Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim voice actors revealed

Elder Scrolls fans holding out hope of hearing the soothing deep bass of British acting legend Patrick Stewart in the next instalment of the role-playing franchise will have to brace themselves for disappointment, as Bethesda has announced an entirely new cast of film, TV, and theatre actors who will lend their voices to the upcoming Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

The new cast will include Academy Award nominees Max Von Sydow, Joan Allen, and Christopher Plummer. Plummer (The Sound of Music, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) is a two-time Emmy Award winner, a two-time Tony Award winner, and an Academy Award nominee. He will take on the role of Arngeir, a powerful Greybeard elder part of an order of philosopher monks who live in silent isolation on Skyrim’s largest mountain.

Von Sydow (The Exorcist, Minority Report) will star as Esbern, a chronicler and agent of the Blades who has survived in hiding. Allen (The Contender, The Bourne Ultimatum) will make her gaming debut as Delphine, one of the last remaining members of the Blades, an ancient warrior society once sworn to protect the emperor.

Bethesda also revealed others who will round out the 70-strong voice cast for Skyrim: actress and singer Lynda Carter (Wonder Woman), who will voice Nord hero Gormlaith Golden-Hilt; Michael Hogan (Battlestar Galactica), who will voice Imperial General Tullius, in charge of crushing the Stormcloak rebellion; Vladimir Kulich (The 13th Warrior, Smoking Aces), who will play Hogan's nemesis, Ulfric Stormcloak; Claudia Christian (Babylon 5), who will play Legate Rikke, General Tullius' chief lieutenant; Diane Louise Salinger (Carnivale); Renee Victor (Weeds); and George Coe (Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Saturday Night Live).

For more on The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim--due out on the PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 on November 11--check out GameSpot's most recent preview of the game and the live stage demo from the 2011 Electronic Entertainment Expo, embedded below.