Voice Actor Behind Left 4 Dead’s Bill Character Has Passed Away

We're sad to report that one of the voice actors behind the awesome zombie shooter Left 4 Dead has passed away over the weekend.

Jim French, who voiced the gruff and tough character, died on December 21st at the age of 89. Aside from Left 4 Dead, French also provided voice acting for other games, and also served as a producer and radio personality.

In the game, he voiced William "Bill" Overbeck, a man that was quick with an assault rifle and more than ready to take out zombies, all while a cigarette dangled from his mouth.

Bill also appeared in Overkill's Payday: The Heist as part of the No Mercy Hospital DLC, with French once again voicing the character. He also reprised the character for Left 4 Dead 2's DLC pack.

French also provided a number of other voice roles, including Father Grigori in Half-Life 2, The Elder Titan in DOTA 2 and The Fisherman in Half-Life 2: Lost Coast.

Fans of his radio work may also recognize him from his work with The Adventures of Harry Nile and The Further Adventure of Sherlock Holmes, as part of the Imagination Theater group.

It's always tough to lose such a great voice talent in our industry, not to mention a man that managed to carry such a great career for decades onward. And he looked like he had a lot of fun doing it to boot. We have included a clip of his character in Half-Life 2 below.

Our condolences are with Jim's family and friends.

(Thanks to GameZone for the tip.)