Video Game Actors That Sadly Died In 2025 (So Far)

Once video games crossed the threshold into becoming cinematic experiences, along with that came the need for professionals to help bring video game characters to life. Whether through voice work or by way of a fully motion-captured performance, actors have brought video game characters to life in a way that just didn't happen when characters were either completely silent, or only exhibited grunts and groans. On the flip side, gamers have also come to often love the actors behind the characters as much as — if not more — than the characters themselves.

With that in mind, when one of the voices behind a beloved game character goes silent, we mourn the passing of that actor the way we would an old friend. Because that's what game characters (and the people behind them) often feel like to us. 2025 has wrought a long list of video game actors who have left us already, and here's hoping it doesn't get any longer as the year reaches the home stretch. 

While we wanted to put the main spotlight on those who are mostly known for video games and voice work — as their deaths are often underreported in the mainstream press as compared to A-list Hollywood actors — it would've been disingenuous to not pay tribute to the huge celebrities who voice game characters that also died this year.

With an acting career that goes back to the 1980s, Takaya Hashi's voice has been ever present in anime over the better part of five decades. His first prominent role was as the original Japanese voice of Toki in the "Fist of the North Star" anime that ran from 1984 to 1987. Hashi also voiced the recurring character Kakuzu in "Naruto," a role he would subsequently reprise in many "Naruto" video games over the years. It is definitely his most well known character, and the one he played over the longest period of time and over the widest variety of media. 

Another major video game role saw Hashi voice the mysterious villain known as Skull Face in the original Japanese version of the complex "Metal Gear Solid V," and in the additional "Ground Zeroes" and "The Phantom Pain" chapters of the game. In addition, Hashi played roles in "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt," "Xenoblade Chronicles 3," and multiple "Dragon Quest" games — including "Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake," which would ultimately be his final video game role. Hashi died on August 27 of a heart attack. He was 72.  

Voice actor James Carter Cathcart — sometimes credited as Jimmy Zoppi or Billy Beach  — is best known for his longtime portrayal of Gary Oak in the English versions of the various Pokémon anime. Gary also had a small presence in the world of Pokémon games, typically only showing up in side games like "Pokémon Puzzle League." Cathcart also had a history of minor voicework for the English localizations of Pokémon games, playing various characters in titles like "Pokémon Snap," "Pokémon Masters," and "PokéPark," as well as several Pokémon characters in "Super Smash Bros. Brawl."

Arguably, Cathcart's most famous video game character was Vector the Crocodile from Sega's "Sonic the Hedgehog" franchise. He first performed the villain in the English dub of the animated series "Sonic X," later crossing over into video games by voicing Vector in "Shadow the Hedgehog" and "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games." Other games Cathcart appeared in over his long career include "Ape Escape 2," "Shadow Hearts," "Airforce Strike Delta," and "One Piece: Grand Battle." He also voiced several characters in the English dub of the series "Kirby: Right Back at Ya!" Cathcart retired from voice acting in 2023 due to complications from throat cancer. He died on July 8.

Those who watched British television in the 1970s through the 2000s are familiar with Pik-Sen Lim. She appeared in countless British TV shows during that era, most of which never earned a strong presence in the United States. The main exception are the three episodes she did for "Doctor Who" in 1971, where she played the character Captain Chin Lee. However, the late 2010s and the 2020s saw her appear in the American TV shows "Vampire Academy" and "The Nevers," as well as the Disney movie "Maleficent: Mistress of Evil," finally giving her increased visibility outside of Europe.

That being said, anyone who is a fan of the subtly story-rich "Dark Souls" video game series is well acquainted with Lim's voice. Beginning with the original game and continuing into "Dark Souls III" and "Dark Souls: Remastered," Lim provided the voice of the games' iconic narrator. Those would be not only her only video game roles, but some of her only voice acting roles, period. Still, providing such a crucial role in some of the most beloved games of the last 15 years was more than enough to earn Lim her spot in the video game actor pantheon. Lim died on June 9. She was 80.

Character actor Peter Jason doesn't have a specific film or television to make his name by. He was more of a "hey, it's that guy" performer, popping up in an impressive list of both blockbuster and cult classic films that included "48 Hrs.," "Mommie Dearest," "The Karate Kid," "The Hunt for Red October," "Arachnophobia," "Adaptation," and "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom," to name just a few. Jason also had the distinction of being in one of the first — and still among the best — video game movies, 1995's "Mortal Kombat," where he played Johnny Cage's (Linden Ashby) martial arts instructor, Master Boyd.

