Celebrities in video games: when familiar faces become pixels

We have always tried to distance the world of cinema from the videogame one, inventing useless excuses, which tried to explain the difference between one and the other. Leaving aside the fact that there are substantial discrepancies, the two universes have always been closer than one might think and nowadays, perhaps, they are even closer. With this brief introduction we invite you to read our personal list of the best celebrities to have appeared in video games, which absolutely does not claim to be a top 10.

Liam Neeson - James (Fallout 3)

When it comes to playing the role of tough, decisive and fighting people, with a rather powerful voice, one cannot but think of Liam Neeson. Irish actor and voice actor, he has held roles in various action films, but also dramas, going to use all his acting technique in the most disparate ways and also earning the Oscar nomination for best actor in 1994 for his interpretation of Oskar Schindler in Schindler's List - Schindler's List di Steven Spielberg. In 2008 he found himself dubbing James, the father of the protagonist, inside the branded video game Bethesda: Fallout 3.

Samuel L. Jackson - Frank Tenpenny (GTA: San Andreas)

Who does not know the more than famous Samuel L. Jackson, interpreter of characters present in films that have made the history of world cinema, such as Pulp Fiction, Die Hard - Die Hard e Unbreakable - The Fated. American actor, voice actor, but also film producer, made his appearance in the world of video games thanks to his role in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, where he voices the corrupt cop Frank Tenpenny.

Haley Joel Osment - Sora (Kingdom Hearts)

American actor from the tender age of 4, HJ Osment is best known for being the star of films such as The Sixth Sense - The sixth sense e AI - Artificial intelligence, but thanks to his voice, which gave life to one of the most recognized and adored characters of all time, the famous Sora Series Kingdom Hearts, the actor is also loved by the gamer public.

Yvonne Strahovski - Miranda Lawson (Mass Effect 2/3)

Actress known for the TV series Chuck, co-star with Zachary Levi, returns to impersonate a sort of femme fatale in the second and third installments of the main Mass Effect saga. Playing the role of Miranda Lawson, a Cerberus officer and contact agent between Shepard and the Illusive Man, Strahovski gives another of her excellent acting tests, thanks also to the variability of the relationships that can be created in the game between the various characters .

Mark Hamill - Joker (Batman Arkham saga)

The most important role he has played in his career and which has made him famous to the rest of the world audience is that of Luke Skywalker in the famous saga Star Wars. Our Mark, however, it is also the official voice of the villain par excellence, Joker, in the animated series and in the video games of the series Batman Arkham, developed by Rocksteady Studios.

Peter Dinklage - Ghost (Destiny)

The first Destiny, realized by the study Bungie, has gained worldwide fame by counting millions of players all over the world. A title with important objectives like this also has a significant voice on its side like that of Peter Dinklage, known to many as Tyrion Lannister in the series Game of Thrones, which is found to dub it Spectrum: companion, as well as guide within the game world.

Charles Dance - Emhyr var Emreis (The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt)

We just named the son and why not talk about the father of Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones, or Tywin lannister, interpreted by Charles Dance. English actor, director, voice actor and screenwriter, he has also been awarded the Order of the Empire, one of the most important honors in the United Kingdom. Such an important personality could not fill the role of an NPC out of the question, in fact his "part" in the world of video games is within one of the most awarded and sold titles ever, or The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, of CD Projekt RED, where he plays the role of Emhyr var Emreis, the emperor of Nilfgaard.

Terry Crews - Commander Jaxon (Crackdown 3)

With Terry Crews let's move on to the actors in video games who not only lend their voices to a character, but are completely digitized with the help of new technologies, such as motion capture. Famous around the world for his role in the series The expendables, our American cultist finds himself in the shoes of the Commander Jaxon within the latest title of the exclusive saga Microsoft products Crackdown 3.

Kiefer Sutherland - Big Boss (Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain)

Actor, voice actor, but also musician with his own Canadian record label: Kiefer Sutherland is best known for the role of Jack Bauer in the television series 24. According to the more than imaginative mind of Hideo Kojima, turned out to be perfect in playing the part of Big Boss inside Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zero e The Phantom Pain.

John Malkovich - Oz (Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare) 

A brilliant actor with a thousand acting facets, John Malkovich is also an American film and theater director and producer. Among the most famous films in which he took part are: Changeling, Red, Red 2 e Zoolander 2. In 2014 he becomes both voice and motion capture of the character Oz in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, more precisely in the modality Exo Zombies.

Norman Reedus - Sam Porter Bridges (Death Stranding) 

How not to conclude with one of the most discussed and anticipated video games of recent times, with a cast among the most important ever seen and a story that is everything but clear. We are talking about Death Stranding, the last creature born from the fervent mind of the master Hideo Kojima, which stars the American actor and model N, already widely known for the role of Daryl Dixon in The Walking Dead.

With this latest actor we conclude our special dedicated to celebrities who have appeared in video games. There would be many others to list, but these seem to us the most curious to describe. Hoping you enjoyed this article, we invite you to continue following Resources4Gaming to stay constantly updated on the world of video games, movies, TV series and technology.