Yasuo Yamada

山田康雄

Yamada Yasuo (10 September 1932-19 March 1995) was a Japanese voice actor born in Tokyo, Japan.
Yamada dropped out of the Faculty of Literature at Waseda University and appeared in numerous stage, radio, and television productions. His most renowned role was as Arsène Lupin III in the Lupin III series, a part he played from 1971 until 1995. He also provided the Japanese dubbing voice for Clint Eastwood and Jean-Paul Belmondo.
At the age of 62, Yasuo Yamada died of a brain hemorrhage (apoplexy) at the Ota-ku Jinbara Metropolitan Hospital. The closing credits of the film Farewell to Nostradamus (the first Lupin film without Yasuo) included a tribute: "To Yasuo Yamada, Eternal Lupin the Third: Thank you!" (this message was omitted from the first angle of the English-language DVD release by Funimation).
Following Yasuo's death, Kurita Kan'ichi assumed the role of Lupin the Third. In his last will, Yasuo had requested that Kurita replace him should he pass away.
He was a member of Gekidan Mingei at the start of his career and worked as a freelancer thereafter.