Red Dead Redemption 2 is home to many complicated and iconic characters. The game centers the downfall of the notorious Van der Linde gang during the Wild West era's decline. You play as Arthur Morgan, the best protégé of charismatic leader Dutch van der Linde, as he's facing the dilemma between his ideals and the gang that raised him.
Thanks to these wonderful actors who brought their characters to life, Red Dead Redemption 2 has continuously been praised for its emotional storytelling. Here are some of the best characters, and what their real-life counterparts actually look like.
Updated February 2nd, 2021 by Ben Jessey: Red Dead Redemption 2 has been out for a few years now. Yet, people can’t stop playing it. The story is so compelling that fans want to experience it over and over again. Not to mention there are still new players witnessing the tale for the very first time. Regardless of whether you’re on the first or fifth playthrough, you probably love the game’s entertaining cast of characters. After all, the narrative is a character-driven one. As a result, we felt that only highlighting a few of their voice actors wasn’t enough. So, here are the faces of a few more members of the cast.
15 Bill Williamson (Steve J. Palmer)
He might not be the most likable guy, but Bill Williamson is certainly a useful member of the gang. In fact, the crew doesn’t pull off many major heists without the perpetually angry ex-soldier. That being said, he is prone to making the odd error that often complicates the gang's plans.
As he did in the first game, Steve J. Palmer provides the voice for the character. Williamson is arguably his most famous role, yet, he’s also appeared in several TV shows. For instance, both Deadwood and House Of Lies are on his resume.
14 Susan Grimshaw (Kaili Vernoff)
The Van Der Linde gang isn't entirely made up of talented gunslingers. Several members are non-combatants who are responsible for running the camp. And Susan Grimshaw leads this group with an iron fist.
The actress tasked with bringing the bossy character to life is Kaili Vernoff. Vernoff is no newbie to Rockstar games as she provides the voice for Miranda Cowan in Grand Theft Auto 5. Outside of the video game world, she’s a regular collaborator with Woody Allen. Celebrity, Sweet and Lowdown, and The Curse of The Jade Scorpion are three of the projects she’s done with the director. Plus, the actress has been in shows like Grey’s Anatomy and House of Cards.
13 Charles Smith (Noshir Dalal)
By the end of the game, Arthur only has a few loyal friends left. Charles Smith is one of them. The honorable character is the personification of the strong, silent type as he goes about his business with little fuss.
When he does talk, though, the tones you hear belong to Noshir Dalal. The actor is a regular in the video game industry as his voice features in many titles. Gears of War fans, in particular, might recognize him from some of the series recent instalments. He’s also had a fruitful television career.
12 Andrew Milton (John Hickok)
Nobody would mistake the Van Der Linde gang for a collection of honorable people. However, their arch enemy is no better. Andrew Milton is a member of the Pinkertons, who ruthlessly hunts the protagonists down. Some of the questionable tactics he uses mean his cause is never sympathetic.
John Hickok deserves credit for making the villain both hateable and menacing. Aside from Red Dead, the actor is mostly known for his stage career. Although, he does some television too, appearing in Law & Order and The Blacklist.
11 Rains Fall (Graham Greene)
Rains Fall serves as one of the few positive influences in Arthur’s life. But being a good person isn’t always rewarding for the Tribal Chief as he goes through some hard times in the game. Most of it revolves around his tribe’s issues with the US Army regarding land ownership. It's a conflict that leads to plenty of bloodshed.
The man behind the wise character is the very experienced Graham Greene. He has had an illustrious career in both movies and television. Some of his most notable projects include Die Hard With A Vengeance and The Green Mile. Although, Greene is most famous for his turn as Kicking Bird in Dances With Wolves. And his performance in the supporting role earned him an Oscar nomination.
10 Lenny Summers (Harron Atkins)
Who could ever forget our favorite and dear Lenny boy? While he is the youngest member of the crew, the guy is very capable. And Harron Atkins brought him to life.
Atkins is no stranger to the Rockstar community. He was featured in 2013's Grand Theft Auto 5 as one of the local population of Los Santos, and he has quite a portfolio on his official IMDb account. Aside from video games, Harron has an appearance credit on a comedy short Adventure Capital and bio-drama Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story.
9 Uncle (James A. McBride)
Actually, John O'Creagh was the original motion-capture actor for Uncle, but unfortunately, he passed away from a blood clot complication during the game's production in 2016. To pay tribute, Rockstar named one of the lakes on the game after him, O'Creagh's Run, and it's filled with valuable gold bars, too!
After his passing, Rockstar appointed James A. McBride to portray Uncle. Before Red Dead, he's known for his roles on Blindspot (2015) and The Homecoming (2017). Let's hope he doesn't catch lumbago in real life.
