Ned Armstrong Luke (born October 4, 1958) is an American actor. He is known for portraying Michael De Santa in the 2013 video game Grand Theft Auto V.[1] Luke also voiced Raffles in the animated movie Rover Dangerfield. He has appeared in 29 movies and television shows as well as over 100 commercials.
Ned Luke | |
|---|---|
 Luke in 2024 | |
| Born | October 4, 1958 Danville, Illinois, U.S. |
| Other names | Ned von Leuck |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active |
|
| Spouse |
Amy Sax (m. 1997) |
| Children | 1 |
Early life
editNed Luke was born on October 4, 1958[2][3] in Danville, Illinois, to Cindy (née Smith) and Fred Luke.[citation needed]
Career
editLuke's first major voice role was in Rover Dangerfield, where he played a sheepdog named Raffles opposite Rodney Dangerfield. He was cast as a guest star in several TV shows throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, and has appeared in about 100 television commercials featuring products such as Budweiser and Burger King.
In 2007, having grown disenchanted with show business and desiring that his son experience where he grew up, Luke decided to take a break from acting and moved his family from Los Angeles to his hometown of Danville, where he opened a restaurant with his brother. After two years, he decided to return to acting and he and his family moved to Ossining, New York. His agent suggested he audition for the role of Michael De Santa, one of the three protagonists of Rockstar Games' 2013 video game Grand Theft Auto V. Luke initially scoffed at the idea of being in a video game, but after reading the script he decided to proceed with the audition and, alongside Shawn Fonteno and Steven Ogg, was eventually cast.[4] Grand Theft Auto V went on to set several sales records and has become the 2nd highest grossing video game in history.[5]
He continued to work with Rockstar Games after the release of Grand Theft Auto V, providing uncredited voice work on the 2018 game Red Dead Redemption 2. Luke also guest starred on Boardwalk Empire.[6]
Personal life
editLuke has been married to his wife Amy Sax, since 1997.[7] Together, they have a son.[1]
On November 23, 2023, Luke was swatted during a Thanksgiving livestream of Grand Theft Auto Online on his YouTube channel. While some fans accused Rockstar Games of failing to protect players' IP addresses, Luke refuted these claims and attributed the incident to his personal information being previously leaked online.[8][9]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | The Bear | Football Player | |
| 1991 | Rover Dangerfield | Raffles | Voice only, supporting role |
| 1996 | The Nutty Professor | Construction Worker | Uncredited |
| 1999 | Citation of Merit | Sergeant Smith | Short film |
| 2017 | American Gothic | Bill |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Angel Street | Officer | Episode: "The Blonde in the Pond" |
| 1994 | Guiding Light | Sheriff | 2 episodes |
| 1995 | NYPD Blue | Lawyer | Episode: "Cold Heaters" |
| 1996 | Murder One | Conspiracy Guy | Episode: "Chapter Eleven" |
| 1996 | Renegade | Andy Warwick | Episode: "The Milk Carton Kid" |
| 1997 | On the Line | Officer Al | Television film |
| 1997 | The Burning Zone | 2nd Officer | Episode: "Critical Mass" |
| 1997 | High Incident | Gary Butterworth | Episode: "Remote Control" |
| 1999 | General Hospital | Body Guard | 2 episodes |
| 1999 | City Guys | Lonnie Collins | Episode: "Miracle on 134th Street and Lexington Avenue" |
| 2000 | The Pretender | David Arnold | Episode: "Junk" |
| 2000 | JAG | Senior Chief Petty Officer Bracken | Episode: "Drop Zone" |
| 2000 | The Huntress | Detective Ellard | Episode: "The Kid" |
| 2000 | Diagnosis Murder | Timmons | Episode: "The Patient Detective" |
| 2002 2003 2013 |
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Mr. Wilmont Roger Swanson Mr. Thurber |
Season 3: "Popular" Season 4: "Mercy" Season 15: "Surrender Benson" |
| 2004 | Third Watch | Ron Connelly | Episode: "Greatest Detectives in the World" |
| 2005 | As the World Turns | Detective Langstorm | 2 episodes |
| 2005 | Jonny Zero | Officer Muncie | Episode: "To Serve and to Protect" |
| 2002–2005 | All My Children | Fire Chief / Private Investigator | 3 episodes |
| 2005 | Law & Order | Ken Cosgrove | Episode: "New York Minute" |
| 2009 | Katana | Executive | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2013 | Boardwalk Empire | Boorish Man | Episode: "All In" |
| 2015 | Unfiltered | Randolph Wiley | Lead role, unreleased |
Video games
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Grand Theft Auto V | Michael De Santa | Voice and motion capture |
| 2018 | Red Dead Redemption 2 | Various strangers | Voice unreleased, motion capture |
Commercials
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Asus | - | Republic of Gamers | [10] |
Accolades
edit| Year | Nominee/work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Grand Theft Auto V | Behind the Voice Actors Award for Best Vocal Ensemble in a Video Game | Nominated |
References
edit- ^ a b Gaudiosi, John. "Preview: 'GTA V' actor Ned Luke talks". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on October 18, 2014. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
- ^ Luke, Ned [@ned_luke] (October 18, 2013). "55 is the new 35 bitches" (Tweet). Archived from the original on April 2, 2021. Retrieved April 2, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ Luke, Ned [@ned_luke] (October 5, 2020). "Thanks all y'all for the birthday wishes. Much appreciated" (Tweet). Archived from the original on April 2, 2021. Retrieved April 2, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ Molina, Brett. "Interview: Crime pays for 'Grand Theft Auto V' actors". USA Today. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
- ^ Chalk, Andy (November 7, 2017). "Grand Theft Auto 5 is the best-selling videogame of all time in the US". PC Gamer.
- ^ Furn, Daniel (September 8, 2022). "GTA 5 voice actors: Full cast and where you know them from". Radio Times. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
- ^ Luke, Ned [@ned_luke] (November 12, 2022). "She's put up with me for 25 years now...Happy Anniversary to my much better half #Amy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️" (Tweet). Retrieved September 7, 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ Phillips, Tom (November 24, 2023). "GTA 5 Michael actor Ned Luke swatted while playing on Thanksgiving stream". Eurogamer. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
- ^ Dinsdale, Ryan (November 24, 2023). "Actor Who Played Michael in GTA 5 Swatted While Streaming, Defends Rockstar Despite Fan Outcry". IGN. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
- ^ Prescott, Lane (August 16, 2024). "ROG teams up with iconic voice actors in cheeky new video". Asus (ROG). Archived from the original on September 6, 2024. Retrieved September 6, 2024.