Ten Celebrities You Forgot Were Grand Theft Auto Voice Actors

In recent years, the Grand Theft Auto games have shied away from using celebrity voice actors. But back in the series' PlayStation 2 days, Rockstar hired entertainment heavyweights like Dennis Hopper, Ray Liotta, and Ice-T to do voiceovers - including some you probably forgot about.

10 - Shaun Ryder - Maccer (San Andreas)

Here's one that shows some of the English roots of Rockstar founders Sam and Dan Houser. Maccer is a drugged-out rockstar in the dance-influenced style of "baggy" that was popular in in England in the late '80s and early '90s. While his appearance is modeled on Ian Brown of baggy icons The Stone Roses, his voice was done by Shaun Ryder, the famously booze- and drug-addicted singer of the other baggy supergroup, the Happy Mondays. In San Andreas, his Kent Paul-managed tour goes awry and he has to seek the help of protagonist Carl "C.J." Johnson. For some reason, Rockstar still keeps up a Maccer website.

9 - Debbie Harry - Delores (Vice City)

Blondie's Debbie Harry is an icon of the glamorous, cocaine-fueled '80s disco scene immortalized in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. It wasn't surprising that Harry was tapped to appear as a voice actor in the game, but the role she took was a bit different than we expected. Where many voice actors in GTA games play off their public persona, or put a clever spin on the roles they are known for, Harry, a paragon of new wave cool, actually played Dolores, the elderly and acerbic cab dispatcher who works for Tommy Vercetti in Little Haiti.

8 - Dane Cook - Talk Radio Caller (Grand Theft Auto V)

By Grand Theft Auto V, Rockstar had largely abandoned the use of high-profile celebrities in its games. The cited reason was that it distracts from the characters themselves, though I imagine it also saves a lot of legal and logistical headaches for the development team - not to mention lower costs. So, it was surprising when comedy superstar Dane Cook turned up in the game not as a character, but a paranoid caller to the conspiracy-minded Truth Seeker Radio in-game station. It was probably a favor on Rockstar's part; Cook is an avowed GTA fan who's even worked the game into his standup routine.

7 - Will Forte - Martin Serious (The Lost and Damned)

Will Forte was a great SNL cast member, but is most remembered for winning an Oscar for Best Actor for his portrayal of MacGruber in the film of the same name. MacGruber also took home Best Picture and Best Screenplay at the 2011 Oscars, making Forte one of the most powerful men in Hollywood. Before this massive success, he did a great turn in Grand Theft Auto: The Lost and Damned as Martin Serious, a dead-on parody of shock jock Howard Stern.

6 - The Game - Mark "B-Dup" Wayne (San Andreas)

The Game, who's known for his gritty tales of the Compton streets, wasn't exactly asked to stretch his acting muscles in San Andreas, a game set squarely in the same gangster milieu as his music. He turned in a solid performance as drug dealer Mark "B-Dup" Wayne - one of the many good performances by West coast rappers in San Andreas. However, what's notable about his appearance is when it happened - in 2004, a full year before his hit debut album The Documentary was released. He had been making noise in underground rap circles, but was hardly a proven or well-known commodity. It's a testament to how plugged-in Rockstar has always been with music and street culture.

5 - Phil Collins - himself (Vice City Stories)

Phil Collin's "In The Air Tonight" is emblematic of the chilly, neon vibe of Michael Mann's iconic '80s show Miami Vice - which was Rockstar's main inspiration for the Vice City games. Surprisingly, Collins actually agreed to appear in Vice City Stories, becoming the first celebrity to appear in the series as himself. In the game, Victor Vance rescues Collins from a run-in with Forellis, and you could actually a purchase a ticket (with in-game currency) to see the virtual Collin's perform "In The Air Tonight" at a local arena.

4 - Axl Rose - Tommy "The Nightmare" Smith (San Andreas)

Rockstar always does an excellent job of picking its licensed music and DJs. Given his stature in hard rock circles and love of '70s rock, it made sense that Axl Rose was tapped to voice Tommy "The Nightmare" Smith, a DJ for San Andreas' DJ K-DST classic rock station. The amazing thing about this is that it happened in the depths of Rose's disappearance from public life during the making of his would-be epic Chinese Democracy album. San Andreas was released in 2004, the same year guitarist Buckethead quit the new Guns N' Roses, pushing back the long-in-production album yet again and forcing Rose to cancel a high-profile headlining slot at the Rock in Rio festival. Despite being metal's Howard Hughes, Rose took time out to do voiceovers for Rockstar.

3 - Gary Busey - Phil Cassidy (Vice City)

In fairness, it probably wasn't hard for Rockstar to sign legendarily crazy actor Gary Busey to appear in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and its sequel. He'd probably act in your kid's school play if you cut him a check. However, unlike many of his recent reality TV appearances, Busey was sharp when he was in the booth for Rockstar, turning in a memorable performance as redneck arms dealer Phil Cassidy in Vice City and Vice City Stories (Cassidy was voiced by Hunter Platin in GTA III). Busey's manic energy was perfect for the role.

2 - James Woods - Mike Toreno (San Andreas)

Perhaps no actor did a better job of radiating a smug creepiness than James Woods, and he took his smarmy style to his role as crooked government agent Mike Toreno in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. He plays puppetmaster with Carl "C.J." Johnson for most of the gam, sending him on dangerous and often illegal missions. However, he doesn't hate Carl, and even does right by him - when it's convenient. Woods' familiar demeanor was perfect for Toreno, who lives by a loose moral code and is always looking out for his own best interests.

1 - Karl Lagerfeld - himself (The Ballad of Gay Tony)

Karl Lagerfeld is one of the strangest-looking men on Earth - dude's a real-life fashionista Bond villain in the flesh. Look at that picture. That's what the guy looks ALL THE TIME. Lagerfeld heads up his own company, plus the legendary fashion houses Chanel and Fendi. He also might be an alien. Despite his fearsome reputation in the fashion biz, he took time out of his jet-setting lifestyle to play a radio host on The Ballad of Gay Tony's K109 radio (a disco station). Hilariously, he spent most of his time dispensing heavily German-accented insults about his listeners' fashion sense and intellect.