Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War takes players back to the 1980s as a direct sequel to the first Black Ops title, released in 2010. Fans of the popular subseries noticed pre-release in the cutscene below that mainstays in the series are returning, but there was something noticeably off about them.
Each character returning has been recast with new voice actors. Here are all of the major voice actors in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War.
Chris Payne Gilbert – Alex Mason
Taking over the role of Alex Mason, the protagonist in the first Black Ops game, is Chris Payne Gilbert. Lucifer fans recognize him, as he has played John Decker since 2016 in that show as well as Todd in 10 Items or Less. While this is his first credited video game role, he has also appeared in Sex and the City, Suits, Criminal Minds, Dexter, three CSI shows, Charmed, and quite a few other recognizable shows.
Piotr Michael – Jason Hudson
In every game that Jason Hudson appears in, he is played by a new actor. In the first Black Ops game, it was Ed Harris, who has played many great characters in movies over the years. In Black Ops II, it was the iconic Michael Keaton (Beetlejuice, Batman, Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming, etc.).
This time around, the CIA agent is played by Piotr Michael. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is not his first credited video game role. He has also appeared in Outer Worlds as Phineas Welles, Doom Eternal, Rage 2, Kingdom Hearts 3, Black Ops 4, World of Warcraft, and quite a few other big-time video games. Outside of games, he is the voice of Rufus in Bill & Ted Face the Music while also appearing in Wizards, the Where’s Waldo series, Family Guy, and The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle, among other titles.
Damon Victor Allen – Frank Woods
Replacing James C. Burns as the usual voice of Frank Woods is Damon Victor Allen. Allen seems to just be getting his game acting career going, with Black Ops Cold War being his first credited video game role. He has also appeared in Young Sheldon, Silicon Valley, Westworld, Flipped, and Perry Mason.
Bruce Thomas – Russell Adler
Bruce Thomas is the voice of Russell Adler, a newly introduced secret agent in Black Ops Cold War. He is the main leader in the fight to take down Perseus. He puts together the team of operatives to take part in the mission.
Thomas made appearances as Sid Redburn in Gears Tactics, Colonel Ezra P. Loomis in Gears of War: Judgement, and he gave his voice to varying characters in Rise of the Tomb Raider, Fallout 4, and Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. He was also the motion capture actor for Master Chief in Halo 4 and Halo 5: Guardians.
Thomas has a history of voicing Commissioner Jim Gordon in multiple Batman animated movies, along with General Zod and Darkseid in Justice League: Gods and Monsters. In theatrical releases, he has appeared Legally Blonde and Legally Blonde 2, Hall Pass, and Army of Darkness.
Navid Negahban – Perseus
Navid Negahban plays the main antagonist in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, who goes by the alias Perseus. He is a Soviet spy and looks up to ideals of Imran Zakhaev. He wants to end the United States run as a leading country in the world and make the Soviet Union the sole world power.
This is not Negahban’s first time appearing in Black Ops; he provided the voices for various NPCs in Black Ops II. He has also appeared in Assassins Creed: Revelations, Medal of Honor (2010), Prince of Persia: Forgotten Sands, and the Netflix Castlevania series as Sala.
Negahban is probably best recognized as playing the Sultan in the live-action remake of Disney’s Aladdin and Abu Nazir in Homeland. He has also appeared in 12 Strong, American Sniper, FX’s Legion, and Charlie Wilson’s War.
Damon Dayoub – Eleazar “Lazar” Azoulay
Damon Dayoub plays Lazar, a Middle East CIA specialist. He is picked by Russell Adler personally to hunt down Perseus.
Dayoub has had a few voice acting credits in past video games, including Nemesis in Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, various NPCs in Red Dead Redemption II, and more various NPCs in Halo Wars 2.
Dayoub is best known for playing Adam Eshel in NCIS, Detective Quincy Fisher in Stitchers, and he has appeared in multiple other television series, including Chicago Fire, Dallas, and Suits.
Reggie Watkins – Lawrence Sims
Reggie Watkins lends his voice to Lawrence Sims. He is a tech guru and one of Russell Adler’s favorite people to work with. The only other video game Watkins has been credited for is for multiple voices in The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners.
Watkins is best known for appearing in This Is Us, Bosch, Justified, and Key and Peele in side roles.
Lily Cowles – Helen Park
Lily Cowles voices Helen Park, an MI6 operative who has worked with Russell Adler in the past. Although she cooperates with the CIA, MI6 comes first for her.
Cowles is best known for playing Germaine Healy in BrainDead and Isobel Evans in Roswell, New Mexico. She has also appeared in Jones vs. the World, Joe Goes to Therapy, and Enchantments.
