Nolan f'ing North
Between 2007 and 2011 Nolan North starred in nearly 500 different video games. No, that's not true, we made it up because we're too lazy to count the listings on his IMDB page, but it sure felt like that, didn't it? Nearly every AAA release included the voice actor's dulcet tones, breathing charming life into even the dullest of characters. While his omnipresence has waned slightly (in no small part due to Troy Baker's recent rise to gristle-voiced power), he's still a major part of the industry--and responsible for some of our favorite characters of the generation.
Soland South
Sure, Nolan North might not have invented the idea of a character speaking, but he definitely gave a voice to this generation (of white, male protagonists). Without him we might not be seeing the emphasis on motion capture performances that we see today, with developers doing everything they can to create likable, relatable characters instead of generic space marines.
