If you’ve read my last two voiceover-related top ten lists (assuming these get posted in order), you might be wondering about a certain broad, glaring omission: I’ve left out several artists altogether that have delivered great performances, and really done quite well for themselves moonlighting as voiceover artists from more illustrious careers.

For the sake of fairness, I’ve separated these artists out into a third list to take a little extra time to consider them. It’s really hard to compare the vocal work of a specialist like Steven Jay Blum with the familiarity that comes with work by Kiefer Sutherland, John Cleese and other big-name stars. So, they’re considered here, separately from the others.

Below are listed, in my opinion, ten of the best video game voiceover performances by stars you’d likely know separate from their voiceover career. One thing you’ll probably notice is that the qualifications here are much more broad — in different places, actors are recognized for everything from a small near-cameo role to their entire lifetime achievement. But what they all have in common is that they are all much better known for their acting roles, yet have had a profound impact on the games they’ve lent their voices to. Oh, and they share some really unexpected geographical similarities as well.

#10: The Entire Cast — James Bond: Quantum of Solace (X360)

In picking the performances for this list, I tried to avoid times when an actor portrayed a character in both a movie/TV series and in a game based on that series — I’m not sure why, but it just feels like it’s against the spirit of the list. But there’s one such portrayal that I couldn’t ignore, partially because of the quality of the voice acting, but more due to the breadth of participation in the project.

I’m not an authority on movie-based games, but I’ve never encountered a game that had such universal participation by the movie’s actual cast. Every major character in the Quantum of Solace movie reprises their role in the game tie-in: Daniel Craig as the hero, James Bond; Judi Dench as the boss, M; Olga Kurylenko as the leading lady, Camille; and Mathieu Amalric as the antagonist, Dominic Greene.

The absence of Giancarlo Giannini (René Mathis), Gemma Arterton (Strawberry Fields) and Jeffrey Wright (Felix Leiter) is a shame, but is compensated by the inclusion of three cameos from Casino Royale characters — Mads Mikkelsen as Le Chiffre, Eva Green as Vesper Lynd and Joseph Millson as Carter. As a game, Quantum of Solace was largely criticized (though less so than most movied-based games), but does manage some respectable scores. But more importantly, it plays as a faithful member of the Bond franchise, and one major reason for that is the authentic voice and character models that went into it.

While the gameplay of the game might be the subject for debate, the quality of the characters’ portrayals largely saved the game — at least as a member of the larger Bond brand name.

#9: Brian Cox as Scolar Visari — Killzone (PS2)

Brian Cox might not be a name you’ll recognize immediately, but you’d be surprised how many films you might recognize him from. You’ll see him as William Stryker in the X-Men sequel, X2; as agent Ward Abbott in the Bourne Identity and Bourne Supremacy; as Agamemnon in Troy; and as the original Hannibal Lecter in the character’s first film, Manhunter.

Generally, he is a mainstay in the classic role of an older, wise, worthy antagonist. What we’re interested in here is his portrayal of Scolar Visari in Killzone and Killzone 2, a role that fits squarely alongside his more visible acting roles in the aforementioned movies. Scolar Visari is the main implicit antagonist of the Killzone series, although he is actually heard relatively rarely — his only prominent vocal bit in the original is in the introduction of Killzone, though he sees a bigger role in the sequel. As the main antagonist, Brian Cox perfectly executes the voice we have come to expect from the secret mastermind behind a great and sprawling organization.

The voice represents the perfect balance — suitably intimidating, suitably evil, suitably believable, and suitably intelligent. Not a low growl that implies a ruthless, mindless killer; not an over-inflected accent suggesting pure intelligence; but an excellent combination of both. The role in Killzone is not Brian Cox’s only notable video game voice role either; you might also recognize him as the voice of Lionel Starkweather, a creepy film director, in the game Manhunt.

#8: Stephen Fry as Reaver — Fable II (X360)

Stephen Fry might be another actor whose name you don’t immediately recognize, but whose face you’ve certainly seen (in fact, the actors on the list largely ascend in order of visibility and recognizability). To me, his most visible role is in V for Vendetta as Deitrich. You might also recognize him as Gordon Wyatt on the FOX series Bones, or as the narrator from the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy movie.

