Rob Wiethoff

Rob Wiethoff

Rob Wiethoff with his wife Tayler in 2015
Born Robert Allen Wiethoff
(1976-09-15) September 15, 1976
Seymour, Indiana, US
Alma mater Indiana University
Occupation Actor, voice actor
Years active 2006–2013
Spouse(s) Tayler Wiethoff (2011–present)
Children 2

Robert Allen "Rob" Wiethoff (born September 15, 1976) is an American actor. Wiethoff is best known for his role as voice actor and motion capture artist of John Marston in the 2010 video game Red Dead Redemption.

Early life

Wiethoff was born on September 15, 1976 in Seymour, Indiana.[1] His father was a doctor. Wiethoff attended Indiana University and completed a degree in general studies.[2]

Career

While attending Indiana University, Wiethoff began dating a girl, who later moved to Los Angeles, which he then decided to travel to for a week. In Los Angeles, he was convinced by many people that he met that they knew people who could get him acting roles in films, which ultimately convinced him to move and live there. However, all of the promises that he was given about the film roles were never true, and Wiethoff was left working as a bartender.[2] He never received many jobs in acting, other than a few small roles in small films and television advertisements.[3]

In December 2008, Wiethoff was travelling home when he received a call from his agent, telling him that he had an audition for an "untitled video game project". He completed the audition feeling discouraged that he was not going to be given the role. However, a few days later, he received news that he had won the role, and shooting began in January 2009.[4] The project was ultimately titled Red Dead Redemption, developed by Rockstar San Diego and published by Rockstar Games. For the game, Wiethoff provided the voice and motion capture for the main playable protagonist John Marston, a former outlaw. Most of the game's story takes place in 1911, during the twilight of the American Frontier.

Wiethoff's role in Red Dead Redemption received widespread critical acclaim. In 2013, he placed fourth in Game Informer's top 10 best video game voice actors, with a comment that he "[nailed] it."[5] He was also placed second in Complex's top 25 greatest voice acting performances in video games, stating that he "[ended] his performance with undeniable bravado."[6] Wiethoff was also nominated for, and won, several awards for his performance in the game.[7][8]

Despite enjoying his experience working on Red Dead Redemption,[9] Wiethoff has not since pursued acting, only securing a few roles. He says that he is more focused on raising his children and supporting his family.[2]

In August 2013, it was announced that Wiethoff would be the voice of Lazarus in the interactive radio drama Codename Cygnus, developed by Reactive Studios. The episode featuring Wiethoff was released in September 2013.[10][11][12]

Personal life

Wiethoff met his wife Tayler in Los Angeles during development of Red Dead Redemption. Once the game was released, the couple decided to move back to Seymour, Indiana, where Wiethoff grew up, and raised their two children: twin boys, Greyson and Clifton, who were born at approximately 28 weeks, which led to them requiring extensive medical attention following their birth.[2]

Filmography

Video games

Year Title Role
2010 Red Dead Redemption John Marston[13][14]
Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare
2013 Codename Cygnus Lazarus

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2006 16 Blocks Court Officer[15] Credited as "Rob Weithoff"
2009 The Outside Turk[16] Also producer
2010 Red Dead Redemption: The Man from Blackwater John Marston[17] Machinima film made from video game footage
2011 Double Tap Detective Fitzgerald[18]

Awards and nominations

Year Work Award Category Result Ref.
2010 Red Dead Redemption
(as John Marston)
Spike Video Game Awards Best Performance by a Human Male Nominated [7][19]
2011 D.I.C.E. Awards Outstanding Character Performance Won [8][20]

References

  1. Internet Movie Database. "Rob Wiethoff". Amazon. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Stafford, Patrick (19 June 2013). "What happened to John Marston". Polygon. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  3. Plunkett, Luke (30 July 2010). "The Men And Women Behind Gaming's Most Iconic Characters". Kotaku. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
  4. Sources that refer to the auditions for Red Dead Redemption include:
  5. Presler, Mike (6 July 2013). "Ten of the best video game voices of this generation". Game Informer. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
  6. Hester, Larry (April 14, 2013). "The 25 Greatest Voice Acting Performances In Video Games". Complex. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
  7. 1 2 McElroy, Griffin (17 November 2010). "Spike VGA Nominations are in, appropriately preposterous". Joystiq. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
  8. 1 2 "Awards Category Details (Outstanding Character Performance)". Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
  9. Robinson, Brittany (6 February 2012). "Spawny0908 Interviews Rob Wiethoff Voice of John Marston!!!". Red Dead Redemption Fanatic's Saloon. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
  10. Makuch, Eddie (7 August 2013). "Red Dead Redemption voice actor joins iOS game". GameSpot. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  11. Suszek, Mike (7 August 2013). "Voice of John Marston joins Codename Cygnus radio drama app". Joystiq. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  12. Reactive Studios (18 July 2013). "Codename Cygnus - an Interactive Radio Drama for iOS by Reactive Studios". Kickstarter. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  13. Internet Movie Database. "Red Dead Redemption (2010) (VG) - Full cast and crew". Amazon. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  14. Internet Movie Database. "Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare (2010) (VG) - Full cast and crew". Amazon. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  15. Internet Movie Database. "16 Blocks (2006) - Full cast and crew". Amazon. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  16. Internet Movie Database. "The Outside (2009) - Full cast and crew". Amazon. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  17. Internet Movie Database. "Red Dead Redemption: The Man from Blackwater (2010) - Full cast and crew". Amazon. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  18. Internet Movie Database. "Double Tap (2011) - Full cast and crew". Amazon. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  19. Chester, Nick (17 November 2010). "Nominees for Spike Video Game Awards 2010 revealed". Destructoid. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
  20. Sliwinski, Alexander (11 February 2011). "Mass Effect 2 wins GOTY, RPG and storytelling awards at DICE 2011". Joystiq. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
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