Video games such as Star Wars Jedi: Survivor have become so cinematic thanks to actors putting in the effort to deliver strong vocal performances. Not all famous actors are voice actors for one reason or another, but some talented individuals are and have provided the voices of iconic characters over the years.
Across animated television shows, films, and video games, some famous actors put in just as much effort as professional voice actors. Some have been voice acting for decades, voicing many characters that fans will recognize across many forms of media and franchises.
10 Willem Dafoe
In live-action, Willem Dafoe is a prolific actor, having portrayed a wide variety of characters across a wide variety of genres. He was Green Goblin in the Spider-Man movies, Bobby in The Florida Project, and Sergeant Elias in Platoon.
Over the years, he has proven to be a strong voice actor across film and video games. In Finding Nemo, Dafoe stole every scene as Gill, played a genuine James Bond villain in the Everything Or Nothing video game, had a supporting role as Dawkins in Beyond: Two Souls, and has had multiple roles on The Simpsons.
9 Jeffrey Combs
A fan-favorite actor in the horror community thanks to roles like Albert West in the Re-Animator films and Crawford Tillinghast in From Beyond. He has also appeared as several alien characters in Star Trek, often hidden behind makeup. He has a rather distinct voice that lends itself to voice-acting.
In Batman: The Animated Series, Jeffrey Combs took over as the haunting voice of Scarecrow in the DCAU, which he reprised multiple times, including in the LEGO DC Super-Villains game. He's been the voice of Ratchet in the Transformers franchise, Brainiac in Netherrealm Studios'Injustice 2, and returned to the Star Trek franchise with Star Trek: Lower Decks.
8 Freddie Prinze Jr.
Between Fred Jones from Scooby-Doo and I Know What You Did Last Summer, Freddie Prinze Jr. has shown talent on camera, but as a voice actor, he has also excelled. In BioWare games such as Mass Effect 3 and Dragon Age: Inquisition, he gave strong performances as side characters to interact with and develop a bond with or hatred, depending on the player's choices.
Then there is Kanan Jarrus from Star Wars Rebels, where Freddie Prinze Jr. was one of the franchise's most powerful characters with some of the best acting that Prinze has ever given. It's partially why so many Star Wars fans wept at the character's finale in the show.
7 Cameron Monaghan
From a very young age, Cameron Monaghan showed range, from comedies to dramas. He played in Adam Sandler's Click, then proved to be one of the best villains on Gotham as that world's version of the Joker. Then Monaghan showcased all of that range put together in Shameless.
Over the years, Monaghan has put that same talent to various voice acting performances, including Superboy in Reign Of The Supermen and Cal Kestis in the Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order video games. Mixing voice-acting and motion capture performance, Cameron has shown his talent in all forms of media.
6 Lance Henriksen
Fans of movies from the 80s will likely recognize him as the human-like android Bishop in Aliens; he was also in Terminator, and starred in Pumpkinhead; his baritone voice helps make him so memorable, often stealing the spotlight in films. He even starred in his own X-Files spin-off show: Millennium.
Henriksen has also built up quite the resume when it comes to voice acting. Lance Henriksen has guest starred in multiple animated shows, includingAvengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, The Legend Of Korra, Tron: Uprising, and Transformers: Animated; the number of video game roles is even higher.
5 Scarlett Johansson
From Marvel's Black Widow to Nicole in Marriage Story, Scarlett Johansson has become a famous Hollywood star since the 2000s. Though she may not have the largest collection of voice-over roles, she has been effective, starting with Mindy in The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie and then having a recurring presence on Robot Chicken.
Johansson would go on to deliver a praised performance as Samantha in Her, voicing an AI that a man falls in love with. She has since voiced Kaa in The Jungle Book and showcased her talent as an actress and a singer as Ash in both Sing movies.
4 Samuel L. Jackson
An actor with an unending filmography, Samuel L. Jackson has had the opportunity of being involved with multiple franchises, including Star Wars, Marvel, Die Hard, and more. This includes animated characters, like Frozone from Pixar's The Incredibles, and its sequel.
In Marvel Studios' What If...?, Samuel L. Jackson was able to use his voice acting talent to play Nick Fury in multiple episodes. In the gaming world, he played the villainous Officer Tenpenny in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Nick Fury in Disney Infinity, and the titular hero in the Afro Samurai video game.
3 J.K. Simmons
J.K. Simmons has been voice acting for decades, even providing the voice of Yellow in M&M commercials before he won an Oscar for Whiplash. In various forms of Spider-Man media, J.K. Simmons has reprised the role of J. Jonah Jameson, a role that has never been recast in live-action due to how many fans love him as the character.
In recent years, Simmons' voice acting has become just as iconic as his many live-action roles, including Kai inKung Fu Panda 3, Omni-Man in the Invincible series, the titular character in Netflix's Klaus, and Tenzin of The Legend Of Korra.
2 Mark Hamill
Arguably, Mark Hamill has become more famous as a voice actor, despite starring in the Star Wars franchise as Luke Skywalker. Starting with Batman: The Animated Series, Mark Hamill made a name for himself as many fans' go-to version of The Joker, but he has voiced characters in many other projects.
Skeletor in Masters Of The Universe: Revelation, the Scientist Skeksis in The Dark Crystal: Age Of Resistance, Chucky in the Child's Play reboot, multiple Marvel and DC characters, and Ozai the Fire Lord in Avatar: The Last Airbender. He's capable of playing everything from the hero to the villain to the wise mentor, and fans always love when he appears.
1 Keith David
With such a booming voice, it's no surprise that the star of John Carpenter's The Thing and They Live adapted to voice acting with ease. Like Mark Hamill, Keith David has voiced heroes and villains over the many decades; he was Goliath in the cult-classic Gargoyles series and has become the definitive voice of Spawn in animation and video games.
Keith David has had the honor of playing one of many famous Disney villains with Dr. Facilier of The Princess And The Frog. He was the helpful dimension-hopping cat in Coraline; he's been in the Mass Effect franchise, Rick & Morty, Call Of Duty, Halo, and Saints Row, often providing stand-out performances, thus making his voice iconic.