Half-Life 2 Vortigaunts Voice Actor Louis Gossett Jr Has Died

Groundbreaking actor Louis Gossett Jr, known within the video game community for his work in Half-Life 2, has passed away at the age of 87. The initial voice of the Vortigaunts from the Half-Life franchise, Gossett Jr leaves behind an illustrious career that includes Broadway, television, and movies. At the time of writing, no cause of death has been disclosed following the announcement of his passing on March 29, 2024.

Louis Gossett Jr’s acting career spanned over 70 years, having gotten his start on stage. It wasn’t until 1977 that his work on screen received critical acclaim when he was nominated for an Emmy Award for his role in the TV miniseries Roots. He had also acted in now-classic TV shows such as The Jeffersons and Good Times. For his role in the 1982 movie An Officer and a Gentleman, Gossett Jr became the first black man to win an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Much more recently, he was seen in the 2019 Watchmen TV series as Will Reeves/Hooded Justice.

As the voice of the Vortigaunt alien race in Half-Life 2 and Half-Life 2: Episode One, Gossett Jr’s time in video game voice acting was short-lived compared to the rest of his career. The role of the Vortigaunts went to Candyman actor Tony Todd for subsequent installments in the Half-Life franchise, Half Life 2: Episode 2 and Half-Life: Alyx. Gossett Jr went on to appear in yet more TV shows and films following his stint in video games, including 2023's The Color Purple, with a few other projects to be released posthumously.

Though nearly 20 years old, Half-Life 2 is a staple of the shooter genre and is still considered to be worth playing in 2024. The game was a follow-up to the 1998 original Half-Life, and cemented the franchise as indispensable among fans of the genre. Despite the community clamoring for a potential Half-Life 3 and a mysterious trademark that spawned rumors back in 2022, developer Valve seems to have no plans to produce a third installment, or at least it's being very quiet about it.

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