As great as those actors are, they are well known. It’s often the ones who don’t appear on TV that have the longest resumes. For those reasons, and more, I support these actors in the SAG-AFTRA strike. Some of their voices (like Homer Simpson) pop in my head when I think of just about anything, making it tough to imagine a world without them. It might seem like an insignificant thing to lose but for me, and many others, they’ve been a big part of my life.
In recent years, video games like Call of Duty have started using well-known actors from movies and TV. While this makes the games more like blockbuster movies, there isn’t always a guarantee that the actor will give the same Emmy-winning performance in a game as out. Veteran voice actors sometimes don’t have the red carpet looks to be motion-captured in games, but they set the bar for the screen actors trying to step into their shoes. So without any further delay, I’ll name five of the best voice actors in games today.
#1: John DiMaggio
Games he is best known for; Gears of War series (voice of Marcus Fenix).
Also known for; Futurama (voice of Bender), Adventure Time (voice of Jake the Dog).
#2: Jen Taylor
Games she is best known for; Halo franchise (voice of Cortana), Left 4 Dead (voice of Zoey).
Also known for; the voice of Cortana on Microsoft devices.
And she’s that and so much more because she is so smart. Obviously, she knows more than we could possibly know. It’s always fun to play a character that is powerful in that way."
#3: Mark Hamill
Games he is best known for; Batman: Arkham series (Voice of The Joker).
Also known for; Star Wars (Luke Skywalker), voice of The Joker in DC Animation.
#4: Troy Baker
Games he is best known for; The Last of Us (voice of Joel), BioShock Infinite (voice of Booker Dewitt), Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (voice of Ocelot), Far Cry 4 (voice of Pagan Min).
Also know for; Voice of The Joker in several DC Animation productions.
#5: Nolan North
Games he is best known for; Uncharted Series (voice of Nathan Drake), Assassin’s Creed Series (voice of Desmond Miles), Shadow Complex (voice of Jason Flemming), Batman: Arkham Series (voice of The Penguin), Destiny (voice of Ghost).
Also known for; General Hospital (Chris Ramsey ‘97-‘03), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-Nickelodeon (voice of The Kraang), extensive work with Marvel.
There are several more notable voice actors worthy of mention, but the ones I’ve listed have the most extensive resumes, acting range, and well-known games. Their performances often help make the games they are in great. I should also mention Kevin Conroy (voice of Batman), Tara Strong (voice of Harley Quinn, Twilight Sparkle, etc.), Frank Welker (he has possibly the longest voice acting resume being the voice of Scooby-Doo), and Peter Cullen (voice of Optimus Prime).
Celebrity voice actors are often used to spruce up a marquee, and attract attention, but it’s the career voice actors whose names you might not know, that often bring life to the characters they portray. After reading this article, I hope you’ll take notice of the credits from your favorite games, and animation. You might notice the same names appearing dozens of time, often for more than one voice.