Fry’s fame is exponentially greater across the pond in Britain, though, where he has become one of England’s most famous actors, appearing with House’s Hugh Laurie in a multitude of roles. Fry’s first several voiceover roles for gaming reflect that last role recognizable by American audiences, though — he narrates three Harry Potter video games (Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire), though is even more recognized as the narrator for the PlayStation 3 smash hit LittleBigPlanet.

The role I’m recognizing him for here, however, is that of Reaver in Fable II. The portrayal of Reaver is not easy — the character himself is vain, selfish and borderline androgynous, but yet exists arguably on the ‘protagonist’ side of the character spectrum. That dichotomy forces Fry’s portrayal to walk a very fine line to avoid overemphasizing any particular element and thus ruining the character’s multi-dimensionality, but in the end the voicework provides perfectly encapsulates the complicated character.

The impact is important to note — an absence of believability in the character’s portrayal would have ruined this portion of the game, but Fry’s masterful vocal work suitably displays the character as intended.

#7: Eliza Dushku as Shaundi — Saints Row 2 (PS3)

The last of our actors whose names you might not immediately recognize is Eliza Dushku — but like the ones above, you’ve definitely seen her face. Older readers will most likely remember her as the character Faith in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series and its spin-offs, or as the title character Tru Davies in the 2003 series Tru Calling. More recent and visibly, though, is Dushku’s role as the producer and star of the latest Joss Whedon project, Dollhouse, airing on FOX.

Between these projects, though, Dushku lent her voice to the character Shaundi, one of the primary figures in the recent release Saints Row 2. The role isn’t what one often sees actors dipping into gaming voiceovers to do — it is not comedic or satirical like Cleese’s Sir Roderick or Samuel L. Jackson’s Officer Tenpenny in Grand Theft Auto, nor does it fit in with the actor’s typical role like Brian Cox’s Scolar Visari or Kiefer Sutherland’s Sgt. Roebuck in Call of Duty. Instead, Dushku stretches notably outside her typical zone (though not in complete contradiction to it) in voicing the promiscuous, mischievous Shaundi. A slightly masculine, borderline-alcoholic, un-lady-like drug user, Shaundi stands in stark contrast to Dushku’s usual characters, and the quality with which she pulls off the role is a testament to her ability. Dushku shows off her flexibility in the role and plays a potentially difficult character perfectly, deftly walking the fine line between a mischievous ditz and a competent, hardened gang member.

#6: John Cleese as Sir Roderick — Jade Empire (XBOX)

Younger audiences will recognize John Cleese for a collection of more recent roles, such as Inspector Dreyfus in the new Pink Panther movies, the King in the second and third Shrek movies, and as Q in Die Another Day, the only actor besides Desmond Llewelyn to play the role in an official franchise movie.

What younger audiences might miss, though, is the true depth of John Cleese’s fame. He was one of the founding members of the comedy troupe responsible for Monty Python; he has hosted several television and award shows; and he has received award nominations for a vast array of jobs, including as a movie actor, television actor, producer, and writer, many for his role in writing and performing the hit A Fish Named Wanda. But surely the highlight of Cleese’s illustrious, successful career was a small guest role in the BioWare game Jade Empire.

In the game, Cleese calls upon his iconic British accent to play the ultimate caricature of a British colonialist: a haughty, arrogant Brit who sees the land he lives in as full of savages in need of enlightenment, and likely a bar of soap. His name hilariously reflects the nature of his role — commonly referred to as Sir Roderick, the full character name is Sir Roderick Ponce von Fontlebottom the Magnificent Bastard. And there’s really nothing to not love about a character with a piece of cheese painted onto his armor. But what’s most telling to me about this role is the comedic nature: Cleese’s forté is obviously comedy, but his willingness to take on such a brief cameo in a comedic role, especially for an actor of his incredible caliber, is truly laudable.

#5: Sir Christopher Lee as DiZ — Kingdom Hearts II (PS2)

In case you haven’t noticed, there’s an inordinate number of British voice actors on this list. In fact, Eliza Dushku is the only non-British actor mentioned thusfar. The next Brit on this list, however, has one credit that none of the others can claim: he’s been knighted.

Sir Christopher Lee has had a wildly lucrative career spanning over 60 years. Younger audiences will recognize him instantly as both Count Dooku from the Star Wars prequel trilogy and Saruman from the Lord of the Rings trilogy; older audiences will know him for much more classic roles, including Lord Summerisle in The Wicker Man, the antagonist Francisco Scaramanga in The Man with the Golden Gun, and Count Dracula in several films.

