The world of voice acting has always been a surprising one. The most talented actors within it, with their voice as their only tool, become invisible and totally concealed behind the colorful and zany characters they play. With the prominence of animated movies and television shows in particular, voice acting has become a part of some of our most popular media, from hits like Netflix’s Arcane to Pixar’s Turning Red.
Video games, uniquely, almost always rely on voice acting to bring a wide array of stories to life, and sometimes they utilize the talents of some of film and television’s biggest stars. For video game fans that keep up with the biggest movie and TV releases, the appearance of famous actors often come as a delight.
Mark Hamill
For some, the knowledge that Mark Hamill has been the voice of the Joker for nearly thirty years might come as a surprise. Indeed, Hamill, best known for bringing Luke Skywalker to life, also provides the voice and twisted laugh of one of Gotham City’s most nefarious villains, from the Batman: Arkham series to a handful of other DC video game projects.
Hamill has also contributed to other video games, like the Darksiders franchise. But having voiced the character since Batman: The Animated SeriesHamill’s involvement in the Arkham series sure put the games on the map in the eyes of fans, and helped secure the games as beloved additions to The Dark Knight’s canon.
Elliot Page
Though known primarily for starring roles in hit films like Juno and Inception, Elliot Page was the star of the 2013 interactive drama Beyond: Two Souls. Developed by Quantic Dream, the same studio responsible for the similarly film-like Detroit: Become Human, Beyond: Two Souls also featured many other actors of film and television, such as Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man: No Way Home, The Lighthouse).
Page, meanwhile, played the role of Jodie Holmes, a young girl with a psychic link to a mysterious spirit known as Aiden. The X-Men and The Umbrella Academy star was able to flex every acting muscle possible, as Beyond: Two Souls featured a significant amount of cinematic cutscenes and a heavy emphasis on its actors and their performances.
Patrick Stewart
To describe Patrick Stewart‘s acting resume as impressive would be the understatement of the century. He has a ton of theater credits to his name, and is otherwise widely known for playing Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation as well as Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men movies.
But Stewart was also involved in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion as the voice of Uriel Septim VII, the Emperor of Tamriel at the time the fantasy role-playing-game begins. Interestingly, the game also features Sean Bean as Martin Septim, Emperor Uriel Septim’s illegitimate son and heir.
Kristen Bell
It seems impossible to pin Kristen Bellof Gossip Girl and The Good Place fame, down to a single predictable label. While having recently continued her successful film and television career in the series The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the WindowBell’s voice acting resume also remains a sight to behold.
She played Princess Anna in Disney’s Frozen films and, as far as video games are concerned, is best known for providing the voice of Lucy Stillman in the Assassin’s Creed series.
Keanu Reeves
It might not be much of a surprise to see Keanu Reeves on this list. The John Wick star was featured heavily in the marketing and promotional materials for Cyberpunk 2077having provided the voice and likeness for one of the game’s central characters, Johnny Silverhand.
In Cyberpunk 2077, players take control of V, a mercenary new to the underbelly of the fictional Night City. After the opening events of the sci-fi role-playing-game, V becomes technologically linked with the specter of Reeves’ Silverhand, who serves as the player’s somewhat unwilling accomplice and companion during the game’s many pulse-pounding adventures.
Elijah Wood
Though undoubtedly best known for playing Frodo Baggins in Peter Jackson‘s The Lord of the Rings movies, Elijah Wood has had a fantastic film career in the many years since.
But the Sin City star is a prolific voice actor as well. His voice can be heard coming out of film and TV characters alike – from Happy Feet to the Halloween staple Over the Garden Wall. Wood has extended his talents to video games as well; With a few video game credits under his belt, Wood’s most notable role is as the voice of Spyro, gaming’s favorite purple dragon, in The Legend of Spyro trilogy.
Aimee-Ffion Edwards
Aimee-Ffion Edwards is a Welsh actress and singer, best known for appearances in hugely popular TV shows such as Skins and Peaky Blinders. Recently, however, Edwards has tried her hand at video game voice acting, appearing in the critically and commercially acclaimed action role-playing-game, Elden Ring. The game was developed by Japanese developer FromSoftware in collaboration with George RR Martinthe original author of the Game of Thrones books.
Elden Ring, celebrated for its immersive exploration and sense of challenge, features a cast of rich and colorful characters. The snow witch who calls herself Renna is one of the game’s more enigmatic figures, and is the very same one that Aimee-Ffion Edwards brings to life.
Charles Dance
After a powerful performance as Tywin Lannister in HBO’s Game of Thrones, Charles Dance began a winning streak in his appearances in popular fantasy series. It was noteworthy that it would begin in the medium of video games, and in The Witcher game series no less.
In The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Dance appears as Emperor Emhyr var Emreis. The action role-playing-game was developed by Polish developer CD Projekt Red, and first released in 2015 to critical and commercial success.
Neil Patrick Harris
Everyone knows Neil Patrick Harris as Barney Stinson in the CBS television show How I Met Your Mother. Such a prominent role in one of TV’s biggest sitcoms could have only been topped with a role as Marvel Comics’ friendliest neighborhood hero. And so, in 2010, Neil Patrick Harris voiced Peter Parker in the action-adventure game. Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions.
Harris boasts a number of other video game voice acting credits, including roles in the Saints Row series and The Penguins of Madagascar video game tie-in, but voicing the New York City webslinger is undoubtedly a highlight for anyone’s voice acting career.
Martin Sheen
The Mass Effect series is no stranger to bringing in A-list actors to voice some of its characters. Keith David (from The Thing and Rick and Morty) and Seth Green (of Marvel’s What If…? and The Italian Job fame), for example, are some of the film stars that feature prominently among the sci-fi series’ cast. The sprawling space epic lends itself well to being put into the hands of such accomplished actors, and fans often wonder why a movie adaptation was never tried. But one of the more surprising appearances was that of Martin Sheen in Mass Effect 2.
The Apocalypse Now and The West Wing star provided the voice of the Illusive Man, the leader of the human-supremacist organization known as Cerberus. One of the most well-known characters in all of gaming, the Illusive Man was made such a compelling figure due, in no small part, to Sheen’s mystifying performance.
Rami Malek
Before he had enchanted television audiences in Mr. Robotand prior to his immortalization as a James Bond villain in No Time to Die, Rami Malek appeared in video game form as Josh in Until Dawn. Providing both his voice and his likeness for the character, Malek plays one of the teens embroiled in the terrifying events of the 2015 interactive horror game.
Malek is perhaps better known as Pharaoh Ahkmenrah in the Night at the Museum films, or, more recently, as Freddie Mercury in 2018’s Bohemian Rhapsodybut his video game acting debut, given Until Dawn‘s many nods to horror and slasher classics, remains a sight to behold.
Rosario Dawson
Fans of Dishonored 2 might have been surprised to hear Rosario Dawson‘s voice coming out of one of its most prominent character’s mouths. Dawson – known for her roles in Kids, Rent and Daredeviland for her portrayal of Ahsoka Tano in The Mandalorian – plays the ship captain Meagan Foster in the 2016 game.
However, Dawson is not the only film star to be featured in the series. Chloё Grace Moretz voiced a younger version of the Empress Emily Kaldwin in the first game in the video game series, 2012’s Dishonoreda release that also featured the talents of Lena Headey (who played Cercei Lannister in Game of Thrones) and Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia from the Star Wars series). Needless to say, the Dishonored The franchise is hardly a stranger to the silver screen’s biggest stars.
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