Despite the fact that the videogame industry is larger than its film, television, music, and sports counterparts, and will boast an estimated three billion gamers worldwide by 2023, some still downplay the burgeoning medium as an inferior form of entertainment in comparison to its more respected competitors in the media landscape.
However, despite the aspersions of the ever-shrinking number naysayers, many of the biggest names in Hollywood are increasingly embracing videogames as a valuable medium to tell stories and perform their craft. In fact, some of those who have attained acting immortality by winning Academy Awards for their work in film have lent their talents to videogames. This article will highlight Oscar-winning actors, who have performed or voice acted in videogames listed alphabetically, including the games they worked on, and the years and films they received Academy Awards for. Note: This article will not include actors who only appeared in videogames through archival voice acting and footage.
Mahershala Ali
Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actor (2017) – Moonlight, Best Supporting Actor (2019) – Green Book
Videogame Performance: Madden 18 (Story Mode)
Christian Bale
Academy Award: Best Supporting Actor (2011) – The Fighter
Videogame Performance: Batman Begins
Marlon Brando
Academy Awards: Best Actor (1954) – On the Waterfront, Best Actor (1972) – The Godfather
Videogame Performance: The Godfather (cameo)
Related: Videogame Actresses Who Have Won Oscars
Adrien Brody
Academy Award: Best Actor (2002) – The Pianist
Videogame Performance: Peter Jackson’s King Kong
Michael Caine
Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actor (1986) – Hannah and Her Sisters, Best Supporting Actor (1999) – The Cider House Rules
Videogame Performances: Batman Begins, GivingTales
Sean Connery
Academy Award: Best Supporting Actor (1987) – The Untouchables
Videogame Performance: James Bond 007: From Russia with Love
Chris Cooper
Academy Award: Best Supporting Actor (2002) – Adaptation
Videogame Performance: Cars 3: Driven to Win
Robert Duvall
Academy Award: Best Actor (1984) – Tender Mercies
Videogame Performances: The Godfather, The Godfather II
Morgan Freeman
Academy Award: Best Supporting Actor (2004) – Million Dollar Baby
Videogame Performances: Batman Begins, Wanted: Weapons of Fate
William Hurt
Academy Award: Best Actor (1985) – Kiss of the Spider Woman
Videogame Performance: The Incredible Hulk
Ben Kingsley
Academy Award: Best Actor (1983) – Gandhi
Videogame Performances: Kiyeko and the Lost Night, Ceremony of Innocence, Fable III
Related: Best Movies Based on Videogames – According to Critics
Kevin Kline
Academy Award: Best Supporting Actor (1989) – A Fish Called Wanda
Videogame Performance: Disney’s Animated Storybook: The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Rami Malek
Academy Award: Best Actor (2018) – Bohemian Rhapsody
Videogame Performances: Halo 2, The Legend of Korra, Until Dawn
Paul Newman
Academy Award: Best Actor (1987) – The Color of Money
Videogame Performance: Cars
Gary Oldman
Academy Award: Best Actor (2018) – Darkest Hour
Videogame Performances: Bram Stoker’s Dracula, The Fifth Element, Medal of Honor: Allied Assault – Spearhead, True Crime: Streets of LA, The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning, The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night, The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon, Call of Duty: World at War, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Lego Dimensions
Christopher Plummer
Academy Award: Best Supporting Actor (2012) – Beginners
Videogame Performances: Star Trek: Klingon Academy, Up, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Rush: A Disney-Pixar Adventure
Eddie Redmayne
Academy Award: Best Actor (2015) – The Theory of Everything
Videogame Performance: Lego Dimensions
Sam Rockwell
Academy Award: Best Supporting Actor (2017) – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Videogame Performances: G-Force, Dishonored 2
J.K. Simmons
Academy Award: Best Supporting Actor (2014) – Whiplash
Videogame Performances: M&M’s The Lost Formulas, Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man 3, Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3, Portal 2, Generator Rex: Agent of Providence, The Legend of Korra, Lego Dimensions, Aperture Desk Job
Kevin Spacey
Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actor (1995) – The Usual Suspects, Best Actor (1999) – American Beauty
Videogame Performances: Superman Returns, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
Christopher Walken
Academy Award: Best Supporting Actor (1978) – The Deer Hunter
Videogame Performances: Ripper, Privateer 2: The Darkening, True Crime: Streets of LA, True Crime: New York City
Forest Whitaker
Academy Award: Best Actor (2006) – The Last King of Scotland
Videogame Performance: Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order