoko wa Tsurai yo'' series from 1969 until 1995. In addition, she has acted in many films directed by Yōji Yamada since the 1960s. She won t ...

and . In 1959, the Japanese national broadcasting organization

NHK , also known by its Romanization of Japanese, romanized initialism NHK, is a Japanese public broadcasting, public broadcaster. It is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television licence, television license fee. NHK ope ...

was recruiting ''

tarento Television personalities in Japan, known as in Japanese, are celebrities who regularly appear in mass media in Japan, especially as panelists on variety shows. During the Golden Age of Hollywood, bankable stars in the United States were descri ...

'' for television, and Katō subsequently moved the NHK's actor training school. The following year in April 1960, she made her broadcast debut in NHK's ''Tenshi no Heya'', and in the same year, she was also the founder of a theatrical troupe called "Sanju Jinkai". She was also a member of three voice acting offices: the Tokyo Actor's Consumer's Cooperative Society, and

Sigma Seven is a Japanese people, Japanese talent management firm representing a fair number of seiyū, voice actors and entertainers. Founded on March 3, 1988, Sigma Seven is headquartered on the third floor of the Haga Building in Minato, Tokyo, Minato, T ...

. After the expiration of her three-year priority contract with NHK, Katō met a producer at Toei Doga (later

Toei Animation is a Japanese animation studio primarily controlled by its namesake Toei Company. It has produced numerous series, including '' Sally the Witch'', '' GeGeGe no Kitarō'', '' Mazinger Z'', '' Galaxy Express 999'', '' Cutie Honey'', '' Dr. Slu ...

) and started her career as a

voice actor Voice acting is the art of Acting, performing a character or providing information to an audience with one's voice. Performers are often called voice actors/actresses in addition to other names. Examples of voice work include animation, animated, ...

in anime television. She voiced the titular character of ''

'', Yoshiko Hanamura in ''

'', and Kan-chan in ''

The Genie Family is a Japanese anime television series produced by Tatsunoko Production. It aired from October 5. 1969 to September 27, 1970, with a total of 52 episodes on Fuji TV. It tells the story of a boy who finds a bottle with a mysterious power - ea ...

''. She also performed the song in a commercial for Meiji Milk Chocolate (a chocolate bar manufactured by

Meiji Dairies , formerly , is a Japanese food company. It was a major dairy industry company established in 1917. Apart from dairy products like milk, ice cream, and cheese, their lineup includes sports drinks, pizza, chocolate bars and food supplements li ...

) that is best known for the ''Chocolate wa Meiji'' phrase.

''Sazae-san''

In 1968, Katō was cast as the titular character of ''

'', Sazae Fuguta. She participated at the audition with the intent to audition for another character, Katsuo Isono, and wanted to voice him and Sazae, but it was vetoed. She was asked to step down from all other anime work, and no longer played any anime characters other than Sazae. Although the series is now long-running, Katō would later recall in 2009 that she initially thought it would last only three months. For about 10 years since the broadcast started, Katō played freely and ''

ad libitum In music and other performing arts, the phrase (; or 'as you desire'), often shortened to "ad lib" (as an adjective or adverb) or "ad-lib" (as a verb or noun), refers to various forms of improvisation. The roughly synonymous phrase ('in acc ...

'', but later decided to use scripts after self-reflecting that the scriptwriters are not actors if they are not writing every word. This was because

Kazue Takahashi , known by the stage name , was a Japanese actress and voice actress. Kazue was best known as the voice of Shoutarou Kaneda ("Jimmy Sparks") in ''Tetsujin 28-go'' (" Gigantor"). She debuted in 1949. Kazue was also known for roles in Kaiju Booska ...

, who was the second voice actor of Katsuo, was able to do his words perfectly without being affected by Kato's ''ad libitum'' acting. During the fifteenth anniversary of ''Sazae-san'' around 1984, Katō had an opportunity to meet the writer of the original ''Sazae-san'' manga,

Machiko Hasegawa was a Japanese manga artist and one of the first female manga artists. She started her own comic strip, ''Sazae-san'', in 1946. It reached national circulation via the ''Asahi Shimbun'' in 1949, and ran daily until Hasegawa decided to retire in ...

