Video games in the 21st century have evolved from arcade entertainment to narrative-driven works of art. Due to this transition, players will get a more cinematic feeling while playing certain games, especially those of the role-playing genre where the storylines can be as complicated and in-depth as a novel.
Video game characters have progressed from being 2D and voiceless to being voiced by dominant names in the acting industry. Some celebrity voices are easy to recognize, partly because the character could look like the actor themselves. For example, Kit Harington in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. Others may not be so easy to identify.
10 Mark Hamill Voices The Joker In Several Batman Video Games
Mark Hamill is no stranger to voicing animated characters due to his role as Firelord Ozai in Avatar: The Last Airbender and Skips in Regular Show. Hamill also voices The Joker in the '90s classic Batman: The Animated Series, along with episodes in other shows like Justice League and The New Batman Adventures.
Hamill lends his voice to the Batman villain in not only TV shows, but also video games. His first appearance was in the 2001 PS2 game Batman Vengeance, and his last would be in the 2011 game Batman: Arkham City, which is the sequel to Batman: Arkham Asylum.
9 Chloë Grace Moretz Voices Young Emily Kaldwin In Dishonored
Chloë Grace Moretz began her acting career at a young age in the 2005 film The Amityville Horror at merely eight years old. She is best recognized for her role as Carrie in the film adaptation of Stephen King's Carrie. Moretz lends her voice to young Emily Kaldwin in the Dishonored adventure game franchise. "I like playing characters that aren't me and that actually challenge me, because it's not as fun to just play yourself, you already do," says Moretz in a New York Comic-Con panel on her gravitation towards troubled characters.
8 Samuel L. Jackson Voiced The Antagonist In Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Samuel L. Jackson is one of the more recognizable actors in the industry by his performances in movies like Jurassic Park and his role as Mace Windu in the Star Wars film franchise. Jackson is the highest-grossing actor of all time, who also makes cameos in video games. He stars as Officer Frank Tenpenny, the main antagonist in the 2004 game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Jackson has never addressed his voice acting role in Grand Theft Auto during an interview, which makes sense due to his bigger film projects.
7 Kristen Bell Stars As Lucy In Assassin's Creed Games
Kristen Bell made her way in the acting industry by playing Veronica Mars in the eponymous television series. She also voices Princess Anna in Disney's Frozen film franchise. Bell also stars as Lucy, an assistant to Dr. Warren Vidic in the first Assassin's Creed game from 2007.
She reprised her role in the second Assassin's Creed and in the 2010 game Assassin's Creed Brotherhood. "I was a big video gamer growing up, so working on Assassin's Creed is my chance to be a part of video game history," Bell said in an interview with Gamespot.
6 Gary Oldman Voices Ignitus In Legend Of Spyro
Gary Oldman is one of the more successful actors in the industry, with a film career that began in 1979. He notably stars as Sirius Black in the Harry Potter film series and James Gordon in The Dark Knight trilogy.
In addition to films and music videos, Oldman adds to resumé by his voice acting roles in video games. One of his most recognizable roles is Viktor Reznov and scientist Daniel Clarke in the Call of Duty franchise. Along with other famous actors like Elijah Wood, Oldman also stars in Legend of Spyro as Ignitus, a fire guardian dragon.
5 Sean Bean Voices Martin Septim In Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Sean Bean appeared in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings film trilogy before taking on the role of Lord Eddard "Ned" Stark in another book to screen adaptation: Game of Thrones. Bean also voices the last Emperor of the Septim Dynasty, Martin Septim, in Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. His character is also known as Brother Martin and is the son of Uriel Septim VII. Bean praises the game for its story and enjoys his voice acting role. "It was a good, stylish and successful piece of work and if a sequel came by I'd definitely be up for that," stated Bean in an interview with IGN.
4 Patrick Stewart Is Sean Bean's Dad In Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
If one ever wanted a world where Patrick Stewart is the father of Sean Bean, this is it. Patrick Stewart has been a huge name in the industry for over six decades, notably for his performance as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the Star Trek film franchise. In addition to film and his excellent on-stage productions, Stewart lends his voice to X-Men and Star Trek video games. He also voices Emperor Uriel Septim in Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. He is the father of Sean Bean's character, Emperor Martin Septim.
3 Martin Sheen Appears As The Illusive Man In Mass Effect 2
Martin Sheen has been acting in films since the 1960s and became well known for his role as Captain Benjamin Willard in the 1979 film Apocalypse Now. Sheen is also recognized for his four children, who are also actors, the most notable being Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez. Sheen voices the Illusive Man, a leader of a pro-human group called Cerberus in BioWare's Mass Effect 2. He reprises his role in the 2012 sequel Mass Effect 3 and was reportedly incredibly invested in the character.
2 Bethesda Designed Character With Liam Neeson In Mind
Anyone familiar with the phrase "I will find you, and I will kill you" is familiar with Liam Neeson's character, Bryan Mills, in the popular Taken film series. Along with live-action appearances, Neeson also lends his voice to Aslan, the majestic lion in The Chronicles of Narnia.
He also voices James, the protagonist's father, in the Bethesda Game Studios' game, Fallout 3. The character was reportedly written especially for Neeson to voice. "It’s been a pleasure bringing the father to life and working with the wonderfully talented people at Bethesda on Fallout 3,” said Neeson in a Betheseda press release. “I hope the fans of the franchise and the game will be excited by the results.”
1 Kit Harington Voices Admiral Salen Kotch In Infinite Warfare
Kit Harington is best known for his roles as Jon Snow in Game of Thrones and Dane Whitman in the recent Eternals film. This time, Jon Snow joins the dark side in Harington's role as the evil Admiral Salen Kotch in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. "It became a really interesting role. Like all best villains, he's psychotic and unpredictable. I really enjoyed playing psychotic and unpredictable," says Harington in an interview with LazyGamer. UFC Fighter Conor McGregor also joins Harington for a cameo in the game, however, players widely critiqued both appearances.