Nerd culture has hit a boom and it's only getting bigger.
It's long past the point where we as an audience have been surprised by the A-list celebs that pop up in seasonal blockbusters with fantasy, sci-fi, and comic book origins... but we still manage to be impressed when we realize what faces are behind some pretty big video game voice credits.
Here are 10 voice actors you probably know much better for their appearances in the hottest TV shows to date.
Patrick Stewart: Jean-Luc Picard / Uriel Septim
Bethesda is not unknown for roping in some pretty big names into their games, and The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion was no exception. Patrick Stewart opens the game with a cinematic voice over and introduces you to the (brief) story of Emperor Uriel Septim VII before it happens to cross paths with your own, locked in a dungeon in the bowels of the castle and doomed to die.
Fans may recognize Stewart as Professor X in the X-Men movies, but it is his role as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in beloved sci-fi show Star Trek: The Next Generation that he will forever be remembered for.
Oblivion aside, he has also done voice work for various video games: a number of Star Trek and X-Men games, but also Lands of Lore: The Throne of Chaos, Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone, a few Castlevania games, and LEGO Universe.
Michael Hogan: Saul Tigh / General Tullius
Just like Patrick Stewart, this hard-voiced actor is hard to miss in the snow-swept setting of Skyrim as General Tullius ("What in Oblivion is that??").
TV veteran Michael Hogan has been in and out of dozens of shows in over 30 years of work, but he is best known for his role on Battlestar Galactica as Saul Tigh, the gruff XO and right-hand man to William Adama.
Tullius is hardly Hogan's first time stepping up to voice work in video games, however... he voiced Captain Bailey in Mass Effect 2 and 3, in fellow Bethesda game Fallout: New Vegas, and TERA.
Eliza Dushku: Ruby / Faith
Most people haven't heard of Eliza Dushku's biggest video game voice acting role because it was, frankly, not that great of a game.
Starring as Rubi Malone in Bethesda's Wet, Dushku's attitude-driven voice work couldn't do much to pull this grindhouse-style game out of mediocrity, particularly when the the gameplay suffered from some extremely frustrating controls.
While Dushku starred as a child in several hit films with several big-name actors and later on in the cheerleading epic Bring It On, it is her work in TV that the nerd crowd best knows her for: her memorable turn as Faith on cult hit Buffy the Vampire Slayer, time-rewinding Tru in Tru Calling, and as Echo in the sadly short-lived Dollhouse.
She hasn't landed a huge part in video games as she did in Wet since, but Dushku has a string of voice credits in film, TV, and video games that land her a pretty decisive place in this list.
Other video game credits include: Fight Night Champion, Shaundi in Saints Row 2, Yakuza, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds.
Steve Burton: Dylan McAvoy / Cloud Strife
Following in the same vein as Sephiroth, the face behind recurring role Cloud Strife in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII games (as well as Dissidia and Kingdom Hearts) is a familiar one for those fans of TV soaps.
Perhaps best known for his work in General Hospital as Jason Morgan and The Young and the Restless as Dylan McAvoy, Steve Burton has popped up in various TV shows over the past 20 odd years, but has only ever voiced Cloud Strife in video games.
Ashley Johnson: Wendy / Ellie
The one-episode appearance of unfortunate store clerk Wendy who briefly vacated the bodily premises to make room for Echo's original personality, Caroline is perhaps not the biggest role in Ashley Johnson's career, but it is certainly the one that stands out the most in my mind.
Others might recognize her more for a role as the waitress that Captain America rushes in to save in The Avengers, but that part never seemed to hold the same amount of significance. Her biggest video game role to date is Ellie, the star of The Last of Us.
Johnson's CV boasts a significant number of recurring roles and guest appearances in various live-action TV shows and she has done voice work in a number of different cartoons and kid's shows.
Other highlight game voice roles include: Gortys in Telltale's Tales from the Borderlands, an upcoming role in Telltale's Minecraft: Story Mode, and various Ben 10 games.
