David Bateson
David Bateson (born 9 February 1960) is a British actor and comedian. He is best known for providing the voice of Agent 47, the protagonist of IO Interactive's stealth video game series Hitman, having played the role since the year 2000 in each of the franchise's eight main games. He has also served as a voice for commercials advertising various Lego brands.[1]
Biography
Bateson was born on 9 February 1960, in Durban, South Africa, to English parents.[2] He entered the acting profession before returning to the UK in 1984. He later moved to Canada and now lives in Copenhagen, Denmark. He is also a full member of British Equity and Danish Actors' Union.[3]
He landed his first role[citation needed] in the 1994 film Prince of Jutland as Hother. He also played the part of a young sailor in the 1996 film Breaking the Waves, along with the main role in the 2002 short film Debutanten.
In the Hitman game series, Bateson provided the voice of Agent 47 and in every entry in the series until the fifth game, Hitman: Absolution, when he stated to a member of a Hitman fan forum that "No one from IO Interactive is answering my calls, e-mails or SMS."[4] Bateson would later officially confirm on his personal website that he had been "unceremoniously dropped from the franchise", and added that he was unable to make further comments due to "legal reasons".[5] Bateson did eventually return as the voice of Agent 47 in Hitman: Absolution.[6][7] On 16 June 2015, just one day after the announcement of Hitman (2016), Bateson confirmed that he would once again be voicing Agent 47 in the new title via Twitter.[8]
Bateson also voiced Virgil in the 2020 indie game Lightmatter, his first non-Hitman video game voice role.[9]
Filmography
- Den Enes Død (1994)
- Carl Th. Dreyer: My Métier (1995) (documentary)
- Kun en Pige (1995) – Korrespondent
- Krystalbarnet (1996)
- Spoon River (1996)
- Another You (1997)
- Midnight Angels (1998)
- Debutanten (2002) (short) - Bill
- Langt fra Las Vegas (2001–2003) – Irer
- A Royal Family (TV, 2003) – Narrator (English version)
- The Core (2005) (documentary) – Niels Bohr
- Hero of God (2006)
- Anna Pihl (TV, 1 episode, 2008) – Mr.Reed
- Klovn (TV, 1 episode, 2008) – Dave
- Disco Ormene (2008) – Voice
- Maj & Charlie (TV, 1 episode, 2008) – Fitness Chef
- Aurum (2008) – Mark Boland
- Livvagterne (TV, 5 episodes, 2010) – Shane
- The Dark Side of Chocolate (2010) (documentary) - Narrator
- Borgen (TV, 2 episodes, 2010 - 2011) – Additional voices
- The Micro Debt (2011) (documentary) - Narrator
- The Life and Death of Thomas Simeon (2011) – Narrator (voice)
- A Tribute to J. J. Abrams (2013) (short) – Voice of Bouncer
- Taming the Quantum World (2013) (documentary) - Narrator
- Aftenshowet (TV, 2 episodes, 2013 - 2014) – Himself
- Exodus: Humanity Has A Price (2014) – Commander
- Monte Carlo Elsker USA (2014) – Speaker
- Upstart (2014)
- Huldra: Lady of the Forest (2016) – Mike
- Digital Romance (2016) (short) – Kane
- Bitter Grapes (2016) (documentary) - Narrator
- Ø (TV, 5 episodes, 2016) - Tommy
- Real Life Hitman (2016) (short) - Agent 47 (voice)
- The Messenger (short, 2018) – Narrator / Boss
- Below the Surface (TV, 1 episode, 2019) - British newsreader (voice)
- Breeder (2020) - Speaker
- Kamikaze (TV, 1 episode, 2021) - Bengt
- The Orchestra (TV, 3 episodes, 2022) - Mablewood
- The Exigency II: Course of Action (TBA) - Hideout Guard (voice)
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Prince of Jutland | Hother | |
| 1996 | Breaking the Waves | Young Sailor | |
| 2000 | Help! I'm a Fish | Commander Shark, General Crab[10] | Voice |
| 2002 | One Hell of a Christmas | Tommy | |
| 2003 | Stealing Rembrandt | Stor Mand | |
| 2008 | Sunshine Barry and the Disco Worms | Jimmy, Manager, Nature Speaker[10] | Voice |
| 2009 | Headhunter | Dr. Leipmann | |
| 2011 | Freddy Frogface | Bardini, Blacksmith, Carlo Androkles, Ole Antonioni[10] | Voice |
| 2012 | Ivan the Incredible | Butcher, Teacher, Grumpy Fisherman[10] | Voice |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Hitman: Codename 47 | Agent 47[10] | |
| 2002 | Hitman 2: Silent Assassin | Agent 47, Agent 17 | |
| 2004 | Hitman: Contracts | Agent 47[10] | |
| 2006 | Hitman: Blood Money | ||
| 2012 | Hitman: Absolution | ||
| 2016 | Hitman | ||
| 2018 | Hitman 2 | ||
| 2020 | Lightmatter | Virgil[11] | |
| 2021 | Hitman 3 | Agent 47 |
References
- ^ "'Hitman' Voice Actor David Bateson Reveals His Real-Life Hitman Past". Player.One. 23 February 2017. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
- ^ . Thegamingliberty.com. 21 October 2010. Archived from the original on 22 August 2011. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
- ^ "Complete CV for David Bateson". Official website of David Bateson. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
- ^ Beefjack.com 11 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Home". Davidbateson.dk. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
- ^ Usher, William (2012). "David Bateson Returns To Voice Agent 47 in Hitman: Absolution". Cinema Blend.
- ^ Rougeau, Michael (25 October 2012). ""Hitman: Absolution" Goes on US Tour, Creepy Guy From "Lost" is Playing as Agent 47". Complex.
- ^ David Bateson [@ImDavidBateson] (16 June 2015). "@Metalchamp1995 yo Mario - yes I am! I'm just relieved to be able to say it out loud. Can't wait" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Lightmatter - Let's Play Lightmatter: David Bateson - Steam News". store.steampowered.com. 24 April 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f "Behind the Voice Actors – David Bateson". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
- ^ "Lightmatter on Steam". store.steampowered.com. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
External links
- Official website
- David Bateson at IGDB.com
- David Bateson at IMDb