Nolan North | |
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_(cropped).jpg) North in 2019 | |
| Born | (1970-10-31)October 31, 1970 (age 54) New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, voice actor |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
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Nolan North (born October 31, 1970)[1] is an American actor best known for his voice acting roles.
After his breakthrough role as Dr. Chris Ramsey on theABC soap operaPort Charles in 1997, North moved into voice acting when the show ended in 2003 and has since become best known for his video game roles asNathan Drake in theUncharted series,Desmond Miles in theAssassin's Creed series, Merasmus inTeam Fortress 2,the Prince inPrince of Persia, Dr. Edward Richtofen in theCall of Duty franchise,Deadpool in variousMarvel Comics media, thePenguin in theBatman: Arkham franchise,Captain Martin Walker inSpec Ops: The Line,David inThe Last of Us, himself as one of the voices for the player character inSaints Row IV,Tony Stark inMarvel's Avengers, and Ghost in theDestiny video game series.
In animation, North voicesSmokescreen onTransformers: Prime,Superboy onYoung Justice, and the titular character inBlaze and the Monster Machines.
North was born inNew Haven, Connecticut.[2] He was raised inWarwick, Rhode Island, where he attended and played baseball atBishop Hendricken High School.[3] He majored in journalism with a baseball scholarship at theUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,[4][5] and spent the next year working as a reporter inNew Jersey before moving to New York City to pursue a career in stand-up comedy and acting.[4]
North eventually relocated to Los Angeles, where he was cast as Dr. Chris Ramsey in theGeneral Hospital spin-off seriesPort Charles in 1997.[5] He worked as a voice actor on a few video games during this time, and began to focus on this career path following the cancellation ofPort Charles in 2003.[5]
One of North's most notable voice roles came in 2007, when he voiced and performedmotion capture for the protagonistNathan Drake in the video gameUncharted: Drake's Fortune. Since then, he has continued to portray the character inUncharted 2: Among Thieves (2009),Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (2011), andUncharted 4: A Thief's End (2016),[6] as well as thePlayStation Vita exclusiveUncharted: Golden Abyss (2012). In an interview withThe Guardian, he said his time as Drake requires "a lot of imagination" because "motion capture is basically theatre inspandex; there's minimal props, and you need a willingness to make an ass of yourself".[7] For his role as Drake, he has twice been nominated at theSpike Video Game Awards in the "Best Performance by a Human Male" category.[8]
North's other notable video game voice roles include the Prince inPrince of Persia and Desmond Miles in theAssassin's Creed series. He also voiced Vossler inFinal Fantasy XII, Eradan inLord of the Rings: War in the North, the male Jedi Consular inStar Wars: The Old Republic and its following expansions,David inThe Last of Us, Dr. Edward Richtofen in the "Zombies" mode of theCall of Duty series,Brawl inTransformers: War for Cybertron, andGhost Rider inMarvel: Ultimate Alliance, as well as Shadow Demon, Lycan, Lone Druid, Brewmaster, Gyrocopter, Ogre Magi, Meepo, Earth Spirit, Troll Warlord, and the Keeper of the Light inDota 2. He voices variousTeam Fortress 2 characters such as the Engineer (partially), Merasmus, Redmond Mann, Blutarch Mann, Zepheniah Mann, and the Bombinomicon. He also replacedPeter Dinklage as the voice of the Ghost inDestiny: The Taken King, and additionally re-recorded all of Dinklage's lines from the base gameDestiny. He continues to voice the character in subsequent releases. Following the release ofDestiny 2: Forsaken, he portrayed not only Ghost but also took over the role of Cayde-6 fromNathan Fillion.[9]
