Video Games have come a long way, haven’t they?
Once upon a time, games used to be designed around unlockable levels and characters. Finite health bars and power-ups were the name of the game.
By the time the retro era had ended, games were starting to be less about pixel art and more about 3D polygonal graphics. This is also the time period where many big names started to throw their hats in the gaming ring.
Video game voice actors have become a big deal in recent years. However, some remarkable examples exist in gaming, with celebrities whose fame exceeds the norm.
So, let’s take a look at famous voice actors in recent gaming history.
GTA: San Andreas – Samuel L. Jackson
Everyone is familiar with GTA: San Andreas in some capacity. The 2004 entry to gaming’s most notorious bad boy franchise, Grand Theft Auto. While there are plentiful reasons to recall this game, one usually skimmed over is Samuel L. Jackson as Officer Tenpenny.
Samuel L. Jackson is one of the most well-known actors in Hollywood. He has an impressive resume with films and franchises such as Pulp Fiction, The Hateful Eight, Star Wars, and Marvel under his belt. So hearing his voice in a video game was surprising, to say the least.
His voice is one of the first you hear in the game, and he voices the corrupt Police Officer, Officer Tenpenny. A major antagonist who uses his role in the police as a means to get his own way.
Content alert for the video!
Call of Duty – Gary Oldman
One of the biggest series in gaming, Call of Duty (COD), has featured countless big Hollywood names. Kit Harrington, Jeff Goldblum, Ron Perlman; are among some of the celebrities that have been attached to COD.
However, few characters have been as powerful and influential as Viktor Reznov, played by Gary Oldman. A famous actor who has been in a variety of projects that have become household names.
The Dark Knight, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and Harry Potter are among his most notable contributions. So yeah, a pretty big deal.
Reznov is one of the few characters to stand out in COD’s story mode. He is gruff, grizzled, passionate, and utterly determined to achieve his mission – with his tactical badassery landing him as a fan-favourite. It is no wonder he has returned for three games as a featured character.
Gary Oldman breathes life into Reznov, with a sound that is so believable that he leaves his co-stars in the dust. Even though he must have cost a lot of time and money, but it was well worth it, given the result.
Cyberpunk 2077 – Keanu Reeves
“You’re breathtaking!”
Any gamer is familiar with the reveal of Keanu Reeves as Johnny Silverhand in Cyberpunk 2077. There are few celebrities as beloved as Keanu, so the fact that he was about to step into the gaming space as a voice actor in the most anticipated game of the time was huge.
The unveiling of this moment will go down in gaming history. No one saw it coming; everyone loved it. His history with action flicks like The Matrix, and John Wick has placed Reeves as one of Hollywood’s most distinct badasses. Pivoting into the gaming space is an exciting move for his career and gaming culture.
While the game wasn’t quite what everyone was expecting, Keanu killed it as Silverhand. The constant companion for the protagonist, V, Silverhand balances misguided wisdom with juuuust enough edge to be a truly memorable character.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater – Tony Hawk
Another iconic game of the early 2000s marked the beginning of the Tony Hawk series Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater first hit shelves back in 1999.
The game itself includes Tony Hawk as a playable character, voiced by the legendary skater himself. Other famous skateboarders followed, such as Bob Burnquist, Kareem Campbell, Chad Muska, and Bam Margera, also speaking as their game characters.
While Tony Hawk and his fellow skaters aren’t voice actors, they give it their best shot to showcase their passion for skating. For many of these skaters, this was their first introduction to the acting world.
Some, like Bam Margera, later went on to star in productions like MTV’s Jackass.
Assassin’s Creed – Kristen Bell
After cutting her teeth in Hollywood through romcoms like Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Kristen Bell was a sought after actor. So it is only natural that she would get snapped up by some gaming franchise.
Bell played Lucy Stillman, an assassin and companion to the protagonist, who would help them relive their ancestors’ pasts. She played this character across the first 3 games in the Assassin’s Creed saga. The game also used her likeness to model the character after.