. Katō told Hasegawa, "''Sensei'', ''watashi'', this year, it's just bad", and Hasegawa told her, "I'm sure there's something good to come". This was the only time Katō ever met Hasegawa before the latter's death on 27 May 1992. In 2009, Katō and her ''Sazae-san'' co-star

Ichirō Nagai was a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator from Ikeda, Osaka. He was previously affiliated with Tokyo Actor's Consumer's Cooperative Society, and was affiliated with Aoni Production at the time of his death. Career Nagai played ''GeGeGe no ...

made brief cameo appearances in the fourth live-action adaptation of ''Sazae-san'', Katō appearing as a female employee. Katō told

Oricon Style , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in N ...

that she had not appeared in drama for the past 45 years and felt nervous during her appearance. She was invited to the held on 25 October 2012, where she exchanged words with then-Emperor

Akihito Akihito (born 23 December 1933) is a member of the Imperial House of Japan who reigned as the 125th emperor of Japan from 1989 until 2019 Japanese imperial transition, his abdication in 2019. The era of his rule was named the Heisei era, Hei ...

and

Empress Michiko is a member of the Imperial House of Japan. She was Empress of Japan as the wife of Akihito, the 125th Emperor of Japan reigning from 7 January 1989 to 30 April 2019. Michiko married Crown Prince Akihito and became Crown Princess of Japan i ...

. Kato introduced herself as "Sazae", believing that she would be recognized with just the nameplate, and the Emperor and Empress responded with a smile. After the

Crown Prince Naruhito Naruhito (born 23 February 1960) is Emperor of Japan. He acceded to the Chrysanthemum Throne following the abdication of his father, Akihito, on 1 May 2019, beginning the Reiwa era. He is the 126th monarch, according to the traditional orde ...

and his younger brother the

Prince Akishino is the heir presumptive to the Japanese throne. He is the younger brother of Emperor Naruhito, and the younger son of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko. Since his marriage in June 1990, he has had the title and has headed the Akishino bra ...

said that they were watching ''Sazae-san'', Kato said "Dad, mom, I'm thrilled, I don't want to go home anymore. Officials from the

Imperial Household Agency The (IHA) is an agency of the government of Japan in charge of state matters concerning the Imperial House of Japan, Imperial Family, and the keeping of the Privy Seal of Japan, Privy Seal and State Seal of Japan. From around the 8th century ...

reported that

Aiko, Princess Toshi is a member of the Imperial House of Japan. She is the only child of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako of Japan. Following her birth, the ongoing Japanese imperial succession debate had resulted in some politicians holding a favorable vi ...

was able to recognize Katō's voice as Sazae's.アニメ好き愛子様　声優の「サザエでございま～す」聞かれる
Josei Seven In 2013

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, list ...

recognized ''Sazae-san'' as the longest running animated series, surpassing ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...

'' which went on air in 1989. On 6 October 2019, Katō and fellow ''Sazae-san'' voice actor Takako Sasuga were recognized by Guinness World Records in the category of "longest career as a voice actor for the same character in an animated television series", having at that point voiced their characters for 50 years and 1 day. With the death of Takako Sasuga in 2023, Kato became the only cast member to continue appearing in the series since the first episode, making her the oldest. 2024 saw her break her own Guinness World Record. In an interview with The

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

, she predicted that she would continue to voice-act “as long as I'm healthy and alive,” and revealed that she does not drink or smoke and does not stay out late at night for her role as Sazae.

Other work

In 1989, Katō began performing on her own stage, receiving a request from a producer of a television station who watched the stage. Katō was also the narrator of ''Makeover! Dramatic Before & After'', a documentary series which aired on

TV Asahi JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as , and better known as , is a Japanese television station serving the Kanto region as the flagship station of the All-Nippon News Network. It is owned-and-operated by the a subsidiary of , itself controlled by ...

