10 Famous Actors Secretly Hidden in Popular Video Games
These day, a hit video game can make more money than a Hollywood blockbuster—Grand
Theft Auto V made $1 billion in just three days.
That’s about how much Avengers: Age of Ultron made in total.
So it’s no wonder that A-list actors have been lending their voices to the virtual gaming
world.
Voice acting for a video game doesn’t get quite as much red carpet glamor as starring
in a movie, though, so you might not even know that these actors were behind the iconic
characters in your favorite games.
Here are 10 Famous Actors You Didn't Know Were in Popular Video Games.
Elijah Wood Elijah Wood is best known for his role as
hobbit Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy.
So naturally, he was first pick to voice Frodo in the video games, and he’s reprised his
role across numerous Lord of the Rings games on numerous gaming platforms.
He also voices the purple dragon Spyro from the Legend of Spyro series, as well as characters
from God of War III and Broken Age.
Wood is a gamer himself, and his older brother is a game producer at Sony, so it’s not
too surprising that he’s found himself working in the gaming world.
He says that he enjoys the unique challenges of acting for video games, especially giving
a voice to characters in intense situations.
Christopher Walken Christopher Walken may have a… distinct
speech pattern, but he’s still turned up as a voice actor every now and then.
He voices the character George, an elderly desk sergeant in True Crime: Streets of LA.
The 2003 action-adventure game also features rapper Snoop Dogg as himself.
Walken and Snoop Dogg were both nominated for “Best Performance by a Human” at the
2003 Spike Video Game Awards for their work, although fans’ reception of Christopher
Walken was mixed.
It’s not too likely that Walken has actually played True Crime, though, since the actor
doesn’t own a computer or cell phone.
Ellen Page Ellen Page didn’t just lend her voice to
the video game Beyond Two Souls: she actually acted out much of the action, using motion
capture technology to take on the lead role of Jodie Holmes.
Page is known for a wide range of film roles, from Juno to Kitty Pryde of the X-Men, but
she said that acting for a video game was an entirely different experience.
Because of the interactive storytelling and alternate endings in Beyond Two Souls, every
player takes a unique journey.
Many of the emotionally intense scenes Page worked on won’t be seen by everyone who
plays the game.
Mark Hamill He might be best known for Star Wars, but
Mark Hamill hasn’t just been coasting on his Skywalker fame for all these years: his
voice acting career has been extensive, including a twenty year stint as the voice of the Joker.
He’s voiced Batman’s arch-enemy in the animated series as well as several video games,
including Batman: Arkham City.
Beyond the Joker, Hamill has had roles in Kingdom Hearts and the Call of Duty games,
and several LucasArts games, among others.
He’s also voiced Wolverine in two different X-Men games, one of which was the movie tie
in to the film X2… meaning Mark Hamill voiced Hugh Jackman as Wolverine.
Gary Oldman Gary Oldman has had quite the fantasy career,
even beyond Harry Potter.
He voiced Sypro’s mentor Ignitus in the Legend of Spyro series, as well as scientist
Daniel Clark and Sergeant Viktor Reznov in the Call of Duty games.
He also played the villainous Lord Vortech in the Lego game Lego Dimensions.
Gary Oldman enjoys his voice over work, but he has said that shouting out battle commands
over and over takes its toll, and after a recording session for Call of Duty he needs
to “walk around” and “take a Tylenol.”
Seth Green Seth Green might be best known for Buffy the
Vampire Slayer and Austin Powers, but you’ve probably heard his voice acting before in
shows like Family Guy and Robot Chicken.
Green also voices the character Jeff Moreau, or “Joker,” in the Mass Effect series
of games.
The comic actor brings his signature humor to the role as the pilot of the SSV Normandy.
As a serious gamer himself, Green is a fan of the Mass Effect games as well as an actor
in them.
He has called Mass Effect a “revolutionary game” and a “cultural phenomenon.”
Samuel L. Jackson Samuel L. Jackson claims that he’s not much
of a gamer, even though he’s hosted the Spike TV Video Game Awards multiple times.
But whether or not he’s actually played many games since Pong, Jackson voiced the
villainous Frank Tenpenny in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
Jackson was well-received for the role, and voted one of the 100 best video game villains
by IGN Entertainment.
Apart from Jackson, Rockstar Games hired over 100 actors to voice random characters and
crowd scenes for the game.
Jackson has also reprised his roles as Nick Fury and Frozone for Marvel and Pixar video
games, and in the video game adaptation of Afro Samurai.
Liam Neeson Liam Neeson doesn’t work in video games
often, but he was intrigued by the complex, compelling story of Fallout 3.
That was good news for the Fallout writers, who created James, the father of the player-character,
with Neeson in mind.
Executive Producer Todd Howard was thrilled to have Neeson onboard, saying that Neeson
"provides a dramatic tone for the entire game.”
Although Neeson is not a newcomer to the action genre, he says that recording voice over for
the game was much closer to acting in a BBC radio play than in a big budget action thriller.
George Takei George Takei is well known for his activism,
playing Sulu on the original Star Trek series, and as a dominant voice in social media.
But he’s also tried his hand at voice over work, providing the voice for Emperor Yoshiro
in Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3.
The impressive ensemble cast for the game also included actors Jonathan Pryce and Tim
Curry.
Takei compared the game to both Star Trek and the TV show Heroes for it’s time travel
and alternate reality plots.
Takei also hosts a Youtube channel that aims to teach older generations about gaming and
tech, so he seems to have a personal passion for the medium himself.
Patrick Stewart Patrick Stewart has voiced roles in X-Men
and Star Trek video games, reprising his roles as Professor X and Captain Jean-Luc Picard.
But he’s also had a steady career voice acting in games like Lego Universe, Forgotten
Realms, and The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion.
He won a Spike TV Video Game Award for his work as Emperor Uriel Septim in Elder Scrolls.
Despite working in video games frequently, Stewart refuses to play games himself.
But it’s not because he disapproves: Stewart says that he has too much of an addictive
personality for gaming.
If he ever started, he’s afraid he would never stop.
So there you have it: some of Hollywood’s biggest stars have made their way into your
favorite video games.
Know of any other A-list actors in the gaming world?
Leave a comment and let us know!
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