Voice actors may not be as immediately recognizable on the street as their traditional live-action counterparts, but they’re critical in bringing fan-favorite characters to life. And while the connections between some video game character voices are instantly recognizable, others may be more unexpected.
Whether it’s due to a surprising jump in genre, style, tone, or accent, more popular video game characters are voiced by the same person than even their biggest fans may realize.
Ash (Overwatch) & Commander Shepard (Mass Effect) – Jennifer Hale
Ash may be one of the newer additions to Overwatch‘s roster of playable heroes, but she’s quickly become a fan favorite. While she shares a similar design theme with the soon-to-be renamed cowboy, Jesse McCree, voice actor Jennifer Hale has differentiated her with a playful demeanor and southern drawl.
While Ash’s accent may make her voice hard to recognize elsewhere, Hale also provided the voice for Commander Shepard in the Mass Effect franchise. Her performance in the epic sci-fi series was very well received, garnering her a nomination for “Best Performance by a Human Female” twice at the Spike Video Game Awards.
The Joker (Batman: Arkham Asylum) & Wolverine (X2: Wolverine’s Revenge) – Mark Hamill
While he may be best known for his performance as Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars franchise, Mark Hamill has also voiced the Clown Prince of Crime in dozens of DC projects, including Batman: The Animated Series and the three mainline Batman games in the Arkham series.
And while his interpretation of Batman’s greatest foe has become the golden standard for how the character sounds in virtual media, many fans likely don’t know that the Joker isn’t the only superhero Hamill has lent his voice to. In 2003, the movie tie-in game X2: Wolverine’s Revenge, allowed the voice actor to play the titular X-Men character, though it would be his only time stepping into the role.
Sonic The Hedgehog (Sonic Series) & Ezio Auditore (Assassin’s Creed Series) – Roger Craig Smith
Sonic the Hedgehog may be known for his useful, sarcastic demeanor, but few players likely realize that the same voice actor, Roger Craig Smith, is also responsible for voicing popular protagonist Ezio Auditore in multiple Assassin’s Creed games. Taking over for long-time voice actor Jason Griffith in 2010, Smith has gone on to voice Sonic in 15 games and a number of movies and television programs.
Other notable roles of Roger Craig Smith include Chris Redfield in a number of Resident Evil games and Captain American in Marvel games, such as Lego Marvel Superheroes and The Avengers: Battle for Earth.
Marcus Fenix (Gears Of War) & Bender (Futurama) – John DiMaggio
Few characters are as different in sound and personality as the Gears of War franchise’s Marcus Fenix and Futurama‘s Bender. John DiMaggio matched the tough, buff, ragged feel of Marcus Fenix with a voice that is equally grizzled, though also imbued the character with the pathos required to sell the franchise’s surprisingly somber and heartbreaking moments.
It may surprise fans to know, then, that DiMaggio was also able to give such a satisfyingly different voice to the sarcastic, often-offensive robot Bender. While the character was most predominantly featured in the cult-classic animated television series, DiMaggio also lent his voice to the character’s appearance in 2003’s Futurama video game.
Joel Miller (The Last Of Us) & The Joker (Batman: Arkham Origins) – Troy Baker
Troy Baker is one of the most established voice actors in the industry, but players may be surprised to know that he’s voiced major characters in both The Last of Us and Batman: Arkham Origins. His measured, troubled performance as Joel Miller led to a number of nominations and victories at awards such as the BAFTAs, D.I.C.E., and Spike Video Game Awards.
Despite Baker’s many famous video game characters, fans would be forgiven for not knowing that Joker voice staple Mark Hamill Arkham series prequel Origins out, as Troy’s impression was remarkably similar and convincing.
Arbiter Thel ‘Vadam (Halo) & David Anderson (Mass Effect) – Keith David
Keith David may be best known for his live-action roles such as Childs in The Thing or King in Platoon, but his smooth baritone voice also brought to life two characters in some of gaming’s best sci-fi titles. While the Arbiter didn’t join the Halo franchise until its second game, he’s remained a franchise staple, appearing most recently in Halo 5: Guardians.
And while the Arbiter started off as a playable antagonist, Davis also lent his voice to heroic Shepard ally David Anderson, a main character in all three games of the main trilogy.
Kratos (God of War) & Mace Windu (Star Wars: The Clone Wars) – Terrence Carson
While Mace Windu was memorably portrayed by Samuel L. Jackson in the Star Wars prequel trilogy and animated movie Star Wars: The Clone Wars, he did not reprise the role for the animated television shows or video games. For these, the role went to actor and musician Terrence Howard, who lent his voice for seven different games, including Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars: Battlefront II, and Disney Infinity 3.0.
Carson also voiced angry god-slayer Kratos for all of his God of War appearances through God of War: Ascension, and even did the lines for spin-off appearances in games such as Mortal Kombat (2011).
Mario (Mario Bros. Series) & Paarthurnax (Skyrim) – Charles Martinet
Plucky protector of the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario may not appear to have any similarities with Skyrim‘s powerful dragon Paarthurnax, but both characters share the same voice actor in Charles Martinet. Martinet has been voicing Mario since 1992’s Mario Teaches Typing, though he gained wider fame with Mario 64 and has continued to voice the character for all of his games since.
Furthermore, Martinet has also done voice work for franchise staples such as Luigi, Waluigi, and Wario. 2011 saw the actor take a much different direction, completely unrecognizable as Skyrim’s most powerful dragon.
Nathan Drake (Uncharted) & Desmond Miles (Assassin’s Creed) – Nolan North
Nathan Drake’s story may have come to an end with Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End in 2016, but the Uncharted franchise is still one of Sony’s most popular exclusives. In addition to the series’ cinematic presentation and fun treasure-hunting story, the games owe a lot of their success to Nolan North’s fantastic job bringing together the confidence, swagger, and humanity of protagonist Nathan Drake.
While Nolan North’s voice can be heard in hundreds of video games and animated works, fans may not realize that he also lent his voice to the present-day protagonist of the Assassin’s Creed franchise, Desmond Miles, in seven different games.
Winston (Overwatch) & The Carmine Brothers (Gears Of War) – Michael Gough
Winston may be one of Overwatch‘s most challenging characters to take down, but his voice actor, Michael Gough, is also the man behind all three of the ill-fated Carmine brothers in the Gears of War franchise.
In addition to these sizable roles, Michael Gough has also voiced a number of other popular characters throughout his decades-long career. Fans with a sharp ear may also recognize him as characters such as Deckard Cain in each of the Diablo games, Jim Gordon in various Batman games, and even Shrek in all of his licensed games.