8 Simon Pearson (Jim Santangeli)
Looking to upgrade your satchel? Then Simon Pearson is your kind of guy. He's the lead cook and butcher of the gang, and even after its break-up, Pearson still holds a picture of his old family dearly at his general store in Rhodes. From all gang members, he's the only person who's never participated in the life of crime.
Jim Santangeli is the one responsible for bringing this character. In real-life, Jim has a couple of prestigious titles under his belt, including HBO's Paterno (2018) and satirical cartoon, Our Cartoon President. Both were released in 2018, the same year as Red Dead Redemption 2.
7 Hosea Matthews (Curzon Dobell)
For over 20 years, Hosea Matthews has been Dutch's right-hand man, and if it wasn't for him, God only knows how far Dutch could go with his unlimited plan of plans. The two met after both tried to steal from each other and laughed it off - one of several fascinating origin stories for the gang members.
Before portraying Hosea for Red Dead Redemption 2, Curzon Dobell was known for CBS' Bull, The Post, and Netflix's House of Cards. He was also featured as a side character on Ken Woodruff-directed The Enemy Within for one episode.
6 Abigail Marston (Cali Elizabeth Moore)
Before being introduced by Uncle to the Van der Linde gang, Abigail Roberts scrapped her way in bars and brothels of the West to make ends meet. She allegedly had slept with all the gang members, but eventually found a place to call home in John Marston.
On the first Red Dead Redemption, Abigail was motion-captured by Sophia Marzocchi, famous for her works on Divergent (2014) and Small Town Saturday Night (2010). On its sequel, Cali Moore took her place, and she has a couple of pretty decent titles on her resume, notably 2012 30 Rock and Broad City.
5 Micah Bell III (Peter Blomquist)
You're not the only player who hates Micah the Rat. After the game's release, spoiler alert, the actor himself, Peter Blomquist, has received some kind of 'hatred-love' among the fans, and he humbly thanked the fans and accepted the compliment.
As a matter of fact, Red Dead Redemption 2 wasn't the first time Peter has voiced for Rockstar. On LA Noire, he portrayed Dr. Harlan Fontaine, another main antagonist for the series. Either way, all credit to him for bringing such a complicated, hateable, and most loathed antagonist character to life.
4 Sadie Adler (Alex McKenna)
In the age of strong female video game characters, Sadie Adler is the pinnacle of them all. Before joining the gang, she was just a ranch woman, but her innocence slowly turned into a hell-bent desire for revenge after the O'Driscoll men robbed her of her ranch and took the life of her husband.
If you love her character, you'll have to thank Alex McKenna for that. You're probably familiar with her face, as she was featured as a major or a supporting character on so many titles, including sitcoms The Stupids (1996), You Wish (1997), and CW's teen drama 90210.
3 Dutch Van Der Linde (Benjamin Byron Davis)
Complicated. Unpredictable. Tortuous. Tangled. Perplexing. These words are what represent Dutch van der Linde best. Love him or hate him, he easily belongs to the Mount Rushmore of the Red Dead 2 characters.
Since the first Redemption game, Dutch was portrayed by Benjamin Byron Davis. He's no stranger to Rockstar games as he's previously voiced Paul Kadarowski on LA Noire and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas as one of the pedestrians and radio commercial guys. Aside from video games, Benjamin has landed himself a couple of cameos on TV series, notably How I Met Your Mother and Desperate Housewives.
2 John Marston (Rob Wiethoff)
Another character that can not be crossed is John Marston, who served as one of the main protagonists on both Red Dead Redemption games. He was born in 1873 to a Scottish immigrant father and a prostitute mother who died during his labor. After his father's passing at the age of eight, young John was sent into an orphanage, only for him to eventually leave it to make his own luck in the streets before meeting Dutch.
Rob Wiethoff is the man behind John. Aside from his work on Red Dead Redemption, he also featured in an action-packed thriller movie, 16 Blocks, in 2006. He also met his wife, Tayler, during the development of the first Redemption. The two married in 2011.
1 Arthur Morgan (Roger Clark)
The last but, hopefully, not least, is Arthur Morgan, another of Dutch's best protégés. Along with John and Miss Grimshaw, he was one of the gang's first original members. Young Arthur was not a stranger to the life of crime, as his father, Lyle Morgan, was a well-respected outlaw before he was arrested for burglary in 1874. Growing up without his biological father, Arthur had a complicated love-hate relationship between him and Lyle and eventually saw Dutch as an ideal surrogate father figure.
Roger Clark is the man behind the scenes (or, behind the motion-capture suit). Before Redemption II, Roger was featured in the war-themed game Shellshock 2: Blood Trails as the voice of Sgt. Jack Griffin.