Big-name video games occasionally hire celebrities to do voices for characters, and these famous actors performed in these popular titles.
Video game voice actors and television and film actors often live in totally separate worlds. In the early days of video game development, an actor’s job was minimal, if it was even necessary at all. It’s only more recently that games resemble something closer to movies than the original arcade style games.
Video game technology has progressed in leaps and bounds since Pong or The Legend Of Zelda, and actors’ roles are significantly more important. Graphics are so realistic that the characters can look identical to the people that portray them, and it is now much more common for well-known actors to voice video game characters.
10 Charles Dance – Emhyr Var Emreis – The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Charles Dance is an English actor most recently recognizable as Tywin Lannister on HBO’s Game Of Thrones. Known for playing clever, powerful, and even ruthless characters, Dance lives up to his reputation with his role in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Extremely aggressive and intelligent, Emhyr var Emreis was a skilled leader and served as the primary antagonist of the Witcher games.
9 Norman Reedus – Sam Porter Bridges – Death Stranding
Many know Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon, the crossbow-wielding hunter from AMC’s The Walking Dead. Originally cast as the lead for a Silent Hill sequel, he clearly made an impression on Hideo Kojima.
When the game fell through, the actor teamed up with Kojima Productions for a completely new project. Together they brought Sam Porter Bridges to life in the epic dystopian action game, Death Stranding.
8 Kit Harington – Admiral Salen Kotch – Call Of Duty: Infinite Warfare
Kit Harington sheds his heavy fur coat for a space suit in Call Of Duty: Infinite Warfare. He voices the main antagonist of the game, Admiral Salen Kotch. Jon Snow knew nothing in Game Of Thrones, but Admiral Kotch knows quite a bit. A ruthless leader, Kotch is obsessed with victory at all costs, and he is unafraid to sacrifice anyone in his way – including his own men.
7 Liam Neeson – James/The Father – Fallout 3
Liam Neeson has made a name for himself in both dramatic roles and as an action star. He has played many notable characters including Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars, and Ra’s al Ghul in Batman Begins. He takes on a decidedly unique role in Bethesda’s Fallout 3. Though the actor has not worked frequently in the video game industry, Neeson stated that the compelling story of the game drew him to the role.
6 Chloë Grace Moretz – Young Emily – Dishonored
An actress from a very young age, Chloë Grace Moretz got one of her biggest roles in the action-comedy Kick Ass. She starred as Hit Girl. Also known as Mindy McCready, she is the daughter of another masked vigilante.
Many fans don’t realize that Moretz also played the child version of Emily Kaldwin in the Dishonored series, the daughter of Corvo Attano. The adult version of Emily is the main protagonist in Dishonored 2.
5 Rami Malek – Josh Washington – Until Dawn
Before Rami Malek starred in Mr. Robot or stole the stage as Freddy Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody, he had a role in a survival horror game titled Until Dawn. One of eight, playable protagonists, Josh Washington was the brother of twin sisters that went missing a year before the main story of the game takes place. Josh invites a group of friends to a cabin on the anniversary of their disappearance. When the night takes a sinister turn, the groups wonders if they will survive until morning.
4 Kiefer Sutherland – Venom Snake – Metal Gear V
Kiefer Sutherland spent years playing Agent Jack Bauer of CTU (Counter Terrorism Agency) in 24. When Metal Gear V: The Phantom Pain came knocking, Sutherland slipped effortlessly into the role of the combat medic turned mercenary commander. No stranger to the video game industry, Sutherland has also been involved with 24: The Game, Call Of Duty: World At War, and Call Of Duty: Black Ops 4.
3 Samuel L. Jackson – Frank Tenpenny – GTA: San Andreas
Known for his comically foul language and no-nonsense attitude, Samuel L. Jackson has played many unique and memorable characters from Pulp Fiction to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
He lends his voice as the primary antagonist in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. A sadistic and corrupt police officer, Frank Tenpenny works for the LSPD and has no problem bending the rules.
2 Kristen Bell – Lucy – Assassin’s Creed II
Kristen Bell Fans likely associate her voice with the bubbly Princess Anna in Disney’s Frozen. Bell decided to expand her career from film and television, and lent her voice as Assassin’s Creed‘s Lucy Stillman from 2007 to 2010. A genetic memory researcher that worked for the Assassin Order, Lucy features in Assassin’s Creed, Assassin’s Creed II, and Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood.
1 Jeff Goldblum – Nero Blackstone – Call Of Duty: Black Ops III
Jeff Goldblum has made his mark in show business as an incredibly versatile actor. He has played roles from the quiet weirdo to the scientist to the heart-throb. One of four main characters in the Shadows of Evil zombies map, Jeff Goldblum starred in Call of Duty: Black Ops III as Nero Blackstone. Quirky, arrogant, and dark, the failed magician is the perfect blend of weird that Goldblum fans have come to expect.
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