Michael Shapiro (actor)
Michael Shapiro | |
|---|---|
Shapiro in 2007 | |
| Born | Michael David Shapiro December 29, 1965 |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Mike Shapiro |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, theatre director |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Spouse | Peggy Stafford |
| Children | 2 |
Michael David Shapiro[2] (/ʃəˈpaɪroʊ/ shə-PY-roh[3]) (born December 29, 1965)[4] is an American actor. He is best known for voicing the G-Man and Barney Calhoun in the Half-Life video game series.
Early life
Shapiro was born in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1965, and later moved to Seattle, where he worked for many years in the 1980s and '90s. In 1987, Shapiro helped launch the Annex Theatre in Seattle and performed in many of their productions.[1] In the 1990s, he also did some acting work for Microsoft, including as the voice of McZee in 3D Movie Maker in 1995, and as the host of the MSN Preview in 1996.[5] Shapiro moved to Brooklyn, New York in 2000.[1]
Career
Shapiro is most famous for voicing the G-Man and Barney Calhoun in all of the characters' appearances in the Half-Life series. Other video games in which he is credited as "Mike Shapiro" are Blood II: The Chosen, Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories and Torin's Passage. Shapiro has also voiced many radio and TV commercials. Shapiro is a director of television shows and theater productions, with some of his shows being shown on Strike.TV. In 2007, Shapiro co-directed a TV pilot, Family Values, starring Rob Riggle; the pilot was screened at the New York Television Festival.[6] Shapiro has also acted in recurring roles in television shows, including as Dr. Isaac Haimes in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in the 2024-25 season.[7]
Filmography
Video games
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Super Punch-Out!! | Additional Voices |
| 1995 | Torin's Passage | Torin, Boogle |
| 1997 | Betrayal in Antara | Paolo, Gar Warren, Naku |
| Big Thinkers! Kindergarten | Ben[8] | |
| Spy Fox in "Dry Cereal" | Johnny Gecko | |
| 1998 | Police Quest: SWAT 2 | Sergeant Markossian, Suspect, Gangster, Vehicle Driver |
| Get Medieval | Elf | |
| Half-Life | G-Man, HECU Soldiers, Security Guards, Scientists | |
| Blood II: The Chosen | Ishmael | |
| 1999 | SiN: Wages of Sin | Gianni Manero |
| Starsiege | Squadmate #8 | |
| Half-Life: Opposing Force | Otis, G-Man, Security Guards, Male Black Ops | |
| Gorky 17 | ||
| 2000 | Sanity: Aiken's Artifact | Tiger Cage Guy |
| 2001 | Half-Life: Blue Shift | Otis, Miller, Security Guards |
| Half-Life: Decay | Scientists, Security Guards, | |
| 2004 | Half-Life 2 | G-Man, Barney Calhoun |
| 2005 | Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories | Richard Goblin, Flashback FM Imaging Voice, Commercial Voice |
| 2006 | Half-Life 2: Episode One | G-Man, Barney Calhoun |
| 2007 | Crackdown | Special Agent Camerino, Master Wong, SUV Car |
| Half-Life 2: Episode Two | G-Man | |
| 2008 | Order Up! | Tommy Cheesehead, Salty Sam, Male Chef |
| 2013 | Dota 2 | Oracle |
| Grand Theft Auto V | The Local Population | |
| 2020 | Half-Life: Alyx | G-Man[9] |
| 2022 | Horizon Forbidden West | Javad the Willing, Parallo |
Software
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 3D Movie Maker | McZee | Interactive 3D graphics software for children |
| 1996 | MSN Preview | Michael | Promotional video and interactive software |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Interpol Investigates | Narrator | 12 episodes |
| Shorties Watchin' Shorties | Additional Voices | 13 episodes | |
| 2023 | Law & Order: Organized Crime | Coroner | Episode: "Tag: GEN" |
| 2024–2025 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Dr. Isaac Haimes | 2 episodes |
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Listen Carefully | Christa's deaf son | |
| 1995 | Georgia | Brian | |
| 1999 | The Engagement Party | Matthew | |
| Lovers Lane | Deputy David Schwick | ||
| 2007 | Day Zero | News Announcer (voice) | |
| 2015 | 3rd Street Blackout | Josh | |
| 2019 | The Pulse | Travis | Short film |
References
- ^ a b c Shapiro, Michael. "Mike Shapiro-Bio". Archived from the original on June 21, 2018.
- ^ "The Shadows of Bob and Zelda (1999)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on June 5, 2016. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
- ^ Valve (November 15, 2024). "Half-Life 2: 20th Anniversary Documentary". Retrieved 23 December 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Mike Shapiro | Actor, Director, Additional Crew". IMDb. Archived from the original on 2024-07-23. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
- ^ "MSN Preview video from 1996". YouTube. July 13, 2006. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
- ^ Gough, Paul J. (September 4, 2007). "NYTF opens channel for indies". The Hollywood Reporter. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 29 December 2024. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
- ^ "Dr. Isaac Haimes - Law & Order: Special Victims Unit - TVmaze". TVmaze. Retrieved 2025-06-18.
- ^ "Mike Shapiro (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors (A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information). Archived from the original on 3 February 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
- ^ Macgregor, Jody (2019-11-21). "Alyx Vance will be voiced by a new actor in Half-Life: Alyx". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 2019-11-23. Retrieved 2019-11-21.
External links