Lee has a more significant video game voiceover resumé to his credit than most other actorson this list with 12 roles total; several of these roles reprise his movie roles, but he also voices new roles in Everquest II and other games. His most notable voice role, though, is that of DiZ (or Ansem the Wise) in the Kingdom Hearts sequels. The role fits with Lee’s previous roles, in which he frequently plays the ‘wise old man’ Jungian archetype. That’s not a knock against his performance — he fits the role absolutely perfectly, and brings a definite edge of believability that a character like DiZ relies on to be taken seriously in the role he plays in the storyline.

Additionally, it’s important to note that the Kingdom Hearts series has seen several other great performances by big-name artists, including Haley Joel Osment, Hayden Panettiere and Jesse McCartney.

#4: Patrick Stewart as Emperor Uriel Septim VII — The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (PC)

The British invasion couldn’t possibly continue any further than that, could it? Oh, but it could. Patrick Stewart is a man that needs no introduction, except that ironically he is so well-associated with his characters that often he is known better by his face and character name than his actual name.

So in case you don’t immediately make the connection based solely on his name, this is Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise (Star Trek: The Next Generation), and Professor Charles Xavier of Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters (X-Men). Hopefully that’s jogged your memory. Patrick Stewart has reprised his movies roles in several (16) games over the years, but this role was separate and apart from any movie franchise. The 2006 blockbuster game The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion opens with a very memorable scene of the arrival of Emperor Uriel Septim VII, voiced by none other than Captain Jean-Lu– er, Patrick Stewart.

The performance is undeniably short, and to the best of my knowledge Stewart’s only appearance in the game is in this opening scene — but the important thing to note is the way Bethesda used their celebrity voice artist to the fullest extent it could. The two most memorable parts of any game are the beginning and the end, and the beginning also serves to set the tone for the entire game. Including Stewart’s rich voice as the vocal talent for the Emperor in the opening scene set an undeniably strong tone for the rest of the game, and really made the most out of a relatively limited part.

It should also be noted that Stewart provided his voice to one other non-movie-based role, that of Khelban Arunsun in Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone, and that you can hear him as Zobek in the upcoming Castlevania: Lords of Shadow.

#3: Mark Hamill as the Joker — Batman: Arkham Asylum (X360)

Please tell me Mark Hamill isn’t British. Concord, California? Fantastic. The second person on this list from somewhere outside the United Kingdom is Mark Hamill. Mark Hamill’s a bit difficult to categorize between this list and the previous ones. His most famous role is certainly an on-screen one — you know him as arguably the single most famous movie character of all time, Luke Skywalker.

After that, though, his film career dropped off notably, and he went into voice acting. His voice acting resumé is absolutely enormous, and has formed the majority of his career — but given that his most recognizable role is still that of Luke Skywalker, I feel it’s fitting to include him here. And once included, there’s no doubt that Hamill delivered one of the greatest vocal performances in gaming in the recent release, Batman: Arkham Asylum.

To be fair, Hamill had plenty of preparation for the role: he’s voiced the Joker in different TV series for over 16 years now, and is consistently re-hired for the same role for how closely his iconic representation has been associated with the character himself. His role in Batman: Arkham Asylum had a different background to it — he follows Heath Ledger’s indescribable performance of the same character, and voices the role for a game based so closely on the movie. Despite the enormously raised expectations, Mark Hamill delivered one of the most memorable vocal performances in gaming history.

And in case you’re curious, it’s also pretty interesting to realize some of the other things “Luke Skywalker” has done. He’s voiced everything from Fire Lord Ozai in Avatar: The Last Airbender to Wolverine in the Wolverine’s Revenge video game; and yes, he voiced Skywalker for various Family Guy and Robot Chicken parodies of the classic trilogy as well. It really adds some authenticity, doesn’t it?

#2: Kiefer Sutherland as Sgt. Roebuck & Gary Oldman as Sgt. Reznov — Call of Duty: World at War (X360)

Honestly? Kiefer Sutherland and Gary Oldman are BOTH from the United Kingdom? Really? Honestly, the dominance of English voice artists in this list is getting downright absurd. Eight of the ten slots. I didn’t expect that at all. Anyway, on to this slot — it’s impossible to decide which actor’s portrayal in this game is better or more notable, so let’s recognize both of them. Kiefer Sutherland has only recently become a household name with his starring role in 24, but Gary Oldman has a much longer resumé, most recognizable for his roles in the newer Batman films (as Jim Gordon) and the Harry Potter films (as Sirius Black).