George Takei: Hikaru Sulu / Emperor Yoshiro
It took some waffling and internal fisticuffs to decide whether or not George Takei should make the list for his appearance in Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 since that particular appearance was hardly about voice acting... and you aren't likely to mistake that angular face as anyone but the deep-voiced Star Trek alum.
In the end, an admittedly biased affection for Takei's fab self and a nod of acknowledgment to his other video game voice projects won out and on the list he goes.
Best known for his portrayal of Hikaru Sulu in Star Trek, Takei began his career first as a voice actor, and has since enjoyed 60 years of acting and voice acting in television, film, live theater, and radio.
In terms of video games, Takei also provided voice work in Skylanders: Giants, Pain, various Star Trek games, Freelancer, Marvel Super Hero Squad: The Infinity Gauntlet just to name a few.
Hayden Panettiere: Claire Bennett / Kairi
Did you know this one? I honestly didn't know this one. I'm really just that slow.
It's been a few years, but in spite of about 10 years working in TV and film prior to Heroes, Hayden Panettiere really won over a generation of nerd hearts for her turn in a cheerleader skirt in 2006 as Claire Bennett.
While she has since moved onto main country musical project Nashville on the small screen, she has almost always taken time out to reprise her role as the sweet-voiced Kairi from Kingdom Hearts.
Aside from the KH franchise, Panettiere has done voice work for a number of TV and film projects, though her video game voice credits are limited to The Mark of Kri and A Bug's Life.
George Newburn: Charlie / Sephiroth
The camera shutter sounds of ABC's Scandal may revolve the most around Kerry Washington's Olivia Pope and the show's constant mess of love triangles, but even in this mass of swiftly-passing characters, George Newburn's Charlie still manages to make an impression.
The cheerful sociopath assassin is one of the most memorable members of the the covert government agency B613 - although fans may be surprised by his legacy working in various TV shows (live-action and animated). His biggest recurring role is Sephiroth, the silky-voiced villain in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII and Kingdom Hearts franchises.
Newburn's voice has appeared in other video games including: Star Wars: The Old Republic, Code Name: S.T.E.A.M., and Injustice: Gods Among Us.
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Kiefer Sutherland: Jack Bauer / Snake
This one probably isn't a surprise for MGS fans who have been following the news for upcoming Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.
The Internet remains divided on the use of Kiefer Sutherland as an older Snake - a departure from David Hayter who has voiced the role for over a decade. While the game isn't set for release until September 1, you can check out samples of Sutherland's voice work as Snake in this comparison video here.
Best known for his portrayal as action hero Jack Bauer in eight seasons of 24, Sutherland is a self-affirmed non-gamer, but has always had a healthy respect for the MGS franchise and appears honestly excited to have been a part of it.
His video game voice acting credits are a little light: he's voiced Snake in Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes and Sergeant Roebuck in Call of Duty: World at War. However he has lent his voice to numerous voice-only projects in TV show and TV movies for about 25 years.
Peter Dinklage: Tyrion / Ghost
No surprise in this one is there?
The news broke recently that Peter Dinklage's rather wooden delivery as Ghost in Destiny is soon going to be erased from the game. While no small amount of Bungie's enormous production cost must have gone to Dinklage for his work, it looks like the fan outcry against his performance has been heard - the job is getting handed over to voice acting veteran Nolan North in The Taken King.
In loving memory of this particular (short-lived) trainwreck in history, Dinklage makes the list. While best known for his portrayal Tyrion Lannister on HBO hit Game of Thrones, Dinklage has made a number of different film and TV appearances over the past 20 odd years.
In terms of video games, Dinklage has done a decent job voicing Tyrion in the Telltale Game of Thrones episodic adventure, and has previously voiced in Ice Age: Continental Drift - Arctic Games and The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.
That's it!
How many of them did you recognize? And how many are you looking forward to seeing in upcoming releases in the future?
Published: Aug 11, 2015 08:44 am