Troy Baker is one of the most recognizable voice actors of modern times, thanks to industry-shifting performances in video games like “The Last of Us,” “BioShock Infinite,” and “Death Stranding.” But Baker’s success did not come overnight; it arrived after decades of hard work across several different mediums.
If you’re looking to become a voiceover actor, it’s never a bad idea to study the trajectories of some of the business’ best. Even if someone’s path isn’t exactly the same, you never know if your next VO gig will lead to stardom—because everyone has to start somewhere.
“Naruto: Shippuden” (2009–2010): Pain
Baker’s first foray into voice acting was for radio commercials in his native Dallas, which he recommends as a way into the industry. “Put together a 60-90-second demo reel,” Baker advised in an interview. “Then go around to different advertising agencies and say, ‘Hey, listen, if you guys ever need someone to do voiceover for a commercial, I’d love to be your guy or girl.’ ”
With those gigs under his belt, he was able to transition into narrative voiceover, first with the distributor Funimation on the English dubs of anime projects like “Dragon Ball Z: Wrath of the Dragon” and “Fullmetal Alchemist.” For the finest example of what Baker was able to accomplish in that niche, look no further than Pain, one of the best villains of the TV series “Naruto: Shippuden.” The actor went with a menacing, monotone delivery that reflects the stoicism of the character, selling how logical he is compared to the passionate Naruto. Years later, he remains a highlight of the show.
How to Become an Anime Voice Actor“Ultimate Spider-Man” (2012–2016): Loki, Hawkeye
Baker entered the world of superhero animation on the Disney XD series “The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.” Like many voice actors who eventually graduated to lead roles, Baker started voicing a whole variety of smaller characters. But his big break came on “Ultimate Spider-Man,” where he got to reimagine two major Marvel characters—Loki and Hawkeye.
Adapted from the Brian Michael Bendis comic book of the same name, the TV series introduces a version of the title character who breaks the fourth wall and feels especially connected to the rest of the Marvel universe. That includes Baker’s Loki, who the actor plays with a petty, haughty personality, a fun contrast to his arrogant prankster take on Hawkeye. Baker’s interpretations are very different from the live-action performances from Tom Hiddleston and Jeremy Renner, respectively, and he’s reprised both voice roles across multiple projects.
“Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes” (2012): Batman
With the video game “Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes,” Baker became one of the few actors who can say they’ve played the Caped Crusader. He excels at capturing the stoicism Batman requires while adding a sarcastic sense of humor that stands out from the other takes on the iconic character. Like many high-profile voice roles, this one doubled as an audition for future job security—Baker reprised the role for more than a decade, not just in video games but also in animated movies like Matt Peters’ “Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons” (2022). The key takeaway for aspiring performers: It doesn’t matter if it’s a feature-length story or a small, mostly joke-centric part in a “Lego” game, Baker always makes his Batman feel like the biggest, most important person onscreen.
“Batman: Arkham Origins” (2013): The Joker
The group of actors who have played Batman is a small one, but the club gets downright tiny when it comes to playing both the Dark Knight and his archnemesis the Joker. Baker pulled this off in the same movie(!): Jake Castorena’s underrated “Batman vs Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (2019). However, Baker first voiced the Clown Prince of Crime in the 2013 prequel video game “Batman: Arkham Origins,” playing a younger version of Mark Hamill’s legendary take on the character from 2011’s “Batman: Arkham City.” Although more than a little inspired by Hamill at first, Baker quickly made the role his own. He gives the Joker a raw, erratic edge that’s as chaotic as you’d want him to be, while adding enough charm to be sympathetic and enthralling.
Baker has gone on to become a go-to voice of the Joker, not just in video games but also in animated films like Chris Palmer’s 2021 double feature “Batman: The Long Halloween” (parts one and two) and Jeff Wamester’s 2024 movies “Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths” (parts two and three).
“The Last of Us” (2013): Joel Miller
One of the most important, yet hardest to swallow lessons for aspiring voice actors (and performers, period) is that this journey is a marathon, not a sprint. Case in point: Baker has been doing video game voice acting since the 2005 release of “Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30,” but his career-defining, two-time BAFTA-nominated performance as Joel in “The Last of Us” didn’t arrive until over 10 years later.
“It was starting to become necessary for actors to become involved [in gaming],” Baker said in 2013, referring to the industry shift he noticed in the early aughts. “So I got into that, and it was literally stumbling from one job into the next. That was kind of my first snowball effect.”
“The Last of Us” turned Baker into a household name—and for good reason. Joel, the world-weary protagonist of the postapocalyptic story alongside Ellie Williams (Ashley Johnson), helped change the perception of what a video game performance can be. It’s a deeply compelling turn because of the soulful humanity Baker brings to the character; it’s impossible not to root for the guy even as he (and you, the player) do whatever it takes to survive in a desperate world. He reprised the role in the 2020 sequel, “The Last of Us: Part II,” and although Pedro Pascal portrays Joel on HBO’s live-action adaptation, Baker did cameo as a minor villain on Season 1.
“Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End” (2016): Sam Drake
Once you deliver a medium-changing performance like Joel in “The Last of Us,” then the mere fact you get cast in a franchise can be exciting news. This is what happened with the mega-popular “Uncharted” series, which brought in Baker for its fourth installment, “A Thief’s End,” to play main character Nathan Drake’s long-lost brother, Samuel.
Suddenly revealing that your protagonist has a secret sibling four chapters in can turn into a head-scratching mess. But that’s the magic of Baker’s talents: The moment Samuel Drake shows up, it’s hard not to fall for the guy, even if you can’t quite trust him. It makes sense that the “Uncharted” game most focused on humanizing its characters would enlist Baker’s help. The role earned Baker another BAFTA nomination, and Sam proved to be popular enough to reappear in the 2017 spinoff, “Uncharted: The Lost Legacy.”