One of the tragic truths of voice acting is that most people in the field won’t get a real shot at stardom like screen actors do. Even the mostwell-known voice actorsare only household names in particularly geeky households, and those who stick to video games remain even more niche.
It’s even more tragic because pretty much every voice actor out there has a positively stacked resume of roles, many of which you probably don’t even know about. So why not shine a light into the obscure and take a look at some of the lesser-known projects your favorite voice actors have been involved with?
While you might not know her name, despite her legendary status in the voice acting field, you’ve heard Tress MacNeille’s voice. Perhaps most well-known for playing Daisy Duck in pretty much every Disney project, she’s also been a mainstay on shows like The Simpsons and Futurama for decades.
You can also hear her in the classic LucasArts adventure game Full Throttle as Suzi, leader of the Vultures motorcycle gang. She doesn’t sound like Daisy here, but if you listen, you’ll hear that familiar gravelly tone that fans of Futurama’s megalomaniacal CEO Mom will immediately recognize.
Star Ocean: The Last Hope
Matthew Mercer has been a consistent presence in the voice-acting scene for years now. Lately, he’s been voicing characters like Vincent inFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthand Goro Majima inYakuza: Like a Dragon, all while maintaining his spot as the incredibly charismatic DM of the popularDungeons & DragonsseriesCritical Role.
But back in the day, he was already doing his thing, as can be seen with his lead role playing Edge Maverick in Star Ocean: The Last Hope. The surprise here might come from the fact thatthis game’s English dubremains rather largely criticized. But hey, you do the best with what you’ve got, and the emotional disaster that is Edge is what Mercer had, so all things considered, it could have been so much worse.
Steve Blum is a master of the sexy low voice. You’ve heard him as Wolverine inMarvel’s Midnight Sunsamong the gruff mutant’s other appearances, and his anime and Western cartoon resumes are so robust that you’ve probably heard him more often than several moderately close family members.
So when you have a guy with such legendarily deep vocals, naturally you’ll want him to play a high-pitched bandicoot who only says “Whoa!” That’s right, Blum actually played Crash Bandicoot himself in the PlayStation 2 racing game Crash Nitro Kart, and he does a darn good job too. So if you ever start to think he’s a one-trick pony, boot this classic up.
Ashly Burch almost seemed to come out of nowhere in the voice acting scene, snatching up roles like Aloy inHorizon: Zero Dawnand Tiny Tina inBorderlands 2(which her brother Anthony notably wrote for) with her frankly impressive range. But it was only a surprise if you weren’t familiar with her previous internet presence as the host of the web series Hey Ash, Whatcha Playin'?
That family-run series was so popular that it got Ashly, Anthony, and their dad David (Papa Burch) cameos ashomies you could call at any timeto back you up in Saints Row 4. This was before she got her big break in more notable roles, but you can already hear that unique energy of hers which keeps her a beloved and slightly chaotic presence in gaming to this day.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky
If any voice actors can claim to be household names, then Troy Baker might be able to make the most convincing argument. You’ve already been hearing him everywhere for well over a decade at this point, with notable roles including Joel fromThe Last of Usgames, and others counting too numerous to properly do them justice.
While some may remember Baker from his role as Yuri Lowell in Tales of Vesperia or even his extensive anime resume, some have likely forgotten that he was the original voice of the dramatic prince Olivert Reise Arnor (disguised as the dramatic bard Olivier Lenheim) in The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky. Considering how little voice acting there actually was in those games, it’s fascinating learning who took part.
5Arcade Spirits
Mark Meer
While Mark Meer isn’t exactly the most notable presence in the voice acting world, he’s one of those actors who made a huge splash with just one role. The role in question is the male version of Commander Shepard in theMass Effectgames, and despite it being his most major video game role to date, it’s been enough to keep the fans coming.
More recently, he can be heard as Deco Nami, the chilling main villain of theromance visual novelArcade Spirits. So while you’re out there finding love among the glowing screens, just remember that Commander Shepard is around, waiting to make things really weird.
Bloodrayne
Much like Troy Baker, Laura Bailey has been around the voice-acting block enough times that you’ve most likely heard her name. She recently made waves as Abby inThe Last of Us Part 2, drawing attention from appreciative fans for her complex performance.
While Bailey’s voice acting resume stretches even as far back as the days of the original Dragon Ball anime, her mainstream video game debut was actually in 2002’s Bloodrayne as the titular lead vampire, Rayne. Appropriately, the sequel also featured one of fellow voice acting giant Troy Baker’s earliest video game performances.
Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time
Some voice actors have a very specific kind of voice, where it’s super distinct but also easy to blend with others. That’s where Grey DeLisle shines, with her style that can fit pretty much any project, and yet you always know it’s her. Remember Catwoman in Batman: Arkham City? Yeah, that’s the magic right there.
But just because she’s good at that special tone doesn’t mean she can’t shine beyond it. DeLisle took over as the voice of Inspector Carmelita Fox in Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, keeping the presumably unintentional theme of the characterhaving a different voicein each game, and she knocked it out of the park. Other creative decisions regarding Carmelita’s portrayal notwithstanding, of course.
As one of the most prolific voice actors in the business by far, Jennifer Hale really deserves to be more recognizable in casual conversations. Even just in video games, she’s established herself with high-profile roles like Commander Shepard in the Mass Effect series and evenMetroid Prime’s Samus Aran.
But before any of that, Hale showed up in the original Baldur’s Gate as the recruitable invoker Dynaheir. The game was a magnet for industry giants with longevity, as both Frank Welker and Grey DeLisle also appeared as fellow potential companions Viconia and Xzar, respectively.
If you’ve played a video game, you’ve heard Nolan North. It’s a rule at this point. If nothing else, you know him as the voice of Nathan Drakein the Uncharted series, though you might also recognize his particularly energetic take on Deadpool in several of his video game appearances.
So many people focus on Uncharted as their North entry point that they often forget to look back and see where he came from. You can hear him way back in Final Fantasy 12 as Vossler York Azelas, a loyal friend, and… nothing else. If you can’t recall the character, try to remember the guest character with the big long sword. A tough ask in a Final Fantasy game, granted.
