Ellen McLain
{{short description|American voice actress (born 1952 or 1953)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Ellen McLain
| image = Ellen McLain by Gage Skidmore.jpg
| caption = McLain at the 2017 Game On Expo
| birth_date = {{birth based on age as of date |64 |2017|08|25}}{{cite news | newspaper=The Olympian (Washington) | date=August 25, 2017 | page=W3 | last=Gilmore | first=Molly | title=Seattle star steps into new genre}}
| birth_place = Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
| occupation = Voice actress
| spouse = {{marriage|John Patrick Lowrie|1986}}
| website = {{URL|ellenmclain.net}}
| years_active = 2004–present
}}
Ellen McLain (born 1952 or 1953) is an American voice actress. She is best known for providing the voice of GLaDOS, the primary antagonist of the Portal video game series, the Combine Overwatch AI in Half-Life 2, and the Administrator, the announcer in Team Fortress 2. Her voice roles also include the Jaeger A.I. in Pacific Rim{{cite web|url=http://kotaku.com/how-glad0s-is-glad0s-in-pacific-rim-pretty-glad0s-636252650|title=How GLaDOS is GLaDOS in Pacific Rim?|last=Hamilton|first=Kirk|date=July 1, 2013|website=Kotaku|access-date=April 19, 2014}} and The Witch in Left 4 Dead 2.
Career
McLain provides voices for many characters in several video games from Valve. Among them are GLaDOS, the primary antagonist of the Portal video game series (for which she won an AIAS Interactive Achievement Award for Outstanding Achievement in Character Performance), the announcer in Team Fortress 2; and the voice of the Combine Overwatch for the Half-Life series.{{cite web|url=http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/831/831900p1.html|title=GLaDOS Speaks|first=Dameon|last=Hatfield|date=October 3, 2007|access-date=January 24, 2010|publisher=IGN}}
McLain sang "Still Alive" and "Want You Gone", the ending credits songs to Portal and Portal 2, respectively, both of which were written by Jonathan Coulton.{{cite web|title=Game Music Showdown: Mirror's Edge Vs. Portal|url=http://music.ign.com/articles/922/922638p2.html|publisher=IGN|access-date=August 25, 2009|date=October 2, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091221091929/http://music.ign.com/articles/922/922638p2.html|archive-date=December 21, 2009}} She also sang "Cara Mia Addio" at the end of Portal 2.{{cite web|title=Portal 2 Turret Opera|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kPyGvqNn4Y|publisher=Valve|access-date=June 15, 2011|date=April 1, 2011}} In December 2011, McLain won the Spike Video Game Award in the category "Best Performance by a Human Female" for her voice acting as GLaDOS in Portal 2.{{cite web|url=http://www.spike.com/articles/6aoa62/vgx-2013-every-vga-winner-from-years-past|title=EVERY VGA WINNER FROM YEARS PAST|author=Video Game Awards|publisher=SPIKE|date=December 1, 2011|access-date=February 5, 2017}}
In 2013, she lent her public support to gathering donations for the Kickstarter-funded LGBT gaming convention GaymerX.{{cite web|last1=Polansky|first1=Lana|title=Ellen McLain Summons GLaDOS to Voice Support for GaymerCon|url=https://www.gameranx.com/updates/id/8191/article/ellen-mclain-summons-glados-to-voice-support-for-gaymercon|website=Gameranx|date=July 27, 2012 |access-date=September 12, 2014}} She later was a special guest at the convention in August 2013. In 2014, she portrayed Fairy Godmother in the online video series [Wish It Inc.].{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3572838/|title=Wish It Inc. (2014) – IMDb|website=IMDb }} In 2015, she portrayed Lisa Clarke in the gay independent film, Winning Dad.{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3030580/|title=Winning Dad (2015) – IMDb|website=IMDb }} This film was also promoted on McLain's YouTube channel.
McLain has played roles in many radio dramas on the radio program Imagination Theatre.{{cite web |url=https://mailchi.mp/4e681ca8808f/video-games-and-audio-dramas-meet-at-imagination-theater |website= Imagination Theatre |title=Video Games and Audio Dramas Meet at Imagination Theater |date=2020 |access-date= March 10, 2020}}
In 2021, McLain provided the voice of GLaDOS non-canonically, singing a verse in The Chalkeaters’ song "Count to Three" as a cameo.{{Cite web|date=2021-03-29|title=Gabe Newell Makes Cameo In Valve Comedy Song "Count To Three"|url=https://www.thegamer.com/gabe-newell-valve-comedy-song-glados/|access-date=2021-03-31|website=TheGamer|language=en-US}}
In 2022, McLain provided the voice of GLaDOS for the GEICO Insurance ad.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtPwBz30Pww Description: Commercial Cast: COMMERCIAL CAST: Jake Wood as the Gecko Ellen McLain as GLaDOS Andrew Anthony as AVO.]
