, known professionally as , was a Japanese actress last affiliated with Actors Seven. Her husband was actor and television personality Keisuke Sagawa. She is best known for voicing Doraemon, the titular character of the Doraemon franchise from 1979 to 2005 and Monokuma, the main antagonist of the Danganronpa franchise from 2010 to 2016."Nobuyo Ōyama", Japan Talent Directory.
Biography
Early life
Ōyama was born as the thirteenth in a four-generation family of thirteen people on October 16, 1933.Healthy Time: Nobuyo Ōyama (PDF). Mutual Aid News "Sukoyaka" No. 208. Nara Prefecture Municipal Employees Mutual Aid Association. pages 2–3 (June 2007) Her great-grandparents were born in the Edo period of JapanThe secret to vitality. I'm glad I used it. Imperial Enterprises, 2003 and her mother was the daughter of a sake brewer in Furukawa City, Miyagi Prefecture (now Ōsaki, Miyagi City).New Family Resume, Nobuyo Oyama was born into a large family in Ebisu, Tokyo. She grew up surrounded by living encyclopedias of the Edo, Meiji and Taisho periods." Weekly Bunshun, May 15, 2008 issue, Bungeishunju, May 2008, pages 92–95.
She graduated from Rinkawa Elementary School, Hiroo Elementary School, Hiroo Junior High School and Mita High School, Tokyo.https://web.archive.org/web/20050307184438/http://www.sanspo.com/geino/top/gt200403/gt2004032102.html
Since an early age, she had a distinctive voice, and when she answered the phone at her kindergarten entrance ceremony, all of the students' parents all stood up and stared. However Ōyama herself was oblivious to reactions. She was such a talkative person that her mother would often tell her, "If you are quiet for a while, I'll give you a treat."Hisashi Katsuta, "File No. 10: Nobuyo Ōyama", Showa Voice Actors: The Great Actors Who Supported the Early Days of Television, Komakusa Publishing, February 22, 2017, pages 171–177, .
As she entered elementary school, Ōyama was initially an active girl who would run around the schoolyard raising her voice, but people around her would often tell her that she had a "boy's voice," and her teachers gave her strange looks when she checked in for her attendance, so she began to think her voice was strange.
Once Ōyama entered junior high school, a classmate pointed out how her voice was, and that is when she started to become aware of her unique voice.Actress and voice actress Nobuyo Ōyama. The moment of determination . enjin, Archived from the original on August 9, 2024. She started to feel disgusted by her voice, and became a quieter person.
She was bullied by her school classmates because of her voice, with a game of "everyone will laugh when Ōyama makes a sound" becoming popular in class. She grew withdrawn, but her mother advised her, "Just because you have a strange voice, if you keep coddling that weakness, it will only get weaker. Join a club activity where you have to use your voice."Senior Life Interview Vol.25, Nobuyo Ōyama, Tab House Co., Ltd, August 2006Yamamoto, K., 2007, pages 144–145.
Ōyama became satisfied with her voice over time, and was able to overcome her complex. However, she never expected to become a voice actress. Her surrounding peers and homeroom teacher were initially opposed to her school activities, though after a month, they stopped saying their objections, and Ōyama was soon invited to join the school's drama club. Her stage debut was the role of the wicked stepmother in the school's play of Cinderella.
In high school, Ōyama joined the drama and swimming clubs, but soon dropped out when her mother ended up being hospitalized, and then died of uterine cancer at the age of 42 while she was in her second high school year.Nakajima Kumiko, One illness and good health: Actress and voice actress Nobuyo Ōyama, 71 – Rectal cancer (1) Cancer discovered thanks to her husband, yomiDr., Yomiuri Shimbun, October 7, 2007. Archived from the original on December 1, 2012. Now by herself, Ōyama decided to pursue a career in acting.
Career Following high school, Ōyama entered the Haiyuza Training School as a member of the seventh batch, but her father, who was against these plans, told her, "If you want to be an actor, get out!", so she ran away from home and started living alone. She quickly realized that she would be unable to survive solely on the money that was sent to her from her supportive older brother, so she tried various part-time jobs to earn money for living.大山のぶ代さん「たくさんのことを教わった『ドラえもん』」 (in Japanese), Seiyuu Grand Prix WEB, Seiyuu Do. Shufu no Tomo Infos, page 1, 2010, Accessed February 3, 2023. Her classmates there included Kumi Mizuno, Shigeru Tsuyuguchi, Hisashi Igawa, Manabu Yamamoto, Shigeyoshi Fujioka, and Kunie Tanaka.
She made her debut in the NHK drama Kono Hitomi in 1956.「新 家の履歴書(92)大山のぶ代(女優・声優) 東京・恵比寿の生家は大家族。江戸明治大正の生き字引に囲まれて育った。」(in Japanese), Weekly Bunshun, May 15, 2008 issue, Bungeishunju, May 2008, pages 92–95. She began her acting career while in the training school, and after graduating in 1957, she joined the theater company Shinjinkai.Nobuyo Ōyama celebrates 25 years with Doraemon, who is like her own child, SANSPO.COM, March 20, 2004, Archived from the original on March 7, 2005.
