Neil Christie Newbon (born 14 August 1978) is an English actor known for voicing Elijah Kamski and Gavin Reed in Detroit: Become Human, Nicholai Ginovaef and Karl Heisenberg in Resident Evil, Zeon in Xenoblade Chronicles 3 and Astarion in Baldur's Gate 3, for which he won the Game Award for Best Performance.
Neil Newbon | |
|---|---|
 Newbon in March 2024 | |
| Born | 14 August 1978 (age 46) Birmingham, England |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Spouses | China Moo-Young
(m. 2012; div. 2015)Saleta Losada (m. 2023) |
| Children | 1 |
| Relatives | Gary Newbon (father) |
Early life
editNeil Christie Newbon[1] was born in Birmingham on 14 August 1977,[1] the son of sports presenter Gary Newbon.[1] He is of Scottish descent on his mother's side and Belarusian descent on his father's side.[1] His sister Claire is a journalist, while his twin brother Laurence is a cameraman.[2] He played football as a teenager, usually as a goalkeeper.[1]
Career
editIn 1998, Newbon appeared in the BBC Two comedy series Goodness Gracious Me as James, a waiter in the show's notable "Going for an English" sketch. He has appeared in numerous films. He voiced a tank driver in Jackboots on Whitehall. He starred in the music videos for the Now Voyager Mix of "You Got the Love" by The Source and Candi Staton in 2006 and "Kingdom of Rust" by Doves in 2009.[3] In 2012, he joined the cast of the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks as Simon Walker.[4]
Since 2012, Newbon has provided the voice and motion capture for numerous video game characters, including Elijah Kamski and Gavin Reed in Detroit: Become Human, Nicholai Ginovaef in Resident Evil 3, Karl Heisenberg in Resident Evil Village, and Astarion in Baldur's Gate 3. For his performance as Astarion, he won Best Performance at the 2023 Game Awards, as well as the Golden Joystick for Best Supporting Performer.[5][6]
Newbon is a co-founder of the training facility Performance Captured Academy, which offers courses on motion capture for aspiring actors.[7][8]
Personal life
editNewbon married film director China Moo-Young in October 2012, and they had one daughter together before divorcing in 2015. He confirmed that he was in a relationship with his Performance Captured Academy co-founder Saleta Losada in 2018, and they were married in June 2023.[9][10]
Newbon has trained in various martial arts for over 16 years, including kung fu (in the styles Crane, Shaolin, Snake, and Tiger), kickboxing, judo, and Wadō-ryū karate.[1]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | The Discovery of Heaven | Quinten | |
| 2006 | The Last Drop | Cpl. Rhys Powell | |
| 2006 | Are You Ready for Love? | Rob | |
| 2008 | Beyond the Rave | Nikolai | Direct-to-video |
| 2010 | Jackboots on Whitehall | Tank Driver | Voice |
| 2014 | Extinction | Rob | |
| 2016 | Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV | Petra Fortis | Voice English dub Also motion capture for Nyx Ulric |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Chris Cross | Garrett | Episode: "Saturday Night" |
| 1997 | Wycliffe | Rob Tyzack | Episode: "Close to Home" |
| 1998 | Goodness Gracious Me | James | Uncredited 1 episode |
| 1998–2007 | The Bill | Ian Robbins, Dominic Mileham, Gavin Sullivan, Billy Peters | 7 episodes |
| 1999 | Dalziel and Pascoe | ET | Episode: "Time to Go" |
| 2000 | Rhona | Art Model | Episode: "The Happy Jeans" |
| 2000 | Queen of Swords | Anton | Episode: "The Witness" |
| 2002 | Stranded | Ernst Robinson | Television film |
| 2002 | As If | Seb | 2 episodes |
| 2003 | The Afternoon Play | Malcolm Haye | Episode: "Turkish Delight" |
| 2003–04 | Dream Team | Luke Davenport | 19 episodes |
| 2009 | Holby City | Gavin Sheldon | Episode: "Take Her Breath Away" |
| 2009 | Henry VIII: The Mind of a Tyrant | Lord Mounjoy, Culpepper's Inquisitor | 2 episodes |
| 2009 | New Tricks | Justin Milburn | Episode: "Blood Is Thicker Than Water" |
| 2009, 2014 | Doctors | Kenny Foulton, Michael Faulks | 2 episodes |
| 2010 | I Shouldn't Be Alive | Steve Callahan | Episode: "76 Days Adrift" |
| 2012–13 | Hollyoaks | Simon Walker | 63 episodes |
| 2012 | Hollyoaks Later | 4 episodes | |
| 2015 | Residue | Osbourne, Keller's Aide | 3 episodes |
| 2016 | Locked Up Abroad | Matthew VanDyke | Episode: "Gaddafi's American Prisoner" |
| 2017 | Casualty | Father Anthony Bridge | 1 episode |
Video games
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | The Secret World | John Galahad, Thutmose, Father Lucian, Adrian Zorlescu | |
| 2014 | Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 | — | Motion capture |
| 2015 | Until Dawn | — | |