While she exited the franchise in 2010, this would not be the end of her voice acting career. She would go on to voice the character Anna in Frozen – which was a massive success.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion – Patrick Stewart
The Elder Scrolls may be the most famous Fantasy RPG series in modern gaming. The open-world, choice-making, free-roam nature of these games are extremely attractive to players. There really is nothing like it.
As the series has progressed, they have brought in a wider player base. One way they have done this is through star power. The fourth game, Oblivion, has several signature celebrities. One of which is the famed Patrick Stewart.
Starting his career as the Captain of the Starship Enterprise NCC-1701-D, Stewart was the face of Star Trek: The Next Generation for 7 years. He also spent time as Professor X in Marvel’s X-Men movies. He is a geek culture icon. So bringing him in on Oblivion was a genius move.
Patrick Stewart plays Emperor Uriel Septim, leader of the Empire in Cyrodiil until he is assassinated.
After his death, you are instructed to help his son. Who is played by Sean Bean! Another big name! However, we can’t really add the same game to the list twice, so his performance will have to do as a footnote to Sir Patrick.
Sorry, Boromir.
Mass Effect – Martin Sheen
Mass Effect is a game that is synonymous with incredible voice actors that represents the gold standard in gaming media. Various members of the cast have roles in TV and movies, such as Yvonne Strahovski. None are more noteworthy, however than Martin Sheen as the Illusive Man.
Martin Sheen has been in some seriously high-profile media pieces, including Apocalypse Now and Wall Street. He is one of the bigger celebrities to be included in a video game property.
His coarse voice is ideal for the role of The Illusive Man. The smokey, low pitch speech of the character is perfectly delivered by Martin Sheen, helping to enhance the shroud of mystery surrounding him.
Death Stranding – Norman Reedus
Lending his voice and his likeness, Norman Reedus stars in the latest game by Hideo Kojima. Reedus plays Sam, who is essentially a delivery man who is relinking post-apocalyptic America.
It sounds strange, but that is to be expected by a Kojima game.
Sam doesn’t speak too much to make it easier for players to insert their own personality into the character, but he isn’t devoid of speech. He typically will yell while travelling the world to call out to players from other worlds.
Initially, Norman Reedus was supposed to appear in Silent Hills as the protagonist, a different Hideo Kojima game. But due to various business disagreements with Konami – a shame as the Playable Trailer (P.T.) was incredibly popular.
Dishonored – Chloë Grace Moretz
Carving a place for herself in Hollywood since her role in Kick-Ass as Hit-Girl. The hyper-violent, anti-hero companion with vengeance on her mind, which is certainly unusual for a child actor – which is what propelled her into the public eye.
Moretz performed in Dishonored as Lady Emily Kaldwin, a character who the protagonist is sworn to protect. Throughout the story, it is the player’s job to serve as her bodyguard and help guide her to ascension to the throne of Dunwall.
Moretz did not return to voice Emily in the sequel to Dishonored, although this doesn’t mean she never returned to behind the mic. Chloë starred in the CGI animation The Addams Family as Wednesday Adams.
Spider-Man 2 – Tobey Maguire
The final selection on this list of Major celebrities in video games is Tobey Maguire in Spider-man 2. While we all know that Tobey Maguire filled the shoes of the web-slinger in the film, it is less known that he also lent his likeness and voice to the movie’s game.
In fact, the main cast of the film is all present here. Kirsten Dunst plays Mary Jane Watson, and Alfred Molina plays Doc Ock, their respective film characters. But the webhead is the main event, so we are putting him down as our choice.
Spider-Man 2 is a beloved game. It follows the story of the film, with some extra additions to help increase the game length.
This game is fondly remembered for its authenticity to the movie, which is loved in its own right. Although, fans also recall that the Spider-Man 2 game features the deepest web-swinging mechanics from any game featuring the Spider.
There we go! Our list of 10 major celebrities in video games. Got a famous video game voice actor you want to share? Join the conversation on Twitter.
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