When Ōyama started her career, she received praise as "a funny kid" and "a comedian with a background in modern theater", and appeared in many dramas and comedy shows. She began her voice acting career after a friend noticed her unique husky voice and told her that her voice suited young male roles. Her voice acting debut was in the Japanese dub of Lassie, which aired in September 1957.Broadcast Contents: Long Interview with Nobuyo Ōyama, Yes! This is TV Asahi, TV Asahi, June 20, 2003
In 1960, Ōyama voiced the character Boo in the Japanese puppet show Boo Foo Woo, which led to an increase in voice work.
In 1965, Ōyama made her debut as a lead voice actor in the television anime Hustle Punch, where she voiced the character Hustle.ハッスルパンチ [DVD], Amazon Japan After that, she then starred in several anime productions such as Harris no Kaze and Invincible Super Man Zambot 3.
She was affiliated with Tokyo Pro,A complete introduction to the privacy of voice actors: What is the identity of those voices in the new TV anime program?, Monthly OUT, December 1977 issue, Minori Shobo, December 1, 1977, page 44. Gekidan Deku,List of Performers (1962 Edition), Copyright Materials Association, 1962, page 82. Takamatsu Riyuko Office,List of Performers, 1969 Edition, Copyright Materials Association, 1968, page 85. and Aoni Production.Japan Talent Directory (1977 Edition), VIP Times, 1977, page 216.
In late 1978, she was officially cast as the voice of the titular character in the Doraemon anime series, which premiered on TV Asahi the next year. It became her most popular work.Nobuyo Ōyama passes away, leaving only one surviving voice actor from the first TV Asahi series "Doraemon", 86-year-old Michiko Nomura, who played Shizuka-chan (in Japanese), Nikkan Sports, October 2024.
She also became active in a wide range of fields other than voice acting, such as working as a TV personality and publishing books as a cooking expert.
In 1980, sales of Doraemon-related records performed by Ōyama, including the EP Doraemon Ondo, exceeded over one million copies, which earned her an awarded Gold Disc from Nippon Columbia.Nobuyo Ōyama, I Was Doraemon, Shogakukan, 2006.
In 2001, Ōyama was diagnosed with colon cancer and was hospitalized for a long time, causing her to take time off from all work except for Doraemon, as she decided to continue recording episodes during her treatment after she took her physical condition into consideration.Nakajima, One illness and good health: Actress and voice actor Nobuyo Oyama, 71 – Rectal cancer (3) Searching for the right time to quit, yomiDr., Yomiuri Shimbun, October 21, 2007, Archived from the original on December 1, 2012. However, the hospitalization led to her decision to retire from the role of Doraemon. At first, she continued on at the persuasion of the anime's staff, but after long-term discussions, officially left the franchise along the other cast members in March 2005 after 26 years.
After Doraemon
After leaving the Doraemon franchise, Ōyama focused on giving lectures and making television and radio appearances. She also continued her voice acting work, narrating shows such as Gansou! Debuya.Debuya goes to your town in Tokyo Disney Resort (broadcast December 4, 2007)
In March 2005, Ōyama received the Broadcasting Woman Award."歴代受賞者" (in Japanese), Japan Women's Broadcasting Association (SJWRT), retrieved January 5, 2026.
In May 2006, Ōyama published an autobiographical essay titled, I Was Doraemon. 26 Years of Tears and Laughter which focused on detailing her 26 years voicing Doraemon and was published by Shogakukan.I Was Doraemon: 26 Years of Tears and Laughter (ぼく、ドラえもんでした。涙と笑いの26年うちあけ話), Shogakukan, 2006,
Six months later, she was awarded a special prize at the 11th Kobe Animation Awards for her achievements on Doraemon alongside her Doraemon co-stars Noriko Ohara, Michiko Nomura, Kaneta Kimotsuki, and Kazuya Tatekabe.11th Animation Kobe Award Winners and Award-winning Works Decided, Animation Kobe, Animation Kobe Executive Committee Secretariat, Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. The following year in March 2007, they received the Merit Award of the Tokyo Anime Awards at the Tokyo International Anime Fair.
In April 2007, Ōyama became principal of the Acoustic Arts College in Nishi-Shinbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo. In addition to organizing the curriculum, she also taught many day and night classes for the voice actor and announcer courses, providing direct instructions to students.東京の専門学校都心の専門学校ならではの、特色ある学科やコースを取材 6-1 第6回 vol.1 声優・ ナウンス専門課程（前編）(in Japanese), dricomeye.net, July 17, 2007, retrieved January 5, 2026.
On April 24, 2008, while preparing for class in the principal's office at the Acoustic Arts College, Ōyama suffered a cerebral infarction and was hospitalized, but with proper medication, she was discharged on August 17. Through home recuperation and rehabilitation, she ended up recovering to where she was able to carry out daily activities without worry.Nobuyo Ōyama suffers from cerebral infarction... unable to speak, Archived May 2, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, Daily Sports Online, April 30, 2009
In 2010, Ōyama portrayed the antagonist Monokuma in the PSP video game Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc. She continued to voice Monokuma in the Danganronpa franchise, and in 2013, the series was made into a television anime adaptation entitled Danganronpa: The Animation, which was both her first TV anime appearance since Doraemon and her first appearance in a late-night television anime.
In April 2011, Ōyama decided to step down from her position as principal of the Acoustic Arts College and became its honorary president. Though she stepped back from most practical duties, she continued to give special lectures once every few months until 2013.Regarding Honorary Principal Nobuyo Ōyama's condition -Facebook Japan. Around this time, she started limiting her work, citing poor health caused by a busy and intense work schedule.
Final years