| 2017 | Spacelords | Additional Voices | |
| 2017 | Elite Dangerous [citation needed] | Commander James Jameson | |
| 2017 | Planet of the Apes: Last Frontier | Bryn, Mikey, Additional Voices | |
| 2018 | Detroit: Become Human | Elijah Kamski, Gavin Reed[11] | Also motion capture [citation needed] |
| 2018 | Strange Brigade | — | Motion capture |
| 2018 | Forza Horizon 4 | — | |
| 2019 | We Happy Few | Nick Lightbearer | Lightbearer DLC |
| 2020 | Resident Evil 3 | Nicholai Ginovaef[12] | Also motion capture for Brad Vickers, Nemesis and Robert Kendo[citation needed] |
| 2020 | Resident Evil: Resistance | Also motion capture[citation needed] | |
| 2020 | Beyond a Steel Sky | Alonso | |
| 2021 | OnlyCans: Thirst Date | Shize™ Liquorliscious, Shize™ Sunset Molasses | Also voice direction |
| 2021 | Resident Evil Village | Karl Heisenberg[12] | Also motion capture[citation needed] Also Shadows of Rose DLC |
| 2022 | Star Wars: The Old Republic | Cyborg, Additional Voices | Legacy of the Sith and Disorder DLC |
| 2022 | Xenoblade Chronicles 3 | Zeon[12] | |
| 2023 | Deliver Us Mars | Isaac[13] | |
| 2023 | Final Fantasy XVI | Additional Voices[12] | |
| 2023 | Baldur's Gate 3 | Astarion | Also motion capture |
| 2023 | Warframe | Fibonacci[14] | |
| 2024 | Fallout: London | Barry the Boat[15] | |
| 2024 | Vampire Survivors | Dracula[16] | Ode to Castlevania DLC |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Golden Joystick Awards | Best Supporting Performer | Baldur's Gate 3 | Won | [6] |
| The Game Awards | Best Performance | Won | [17] | ||
| 2024 | New York Game Awards | Great White Way Award for Best Acting in a Game | Nominated | [18][19] | |
| D.I.C.E. Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Character | Nominated | [20][21] | ||
| British Academy Games Awards | Performer in a Leading Role | Nominated | [22] |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f "Neil Newbon - Biography". IMDb. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
- ^ "Neil Newbon : Actor". UK screen. Archived from the original on 3 September 2010. Retrieved 30 July 2010.
- ^ "Neil Newbon Videos". NME.
- ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (8 May 2012). "'Hollyoaks' newcomer Neil Newbon talks Walker role - interview". Digital Spy. (Hearst Magazines UK). Retrieved 8 August 2012.
- ^ "All The Game Awards 2023 Winners Revealed". GameSpot. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
- ^ a b Gardner, Matt (11 November 2023). "2023 Golden Joystick Awards: 'Baldur's Gate 3' Wins GOTY, 6 More". Forbes. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
- ^ Performance Captured Academy @ Quantic Dream, retrieved 15 October 2023
- ^ "Performance Captured Academy I UK". Performance Captured. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
- ^ "Instagram Post".
- ^ "Wedding Post".
- ^ "Neil Newbon on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
- ^ a b c d "Neil Newbon (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
- ^ 16 Quickfire Questions With Neil Newbon | Deliver Us Mars, retrieved 26 September 2023
- ^ Neil Newbon - gathering party for BG3. (2023, December 7). Something fishy is going on...I had the extreme privilege of working with @digitalextremes @playwarframe in their new update #WhispersInTheWallsTune in to #thegameawards tomorrow for more#Fibonacci pic.twitter.com/wg40anicrn. Twitter. https://twitter.com/NeilNewbon/status/1732621847089606869
- ^ Dinsdale, Ryan (21 March 2024). "Baldur's Gate 3 Star Joins Cast of Fallout: London Mod". IGN. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
- ^ Sarin, Kaar (2 November 2024). "After 3 years and over 30 updates, Vampire Survivors finally has vampires - and even Baldur's Gate 3's Astarion actor is here as Dracula". GamesRadar+. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
- ^ "Best Performance". The Game Awards. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
- ^ McEvoy, Sophie (5 January 2024). "Baldur's Gate 3 leads New York Games Awards 2024 nominations". Gameindustry.biz. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
- ^ McEvoy, Sophie (24 January 2024). "Baldur's Gate 3 wins big at New York Game Awards 2024". Gameindustry.biz. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- ^ "27th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Finalist". interactive.org. Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
- ^ "2024 Awards Category Details Outstanding Achievement in Character". interactive.org. Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ "20th BAFTA Games Awards: The Nominations". BAFTA. 7 March 2024. Retrieved 12 April 2024.