Personal life
McLain has been married to fellow voice actor John Patrick Lowrie since 1986.{{cite web|title=Married to John Patrick Lowrie|url=http://johnpatricklowriebooks.com/about-john|access-date=October 7, 2016|archive-date=January 19, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220119183713/http://johnpatricklowriebooks.com/about-john/|url-status=dead}} McLain now spends her days as a voice instructor, teaching at local community and children's theaters.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}}
Filmography
= Film =
| class="wikitable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role(s) ! Notes |
|---|
| 2013
| Gipsy Danger AI{{cite web|url=http://kotaku.com/5951086/guillermo-del-toros-next-movie-has-a-little-glados-in-it|title=Guillermo Del Toro's Next Movie Has a Little GlaDOS in It |first= Evan|last=Narcisse|publisher=Kotaku|date=October 1, 2012|access-date=October 13, 2012}} | |
| 2014
| Winning Dad | Lisa Clarke | |
| 2017
| The Gamers: The Shadow Menace | Lorraine Richards | |
| 2018 |
= Web series =
| class="wikitable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role(s) ! Notes |
|---|
| 2014
| NOTGLaDOS{{YouTube|id=oIe1EDExxyg|title=NOTGLaDOS: Fusion vs. Fission}} | "Fusion vs. Fission" |
| 2014
|Wish It Inc. |The Fairy Godmother |12 episodes |
| 2016
|TempBot / Barkeep{{YouTube|id=BwYcdNKY7N8|title=Game}} |"Game" |
| 2017
| Electromagnetic Spectrum: The Musical | NOTGLaDOS{{YouTube|id=OYK7G6r0Pec|title=NOTGLaDOS: Electromagnetic Spectrum The Musical}} | |
| 2021
|Count to Three |The Chalkeaters |
= Video games =
| class="wikitable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role(s) ! Notes |
|---|
| 2004
| rowspan="3" | Combine Overwatch{{cite web|url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Ellen-McLain/|title=Behind the Voice Actors – Ellen McLain|work=behindthevoiceactors.com|access-date=January 2, 2019}} | |
| 2006
| |
| rowspan="3"| 2007
| |
| Portal
| GLaDOS / Turrets / Curiosity Core / Intelligence Core (Cake Core) Portal GCF archives {{Full citation needed|date=October 2016}} | AIAS Interactive Achievement Award for Outstanding Achievement in Character Performance |
| Team Fortress 2
| Also referred to as "The Announcer" or "Helen" |
| 2009
|The Witch |"Wandering Witch" daytime-only soundtrack singing |
| rowspan="3"| 2011
| Portal 2 | Best Performance by a Human Female at the Spike Video Game Awards Sings "Want You Gone" and "Cara Mia Addio" |
| Killing Floor
| Anger Core | As a temporary trader during the games 2011 Potato Fools Day event. |
| Defense Grid: The Awakening
| GLaDOS | "You Monster" DLC |
| 2012
| Dota 2 | Broodmother / Death Prophet / GLaDOS Announcer | |
| 2013
| As the game's card dealer, supporting role |
| 2015
| GLaDOS / Turrets / Cake Core | Supporting role |
| 2017
| |
| 2019
| Rebecca Walker | |
| rowspan="2"| 2020
| Combine Overwatch{{cite web|url=https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/half-life-alyx-cast/|title=Alyx Vance will be voiced by a new actor in Half-Life: Alyx |first= Jody|last=Macgregor|publisher=PC Gamer|date=November 2, 2019|access-date=November 21, 2019}} | |
| Cyberpunk 2077
|As one of Delamain's split personalities, which is modeled after GLaDOS |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- {{Official website}}
- {{IMDb name}}
- {{YouTube|FgTXj1I996k|Ellen McLain speaking}}, Anime Midwest 2011 convention
- {{YouTube|d-1R2sxGnJ0|The VŌC Podcast // Ellen McLain Interview (The voice of GLaDOS, The Administrator, Overwatch)}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:McLain, Ellen}}
Category:American voice actresses
Category:American video game actresses
Category:21st-century American actresses
Category:21st-century American singers
Category:21st-century American women singers