.実写版『サザエさん』に“サザエ”声優・加藤みどりが45年ぶりにドラマ出演！波平役の永井一郎も
Oricon Style The series' selection in the 2003 "New Word / Buzzword Awards" earned her an appearance at an award ceremony there. Katō was awarded the 45th Anniversary Special Prize by the in 2015.

Filmography

Anime

*''

Shōnen Ninja Kaze no Fujimaru , also known as ''Samurai Kid'', is a Japanese anime series produced by Toei Animation. 65 episodes aired from 7 June 1964 until 31 August 1965. It tells the story of a ninja's pupil that controlled the wind. It was based on the manga by San ...

'' (1964) - Midori, Mika *''

(1966)'' - Osomatsu-kun (episodes 1 and 2) *''

'' (1966) - Yoshiko Hanamura, Ultra Bā-san *''Tobidase! Bacchiri'' (1966) - Benmatsu *''Kaminaribō ya Pikkari Bi'' (1967) - Pontarō *''Pyunpyunmaru'' (1967) - Chibimaru *''

Dokachin the Primitive Boy is an anime created by Tatsunoko Production and often shortened to , is a Japanese animation company. The studio's name has a double meaning in Japanese: "Tatsu's child" (Tatsu is a nickname for Tatsuo) and " sea dragon", the inspiration ...

'' (1968) - Pak *''Fight Da!! Pyūta'' (1968) *''

Yuuyake Banchō is a Japanese manga series written by Ikki Kajiwara and illustrated by Toshio Shoji. The term "banchō is an area in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan, consisting of the six "-banchō" districts, to , as well as parts of Kudanminami and Kudankita, ...

'' (1968) - Chuji Akagi *''

'' (1969) - Sazae FugutaProfile
at GamePlaza~HARUKA *'' Hakushon Daimaou'' (1969) - Kan-chan *''

Mōretsu Atarō is a Japanese comedy manga series written by Fujio Akatsuka. It was serialized from 1967 to 1970 in ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday''. Two anime television adaptations were produced by Toei Doga (now known as Toei Animation), and aired by TV Asahi ...

'' (1969) - Dekoppachi, *''Itazura Tenshi Chippo-chan'' (1970)

TV drama

*''Fushigi'na Pack'' (1960, voice) *''Oyako'' (1960) *''Tenshi no heya'' (1960), Yōko Harada *''Nōfu arite'' (1961) *''Speed Jidai'' episode 1 "Speed no miryoku" (1963) *''Tegami no Onna'' (1963) *''Docchi ga docchi'' (1972) *''

Wild 7 is a Japanese manga series by creator Mikiya Mochizuki that debuted on 1969 on '' Weekly Shōnen King'' where it ran until 1979. The creation of the manga had been based on the condition that Japan and other non-communist countries were f ...

'' (1972-1973, episodes 1, 2, 3 and 9) *''

Ganbare!! Robocon is a Japanese tokusatsu comedy family robot television series created by Shotaro Ishinomori and produced by Toei. It ran from October 4, 1974, to March 25, 1977, on NET TV. ran from January 31, 1999 (a week after the finale of '' Tetsuwan Ta ...

'' (1974-1976) - Mama/Shoko Oyama *''Dakara Seishun: Naki Mushikōshien'' (1983) *''Nihon no On'na Series II: Haru no Kage'' (1981) *''Watashi no Kawaii Hito'' (1986) *''

'' (2009) - Namihei's co-worker

Puppetry

*''Uriko Himeko: Nippon Mukashibanashi'' (1978, voice)'' *''Ōsama no Mimi wa Roba no Mimi: Girisha Shinwa yori'' (1999, voice)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kato, Midori 1939 births Living people Japanese video game actresses People from Suginami Sigma Seven voice actors Tokyo Actor's Consumer's Cooperative Society voice actors Voice actresses from Tokyo 20th-century Japanese actresses 21st-century Japanese actresses World record holders