Jason was also part of the first wave of Hollywood actors to do video game acting work, particularly in terms of actually appearing in cutscenes. He played Navy officer Daniel Wilford in "Wing Commander IV: The Prophecy" in the game's live action scenes, part of an impressive cast that also included Mark Hamill, Malcolm McDowell, John Rhys-Davies, and a still up-and-coming Walton Goggins. Jason reprised the role for the follow-up, "Wing Commander: Prophecy." The actor then played multiple roles in 1998's "Fallout 2," most notably the Enclave officer Arch Dornan. Finally, between 2008 and 2011, Jason voiced drill sergeant Dizzy Wallin in the "Gears of War" series. Jason died on February 20 at the age of 80.

French-speaking fans of anime don't need to be told who Éric Legrand is — he was a longtime voice actor for French-language dubs of the "Dragon Ball" franchise. Legrand played Yamcha in the original "Dragon Ball," then played both Yamcha and Vegeta in "Dragon Ball Z," "Dragon Ball Super," and "Dragon Ball Kai." He also played King Vegeta, Bojack, Salza, and Nicky across several "Dragon Ball" animated films.

In video games, Legrand also voiced characters for the French localizations of "The Elder Scrolls Online" and "Star Wars: The Old Republic." But he didn't only take over from existing actors, He originated several big characters in his home country. Legrand played the characters of Cortez and Woody in the original French version of the classic point-and-click adventure game "The Longest Journey." In addition, he was part of the original cast of "Syberia: The World Before" in 2022, in what would be one of his final acting credits. Legrand died in May, as announced by longtime friend and co-star Patrick Borg who had been the French voice for "Dragon Ball" hero Goku. He was 66. 

Japanese actor Hideyuki Umezu's voice work filmography reads like a list of the most popular and influential anime of all time. "Akira," "Mobile Suit Gundam," "Yu-Gi-Oh," "Naruto," "One Piece," "Death Note," "Fullmetal Alchemist," and "Hunter X Hunter" are just a few of the many anime that Umezu appeared in over a long voice acting career. He was also prolific in working on Japanese dubbing for English-language films and television shows, replacing voices for such actors as Don Cheadle, Billy Crystal, William H. Macy, Stanley Tucci, Ray Wise, and Steve Buscemi.

In video games, Umezu was the original Japanese voice of Ushijima Dining Bar owner Fumiya Ushijima in the hefty "Yakuza 5." He also reprised his "One Piece" and "Naruto" characters in various video games based on those stories. In 2018, Umezu got to play the role of iconic villain Dr. Wily in "Mega Man 11," taking over after the death of previous Dr. Wily Japanese voice actor Takeshi Ano. Umezu's final two credits were the video game "Naruto x Baruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections" and the anime "Dragon Ball Daima" in 2023 and 2024, respectively. He died at age 68 on May 17, of complications from pneumonia. 

Beyond his recurring role as Ken Hotate on the NBC sitcom "Parks and Recreation," actor Jonathon Joss is easily best known for playing John Redcorn in "King of the Hill." After John Redcorn's original voice actor, Victor Aaron, died in 1996, Joss took over from Season 2 onward. As for on-screen acting roles, Joss has appeared in the movies "True Grit," "The Magnificent Seven," and "The Forever Purge," as well as the TV shows "Walker, Texas Ranger," "Tulsa King," "Charmed," and "Friday Night Lights."

Joss first ventured into the world of video game acting when he performed in both installments of Activision's little-known FMV adventure game series "Santa Fe Mysteries" in 1996 and 1997. He then voiced John Redcorn in the 2000 "King of the Hill" video game for PC. Joss also later provided voices for various townspeople in "Red Dead Redemption." 

By the mid-2010s and into the 2020s, he was landing bigger video game roles, including John in "The Walking Dead: Michonne," Alkai Turner in "Days Gone," Payaso Wannabe in "Wasteland 3," and Robert Rainwater in the full-of detail "Cyberpunk 2077." On June 1, Joss was shot and killed in what was reported as a dispute with a neighbor, and later investigated as a potential hate crime with Joss as the victim. Further developments are yet occur at trial. Joss was 59 at the time of his death. 

Graham Greene performed only one video game role, making him a questionable addition to a list of voice actors. Given that his role was in the record-breaking "Red Dead Redemption II," not only one of the all-time great games in general but one that has one of the best stories in gaming history — with Greene featuring in a major role — it is more than appropriate to include him. Greene played Rains Fall, chief of the fictional Wapiti tribe. Fall is a constant presence throughout the game and a frequent ally to Arthur Morgan (voiced by Roger Clark). Greene not only voiced Rains Fall, but also performed the motion capture for the character.

That being said, "Red Dead Redemption II" doesn't encompass the entirety of Greene's acting work in proximity to video games. The actor also played Marlon in Season 1 of HBO's "The Last of Us," which was adapted from studio Naughty Dog's acclaimed video game of the same name. 

