Mari Shimizu

is a Japanese voice actress affiliated with 81 Produce. She is known for voicing the titular protagonist of the 1963 Astro Boy television series and its 1980 colour remake, Belo in Humanoid Monster Bem, and the titular protagonist of Jetter Mars. Biography Early life Shimizu, the daughter of actor and a Mitsukoshi seamstress, was born on 7 June 1936 in , an area in Urawa-ku, Saitama. During World War II, her family lived in poverty. Shimizu was educated at Urawa Nishi High School, where she was part of their theater club, and afterwards the Haiyuza Theatre Company's school. Originally, she was a pitcher for her junior high school's softball team. However, when her father's theater troupe had no child actors to play the titular character of their stage adaptation of The Adventures of Pinocchio, Shimizu was selected for the role, inspiring her to become an actor. She later became part of Gekidan Shinjinkai. In addition to working as an actress, Shimizu worked as actress Misako Watanabe's apprentice and as a production assistant.