Gaming at the Oscars

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When they aren't hounded by paparazzi or tanning in Antigua, some of Hollywood's finest breathe life into video game characters. Here are five more.

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Dennis Hopper

Notable games:
GTA Vice City; Black Dahlia; Hell: A Cyberpunk Thriller

They don't come much stranger than perennial kook Dennis Hopper, and his video game contributions have been just as bizarre as his Hollywood career. The unconventional actor has experienced cinematic highs with two Oscar nominations (Easy Rider, Hoosiers) only to scrape the bottom of the barrel by slapping on crummy prosthetics to play King Koopa in the 1993 live-action train wreck, Super Mario Bros. That kicked off Hopper's gaming career, which spanned two mediocre adventure games before culminating in the role of porn director Steve Scott in Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.

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Samuel L. Jackson

Notable games: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

The King of Cool's Oscar-nominated turn as Pulp Fiction's hitman-with-a-plan Jules Winnfield made him a household name. So convincing was his performance that it forever burned his image as a cooler-than-thou tough guy into the public consciousness, leaving little doubt who Rockstar Games would call when they needed a voice for corrupt cop Officer Tenpenny in their unflinching 2004 action extravaganza. Though he hasn't done any big-name games since, Jackson's kept up a high profile among gamers by serving as host of Spike TV's annual Video Game Award Show for three years running.

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SEE Y! MOVIES PAGE (Photo by: Steve Granitz, WireImage.com)

Michael Clarke Duncan

Notable games: God of War 2; Saint's Row; The Suffering: Ties That Bind; lots more

It didn't take long for this larger-than-life actor to become a go-to guy for larger-than-life video game characters. His love affair with video game voice work began shortly after scoring a Best Supporting nod for his breakout performance as a gifted criminal in The Green Mile, first as an alien warrior in Star Trek: Klingon Academy, and then as a grunt in the brutal Soldier of Fortune. Several roles followed, including the leader of the Vice Kings in Saint's Row and, fittingly, the titanic strongman Atlas in Sony's smash hit God of War II. What's next for the gentle giant? We're not sure, but it's bound to be big.

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Alec Baldwin

Notable games: World in Conflict

Whether he's cracking us up as a twisted Boy Scout leader on Saturday Night Live or making us sweat as an abrasive motivator in "Glengarry Glen Ross," "30 Rock's" Emmy-winning funnyman has one of the most recognizable voices in the business. It's certainly served him well, earning the eldest Baldwin an Oscar nomination for his performance as a mean-spirited casino boss in 2003's "The Cooler." In 2007, he showed his legendary versatility when he parlayed those famous pipes into a gig as the narrator of Vivendi's hit real-time strategy game World in Conflict, the first of what we hope will be many appearances on the game screen.

WATCH WORLD IN CONFLICT TRAILER

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Haley Joel Osment

Notable games: Kingdom Hearts (all of them)

Haley saw dead people, and the Academy saw talent, making the actor one of the youngest nominees ever when they gave him a Best Supporting nom for his ghostbusting role in "The Sixth Sense" at the tender age of eleven. Though he'd lose out to the crafty Michael Caine, Osment would quickly make a name for himself among gamers by taking on the lead role of Sora in the enormously successful Kingdom Hearts role-playing series. Having sold in excess of 11 million copies worldwide, the Disney smorgasbord has gotten the young actor more screen time than any of his subsequent films. Though another Kingdom Hearts game has yet to be formally announced, if it ever happens, we'd bet our Mickey hats that Osment once again reprises his second most famous role.

WATCH KINGDOM HEARTS II TRAILER