In the 2013 filmStar Trek Into Darkness, North made one of his few increasingly rare live-action appearances since becoming a voice actor. DirectorJ. J. Abrams had cited North's performance as Drake in the decision to cast him as a starship helmsman, as he and his son are fans of theUncharted series.[10] In a May 2012 interview, North said, "[Abrams is] a huge fan of gaming and he was telling me how people just don't understand [the medium] yet, but they're going to catch up. They don't understand how amazing this technology is and it doesn't get the respect it deserves, but if it keeps making the money it makes you're going to see more and more people converted. I mean,Gary Oldman, one of the greatest actors on the planet, didCall of Duty. He wouldn't have done it 10 years ago. It's a new age dawning, and I'm just really proud to be part of it."[10]
North's animation roles include the voices ofCyclops inWolverine and the X-Men,Snow Job inG.I. Joe: Renegades,Raphael inTMNT, bothSuperboy andSuperman inYoung Justice, andSmokescreen inTransformers: Prime. He has also voiced Blaze inBlaze and the Monster Machines since 2014. He was honored at a special event hosted by theBritish Academy of Film and Television Arts during the2018 EA Expo, where he was given a special award for "outstanding contribution to performance in games".[11]
In April 2018, North began hostingRetro Replay with fellow voice actor and frequent co-starTroy Baker. The show, which featured the two playing games in which they were involved while giving behind-the-scenes commentary on the making of the games, partnered withRooster Teeth in April 2019.[12] Baker leftRetro Replay in April 2020, due to an apparent disagreement on the future direction of the show.[13] The following month, North announced that the show was ending its partnership with Rooster Teeth.[14] He had a brief cameo in the 2022Uncharted film adaptation and also narrated the audiobook edition.[15] In 2024, he appeared as Gene Campbell in thePeacock television seriesHysteria!.[16]
North married hisPort Charles co-star Jill Murray on June 4, 1999.[4] They have two children together.[4][17]
Nolan North has received multiple awards and nominations for his work in theUncharted series (2007–2016), as well as other video games includingDeadpool (2013),The Last of Us (2013),Assassin's Creed II (2009) and the television showsYoung Justice (2010–present) andTransformers: Prime (2010–2013).[18]
| Year | Nominated work | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Uncharted 4: A Thief's End | Best Performance | Won |
| Year | Nominated work | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception | Best Performer | Nominated |
| 2013 | Uncharted: Golden Abyss | Nominated | |
| 2017 | Uncharted 4: A Thief's End | Nominated | |
| 2018 | Nolan North | Special Award | Won |
| Year | Nominated work | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Uncharted 2: Among Thieves | Outstanding Achievement in Character Performance | Nominated |
| 2012 | Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception | Outstanding Achievement in Character Performance | Nominated |
| 2017 | Uncharted 4: A Thief's End | Outstanding Achievement in Character | Nominated |
| Year | Nominated work | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Uncharted 2: Among Thieves | Best Voice | Nominated |
| 2011 | Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception | Best Performance by a Human Male | Nominated |
| Year | Nominated work | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Nolan North | Voice Actor of the Year | Nominated |
| Voice Actor of the Year, People's Choice | Won | ||
| Best Male Vocal Performance in a Video Game | Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception | Nominated | |
| 2013 | Nolan North | Voice Actor of the Year | Nominated |
| Young Justice | Best Male Lead Vocal Performance in a Television Series, Action/Drama | Nominated | |
| Transformers: Prime | Best Male Vocal Performance in a Television Series in a Supporting Role, Action/Drama | Nominated | |
| 2014 | Nolan North | Voice Actor of the Year | Nominated |
| Deadpool | Best Male Lead Vocal Performance in a Video Game | Nominated | |
| The Last of Us | Best Male Vocal Performance in a Video Game in a Supporting Role | Nominated | |
| Best Male Vocal Performance in a Video Game in a Supporting Role, People's Choice | Won | ||
| 2015 | Nolan North | Voice Actor of the Year | Nominated |
| 2017 | Nominated | ||
| Uncharted 4: A Thief's End | Best Male Lead Vocal Performance in a Video Game | Won |
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