# Neil Newbon

Neil Christie Newbon (born 14 August 1977) is an English actor known for voicing Elijah Kamski and Gavin Reed in Detroit: Become Human, Nicholai Ginovaef and Karl Heisenberg in Resident Evil, Zeon in Xenoblade Chronicles 3 and Astarion in Baldur's Gate 3, for which he won the Game Award for Best Performance.

## Early life

Neil Christie Newbon was born in Birmingham on 14 August 1977, the son of sports presenter Gary Newbon. He is of Scottish descent on his mother's side and Belarusian descent on his father's side. His sister Claire is a journalist, while his twin brother Laurence is a cameraman. He played football as a teenager, usually as a goalkeeper.

## Career

In 1998, Newbon appeared in the BBC Two comedy series Goodness Gracious Me as James, a waiter in the show's notable "Going for an English" sketch. He has appeared in numerous films. He voiced a tank driver in Jackboots on Whitehall. He starred in the music videos for the Now Voyager Mix of "You Got the Love" by The Source and Candi Staton in 2006 and "Kingdom of Rust" by Doves in 2009. In 2012, he joined the cast of the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks as Simon Walker.
Since 2012, Newbon has provided the voice and motion capture for numerous video game characters, including Elijah Kamski and Gavin Reed in Detroit: Become Human, Nicholai Ginovaef in Resident Evil 3, Karl Heisenberg in Resident Evil Village, he provided gameplay capture as well as emote performances for multiple characters in the PS5 game Destruction AllStars in 2020 and Astarion in Baldur's Gate 3. For his performance as Astarion, he won Best Performance at the 2023 Game Awards, as well as the Golden Joystick for Best Supporting Performer.
Newbon is a co-founder of the training facility Performance Captured Academy, which offers courses on motion capture for aspiring actors.

## Personal life

Newbon married film director China Moo-Young in October 2012, and they had one daughter together before divorcing in 2015. He confirmed that he was in a relationship with his Performance Captured Academy co-founder Saleta Losada in 2018, and they were married in June 2023.
Newbon has trained in various martial arts for over 16 years, including kung fu (in the styles Crane, Shaolin, Snake, and Tiger), kickboxing, judo, and Wadō-ryū karate.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2001 | The Discovery of Heaven | Quinten | |
| 2006 | The Last Drop | Cpl. Rhys Powell | |
| 2006 | Are You Ready for Love? | Rob | |
| 2008 | Beyond the Rave | Nikolai | Direct-to-video |
| 2010 | Jackboots on Whitehall | Tank Driver | Voice |
| 2014 | Extinction | Rob | |
| 2016 | Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV | Petra Fortis | Voice English dub Also motion capture for Nyx Ulric |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1993 | Chris Cross | Garrett | Episode: "Saturday Night" |
| 1997 | Wycliffe | Rob Tyzack | Episode: "Close to Home" |
| 1998 | Goodness Gracious Me | James | Uncredited 1 episode |
| 1998–2007 | The Bill | Ian Robbins, Dominic Mileham, Gavin Sullivan, Billy Peters | 7 episodes |
| 1999 | Dalziel and Pascoe | ET | Episode: "Time to Go" |
| 2000 | Rhona | Art Model | Episode: "The Happy Jeans" |
| 2000 | Queen of Swords | Anton | Episode: "The Witness" |
| 2002 | Stranded | Ernst Robinson | Television film |
| 2002 | As If | Seb | 2 episodes |
| 2003 | The Afternoon Play | Malcolm Haye | Episode: "Turkish Delight" |
| 2003–04 | Dream Team | Luke Davenport | 19 episodes |
| 2009 | Holby City | Gavin Sheldon | Episode: "Take Her Breath Away" |
| 2009 | Henry VIII: The Mind of a Tyrant | Lord Mounjoy, Culpepper's Inquisitor | 2 episodes |
| 2009 | New Tricks | Justin Milburn | Episode: "Blood Is Thicker Than Water" |
| 2009, 2014 | Doctors | Kenny Foulton, Michael Faulks | 2 episodes |
| 2010 | I Shouldn't Be Alive | Steve Callahan | Episode: "76 Days Adrift" |
| 2012–13 | Hollyoaks | Simon Walker | 63 episodes |
| 2012 | Hollyoaks Later | Simon Walker | 4 episodes |
| 2015 | Residue | Osbourne, Keller's Aide | 3 episodes |
| 2016 | Locked Up Abroad | Matthew VanDyke | Episode: "Gaddafi's American Prisoner" |
| 2017 | Casualty | Father Anthony Bridge | 1 episode |

### Video games

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2012 | The Secret World | John Galahad, Thutmose, Father Lucian, Adrian Zorlescu | |
| 2014 | Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 | — | Motion capture |
| 2015 | Until Dawn | — | Motion capture |
| 2017 | Spacelords | Additional Voices | |
| 2017 | Elite Dangerous | Commander James Jameson | |
| 2017 | Planet of the Apes: Last Frontier | Bryn, Mikey, Additional Voices | |
| 2018 | Detroit: Become Human | Elijah Kamski, Gavin Reed | Also motion capture |
| 2018 | Strange Brigade | — | Motion capture |
| 2018 | Forza Horizon 4 | — | Motion capture |
| 2019 | We Happy Few | Nick Lightbearer | Lightbearer DLC |
| 2020 | Resident Evil 3 | Nicholai Ginovaef | Also motion capture for Brad Vickers, Nemesis and Robert Kendo |
| 2020 | Resident Evil: Resistance | Nicholai Ginovaef | Also motion capture |
| 2020 | Beyond a Steel Sky | Alonso | |
| 2021 | OnlyCans: Thirst Date | Shize™ Liquorliscious, Shize™ Sunset Molasses | Also voice direction |
| 2021 | Resident Evil Village | Karl Heisenberg | Also motion capture Also Shadows of Rose DLC |
| 2022 | Star Wars: The Old Republic | Cyborg, Additional Voices | Legacy of the Sith and Disorder DLC |
| 2022 | Xenoblade Chronicles 3 | Zeon | |
| 2023 | Deliver Us Mars | Isaac | |
| 2023 | Final Fantasy XVI | Additional Voices | |
| 2023 | Baldur's Gate 3 | Astarion | Also motion capture |
| 2023 | Warframe | Fibonacci | |
| 2024 | Fallout: London | Barry the Boat | |
| 2024 | Vampire Survivors | Dracula | Ode to Castlevania DLC |
| 2024 | Warframe | Viktor Vodyanoi |

### Stage

| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Notes |
| 2025 | Dungeons & Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavern | Mage | Stage 42 | Featured player |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 2023 | Golden Joystick Awards | Best Supporting Performer | Baldur's Gate 3 | Won |
| 2023 | The Game Awards | Best Performance | Baldur's Gate 3 | Won |
| 2024 | New York Game Awards | Great White Way Award for Best Acting in a Game | Baldur's Gate 3 | Nominated |
| 2024 | D.I.C.E. Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Character | Baldur's Gate 3 | Nominated |
| 2024 | British Academy Games Awards | Performer in a Leading Role | Baldur's Gate 3 | Nominated |