User:Baekhoneko/Voice acting in Japan

The Anime Encyclopedia, 3rd Revised Edition : A Century of Japanese AnimationSandbox

Work
Voice actors can work in a number of roles, including voicing for anime, original video animation (OVA), radio drama, drama CD, video games, TV, movies, Japanese dubs of foreign movies and overseas dramas, voice drama, narration, announcement, reading, etc.

In addition to voice acting, voice actors may also make appearances in other places where voice work is needed, such as promotional videos and advertisements.

From "The Changing World of the Voice Actor"
Oftentimes, voice actors will be much older than the characters they are portraying. In order to preserve the image of the character, voice actor's real ages are hidden from their profile page.

Adding this section to the main article.

Early History
The earliest Japanese animation would predate the introduction of audio in film by at least a decade. Much like their live-action contemporaries during this period, screenings would have musical accompaniment and oftentimes include a benshi (narrator). The benshi would fulfill a role similar to ones in the Japanese puppet theater and magic lantern shows, where the narration would fill in dialogue and other story elements. With the introduction of sound in film, voices were often pulled from the available staff. For example, in Benkei tai Ushiwaka animator Kenzō Masaoka cast himself and his wife as the titular Benkai and Ushiwaka, respectively.

First Voice Actor Boom
Starting in the 1950s, a rise in the popularity of radio dramas as well as foreign television and film created many new opportunities for voice actors. After the 1950 Broadcasting Act, the Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai (NHK) began public broadcasting. Among these new broadcasts were several radio dramas, such as the 1952 drama Kimi no Nawa (Your Name), which would receive several adaptations on film, television, and stage due to its popularity.

Actors that were famous for their roles in dubbing and radio were used for their star power to voice similar characters in several anime productions. For example, Yasuo Yamada, who was famous for his Japanese dub of Clint Eastwood, was chosen to voice Arsène Lupin III for the Lupin III series.

Second Actor Boom
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, anime magazines such as Animage and Newtype began publication. These magazines would have sections dedicated specifically to voice actors and their roles. These voice actors started to become very popular, whether it was because of the magazine's push to make the voice actors like idols or they were an already established personality. This period also saw a gradual split of anime voice actors from their roots in theater. With the rise of voice actor specific training centers and audio-only productions, voice actors could start their careers working full time without any association to a broadcasting theater company. The term "seiyu" emerged to describe these voice actors who focused solely on voicing for anime productions.