Half-Life 2 Voice Actors Revealed

Thanks to 1UP for its story discussing the full voice-acting cast list for hideously long-awaited FPS Half-Life 2. It's noted: "Only two of the original game's actors will be returning; Mike Shapiro as both the ominous G-Man and security guard Barney Calhoun, and Harry S. Robins as Dr. Isaac Kleiner. Naturally, returning protagonist Gordon Freeman will remain voiceless", before it's revealed: "The voice for Dr. Eli Vance will be supplied by Robert Guillaume, otherwise known as the unforgettable Detective Catfish in the Fish Police TV series. Vance's assistant, Dr. Judith Mossman, will be voiced by Michelle Forbes, known for her roles on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Homicide, and Guiding Light. Oscar winner Lou Gossett, Jr. will voice each and every one of the Vortigaunt alien slaves (his second alien role, after the cult sci-fi classic Enemy Mine)."

Comments

Release dates

[Pentagram]

"Will be" returning? Shouldn't all this have been finished some time ago? I thought Valve claimed they were c. 2 weeks away from shipping the game last autumn.

Re:Release dates

[nukem1999]

I think the "Will be" is just in reference to the fact that the game's not out yet, not that they haven't recorded their audio. They've released several demos which include voice audio of G-man, Barney, and Kleiner, so they kind of "have returned".

But, needless to say, the whole release date thing does blow chunks.

Darn....

[BRock97]

I had heard they were going to hire Troy McClure to play Freeman. You might remember him from such films as "The Greatest Story Ever Hula-ed" and "They Came to Burgle Carnegie Hall".

Re:Darn....

[Rethcir]

While ignoring the truth certainly isn't a good way to go through life, I certainly hope you aren't seriously implying that your memory of Phil Hartman is not shaped by the great work he did while he was alive, but merely by the circumstances of his tragic death. (Ditto Ted Williams.) I really don't even see why you had to bring that fact up at all.

Robert Guillaume

[hal2814]

I think that Guillaume is just a little bit better known as Benson than Detective Catfish. they could have at least mentioned his role in Sports Night. Or maybe that new commecial where all the maids and butlers from different TV shows are on vacation.

Re:Robert Guillaume

[The Barking Dog]

I think it's just a case of someone picking his favorite role, like someone listing ZARDOZ as one of Sean Connery's credits, or CABIN BOY as one of Tim Burton's production credits.

Considering that Freeman doesn't speak?

[Recoil_42]

Vavle feels it is more immersive when your character does not have speech, so Gordon Freeman has not, does not, and will never speak in any Half-Life game.

Re:Considering that Freeman doesn't speak?

[delus10n0]

They've also stated before that you should never "see" your character. Gordon Freeman = you, literally. That's the experience they want to convey.

The whole box/cover art we all know (of the guy with glasses and a goatee) is sort of a generic vision of what the character would look like.

Michelle Forbes

[justanyone]

Michelle Forbes was ensign Ro Laren on STTNG (Star Trek NextGen). She was Bejoran and had a funky earring: two ring piercings at the top and bottom of the ear with a small chain between them that dangled a bit.

Ro was known for being ... independently minded, was (as all movie stars are) quite attractive.

Some would argue that her character, and those fellow Bejorans in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine series, were supposed to be the 'Arabs' of the Federation. It is a popular conception that the cold war colored Star Trek's political landscape. The Federation (humans) were the United States, The Russians were the Klingons. The Romulans were the Chinese. The Vulcans were not assignable easily; one could say they were the Swiss, but it's hard to say.

Regardless, Ro played a character that had personal and professional problems that started with her upbringing on an occupied world, and meant that she was not subservient to human / Federation dictates, just being there for the ride.

Interesting to note she's still working; of course she was talented. But the ST:TNG scripts sometimes limited the actors/actresses by putting the role of women into stereotyped containers (think: low cut short-skirts on Troi in season 1). They tried to presume equality (doctors are female), but sometimes it didn't mesh with Keeping Teenage Boys Watching. Ro was sort of a 'bad girl' that was good at heart but didn't want to be, by my reading.

-- Kevin J. Rice

Benson!

[justanyone]

Robert Guillaume was Benson, the african-american chief of staff to the Governor in the TV show of the same name.

I can't believe people are quoting 'Fish Police' as his most famous appearance. I think most people would know him from Benson.

On the other hand, many of the people here were in Fish Police. I looked it up. Everybody was in that show! I can't believe it failed, given the cast. Too bad.

-- Kevin J. Rice

Re:Cast by talent, not name

[AvantLegion]

You do realize that it's quite possible for a bad voice actor to be a good stage/screen actor and vice versa, right? There's a lot more to screen acting than vocal inflection.

They can't all be Shatner.