Greene received an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor for the modern Western blockbuster, "Dances with Wolves." Recurring roles on acclaimed FX series "Reservation Dogs" and Marvel's "Echo" on Disney+ would comprise some of his last major on-screen projects. He died on September 1 at the age of 73.

Terence Stamp had an acting career that crossed an impressive seven decades and included work in nearly every genre that film and television have to offer. In 1978, he lent an air of legitimacy to the fledging comic book movie genre when he appeared as General Zod in "Superman," a small role that he would fully realize in the sequel, where Zod faces off against Christopher Reeve's iconic hero. In fact, he was never too good to be in a nerdy project despite being a classically-trained British actor, later adding the cult sci-fi classic "Alien Nation" to his resume alongside roles in "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace," "Elektra," "Wanted," the TV series "Smallville," and even a voice role in a "Warhammer 40,000" animated movie. Stamp boasts a filmography otherwise dominated by arthouse and Oscar-quality films.

In 2006, Stamp further proved he wasn't above nerding out when he voiced Mankar Camoran for "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion." The following year, he replaced Michael Wincott as the Prophet of Truth in "Halo 3." 2009 saw him reprise the role of Pekwarsky from "Wanted" for the video game sequel "Wanted: Weapons of Fate." Archival recordings of his "Oblivion" dialogue were used for 2025's "The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion Remastered," which marked his first acting credit since 2021. Stamp died August 17 at the age of 87, just four months after the release of "Oblivion Remastered."

The "Dragon Ball" fandom has suffered a lot of loss over the past couple of years — including creator Akira Toriyama, who died last year — and the death of Hiroshi Masuoka was yet another major blow. Masuoka was the longest-serving Japanese voice for Kame Sennin, whom English-speaking audiences know as Master Roshi. Masuoka took over the role near the end of "Dragon Ball Z" and would then continue to play the character for nearly 15 years, including the entire run of "Dragon Ball GT" and in multiple installments of the popular "Dragon Ball: Budokai" fighting game franchise. He also played Roshi in both "Dragon Ball: Origins" games as well as "Dragon Ball: The Revenge of King Piccolo."

Outside of "Dragon Ball," Masuoka also voiced characters in "Bravely Default: Flying Fairy," "Dragon Quest Sword: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors," and "Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee." Other than animation and video game voice work, Masuoka dubbed Randy Quaid in the Japanese release of "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation," Reginald VelJohnson in "Die Hard 2," and Danny Aiello in "Harlem Nights." It should also be noted that there is a Japanese rally car driver named Hiroshi Masuoka that the internet sometimes confuses with the voice actor, but they are two different people. Masuoka, the world's Master Roshi, died March 21.

Another actor who seems too famous and too associated with live action films to be on this list, Michael Madsen has a long and storied history with video game acting. In 2001, he played Toni Cipriani in the landmark game (and shortest in the franchise), "Grand Theft Auto III." It might not seem like a big deal in hindsight, given how huge the "GTA" series has become and how much Hollywood talent it would go on to include, but the fact is that "Grand Theft Auto III" was an underdog leading up to release, and it was not a foregone conclusion that it would be anything more than a modest hit at best.

Madsen stayed in the world of open world crime games when he followed up "Grand Theft Auto III" with "True Crime: Streets of L.A." and "Dr3ver" in 2003 and 2004, respectively. When "Reservoir Dogs" was adapted into a video game in 2006, Madsen was the only actor from the film to reprise his role. Madsen was also among the Hollywood talent gathered to do the English voice dub of Yakuza crime boss Futoshi Shimano for the first "Yakuza" game when it released on the PlayStation 2 in North America in 2006. Other games Madsen appeared in included "Narc," "Dishonored," "Call of Duty: Black Ops II," "The Walking Dead: Season Two," and "Crime Boss: Rockay City." The actor died of heart failure on July. He was 67. 

Obviously Ozzy Osbourne isn't known for video game acting roles. Honestly, he did very little acting at all, other than playing himself or an exaggerated version of himself on shows like "South Park." But given how cool "Brütal Legend" is, and what an awesome love letter it was to metal music and culture, Osbourne playing a major character in that game was something special. In fact, while many of the rock musicians that appeared in the game had very small parts, appearing in one or two scenes, Osbourne had the distinction of being the character that you visited to upgrade your abilities, weapons, and vehicle — which means you got to see and hear a lot of him over the entire course of the game.

The day after Osbourne died, Double Fine Productions — the developers of "Brütal Legend" — made the PC version of the game free to download as a tribute to the rocker. Fittingly enough, the offer was available for exactly 666 minutes. While that might sound needlessly restrictive, it does equal a little over eleven hours, so it wasn't a blink-and-you'll-miss-it offer. For what it is worth, "Brütal Legend" is also included as part of Xbox Game Pass, and has been since Microsoft acquired Double Fine. Ozzy Osbourne died July 22, at age 76.