Oldman is the pinnacle of versatility, portraying mostly antagonists early in his career before shifting to protagonists and mentors more recently. Similarly, Sutherland’s game voice resumé is dwarfed by Oldman’s; this game is the former’s only original role, while Oldman has played several roles, most notably Ignitus in the Legend of Spyro series. The two actors took vastly different paths, but both ended up on the cast for Call of Duty: World of War. Neither voice playable characters (suspected to be because no gamer in the world is awesome enough to play a character voiced by either man), but both voice characters crucial to the plot, assisting the playable character at many junctures.

What’s interesting is that, in line with their very different histories, Sutherland and Oldman bring wildly different notoriety to the game. For Sutherland, he brings a celebrity voice to the game — the moment Roebuck speaks, the player immediately finds himself in an alternate universe where Jack Bauer is saving them. For Oldman, though, you could play the entire game without ever realizing that it’s him — such is the versatility he brings to the role. Sutherland provides a notable performance in bringing the echoes of his other roles into the game, while Oldman provides more simply an incredibly high-quality performance, enhancing the game immensely.

#1: Liam Neeson as James — Fallout 3 (X360)

We’ll return to Britain one more time for the top spot on this list. This place goes to a man that certainly needs no introduction once you read his name — but just in case you’ve been living under a rock for the last 20 years, Liam Neeson has several incredible roles to his credit.

He played the title character in Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List, Qui-Gon Jinn in The Phantom Menace, and Ra’s al Ghul (or Henri Ducard) in Batman Begins. You might also recognize his voice as Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia, a role initially offered to Brian Cox. Aside from reprising his film role in the Batman Begins video game, Neeson has only one gaming voiceover role — but it’s a great one.

Ever typecast as the mentor, Neeson’s role in Fallout 3 is similar, playing the father of the playable character’s father. But what’s notable to me about Neeson’s role in Fallout 3 is the depth with which Bethesda, the developer, incorporated Neeson into the writing process.

The executive producer of the game once famously said, “This role was written with Liam in mind, and provides the dramatic tone for the entire game.” Other games have seen famous actors come in and provide a bit of credibility, notoriety or simple entertainment to a video game, but Bethesda did something more — like Hollywood writers, they actually wrote the part with a specific actor in mind, and relied on his abilities in advance. It shows the potential for a new trend in game voiceover casting — rather than characters being created in hopes that a voice actor might be able to play them adequately, characters are actually written with the actor already chosen.

Their strengths can be parlayed directly into the character, forming a more cohesive and direct link between voice and character. As voiceovers become a more and more legitimized side job for big-name actors, we can expect this trend to grow more and more.

Clearly, in the future, every video game character will be voiced by a famous British actor. That’s the only possible result that can come from this. Honestly, when I chose the actors for this list, I had no idea it was going to be 80% from the UK. I knew some would be, and Brian Cox wasn’t a huge surprise, but Kiefer Sutherland? Really?

Anyway, while celebrity voiceovers for video game characters is not a new phenomenon, it has certainly been increasing in recent years. Buoyed by the proliferation of actors reprising their movie role in games, a trend has begun that sees those actors playing original roles as well. The appeals are obvious: for the game company, the extra notoriety can be well worth the extra money (especially for small roles like Stewart’s and Cleese’s); and for the actors the roles require notably less of a time commitment than on-set commitments, with many voice performances completed in a mere two days at the studio.

I won’t venture to compare celebrity voiceovers to those by the industry’s specialists — there are naturally superior instances on both sides — but I will say that this trend is sure to continue and grow. I’m speculating here, but I believe Disney’s increased involvement in video game development will definitely bring in an even larger era of celebrity voiceovers, where their sway over a large body of actors (every Disney Channel and ABC performer) could lead to the types of all-star casts seen in Kingdom Hearts.

This list concludes my three-list series on voiceover artists — hopefully I have given credit where credit is due, and brought to the forefront some of the unsung heroes of the video game industry. These artists play a truly critical role in ensuring their games’ success, and I hope I’ve done my part in drawing attention to their names, careers and spectacular performances.

[Written by DetroitDJ, republished with permission]