The Mass Effect series features several notable actors that lend their voices to the trilogy's colorful cast of characters. As early as Mass Effect 1, fans may be able to recognize the voices of actors from some of their favorites movies and shows as they interact with their crew on the Normandy.
For some voice actors, Mass Effect was one of the acting credits that helped launch their career. Mark Meer, who provided the voice for the male Commander Shepard, is arguably most well-known for his role in the trilogy. Other actors were already notable for roles outside of video games before joining the cast of the Mass Effect series. Martin Sheen, for example, provided the voice of the Illusive Man in both Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3.
The Mass Effect series features dozens of characters, from minor NPCs to major characters that can be recruited as part of the player's squad. Several companions are even available as romantic options for Commander Shepard, providing fans with even more opportunities to get to know them. Due to this, it can be difficult for players to keep track of who's who - and even more difficult to recall why certain voices might sound familiar.
Jennifer Hale as Commander Shepard
Jennifer Hale provides the voice of the female Commander Shepard, but her list of voice acting credits is lengthy outside of the Mass Effect series. She's been the voice of Disney's Cinderella since 2001, and portrayed Jedi Aayla Secura in Star Wars: The Clone Wars as well as The Rise of Skywalker. Her voice can also be found throughout dozens of other video game series.
Keith David as Captain Anderson
Keith David is known for acting as the voice of Goliath in Disney's Gargoyles, as well as Dr. Facilier in the animated film The Princess and the Frog. As far as live action credits are concerned, he played Childs in 1982 film The Thing and has a variety of roles in cult favorite films such as They Live.
Seth Green as Jeff "Joker" Moreau
Seth Green is arguably most known for his work on Robot Chicken, but has served as an actor across various other films and series, including Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy films (in which he portrayed Howard the Duck).
He provides the voice of Chris in Family Guy, and makes an appearance in the television series Heroes.
Kimberly Brooks as Ashley Williams
Kimberly Brooks is most well-known for her other voice acting roles. She provides the voice of Allura in DreamWorks' Voltron: Legendary Defender as well as the superhero Bumblebee in DC Super Hero Girls. Her voice can also be heard throughout iconic cartoon series such as Ducktales, Animaniacs and Steven Universe.
Raphael Sbarge as Kaidan Alenko
Similarly to Jennifer Hale, Raphael Sbarge provides voices for various other BioWare characters as well as NPCs across several video game franchises. In live action series, he is a returning character in ABC's Once Upon a Time as well as Murder in the First. Other acting credits include Fear the Walking Dead and Law & Order True Crime.
Various characters in Mass Effect 2 and ME3 also have notable credits to their name, so fans will more than likely stumble across some recognizable voices as they make their way through the franchise. In some cases, characters were even visually modeled after their voice actor - so players should keep an eye out for actor lookalikes throughout the Mass Effect series.