GTA 5 Characters and Voice Actors: Main Cast

GTA 5 follows three playable protagonists: Michael De Santa, Franklin Clinton and Trevor Philips. Their stories begin separately, then collide through a series of robberies, betrayals and uneasy alliances across Los Santos and Blaine County.¹

The table below identifies the main Grand Theft Auto V cast, whether each character is playable or supporting, their role in the story and the performer credited in the game. It covers the characters most important to the main plot, not every stranger, freak or minor mission contact.

The three playable GTA 5 characters

Rockstar built GTA 5 around three protagonists instead of a single lead. Players can switch between them during free roam and, in selected missions, move between characters to handle different parts of the same job. Each also has a unique special ability: Michael slows time during gunfights, Franklin slows time while driving, and Trevor deals more damage while taking less.²

Michael De Santa

Michael De Santa is a retired bank robber living in Los Santos with Amanda, Jimmy and Tracey. His expensive home and apparent freedom depend on a secret arrangement with FIB agent Dave Norton, but family conflict and a destructive encounter with Martin Madrazo pull him back into crime.

Michael becomes Franklin's mentor and later reunites with Trevor, who had believed him dead. His strengths are shooting and planning, and his special ability slows time during gunfights. Ned Luke provides Michael's voice and performance.

Franklin Clinton

Franklin Clinton begins the story repossessing cars for Simeon Yetarian. After meeting Michael, he joins increasingly ambitious robberies and becomes the link that holds the trio together when Michael and Trevor's history threatens the crew.

Franklin is the group's best natural driver. His special ability slows time behind the wheel, giving him tighter control in traffic and at speed. Shawn Fonteno provides Franklin's voice and performance.

Franklin later returns in GTA Online as the owner of F. Clinton and Partner in The Contract, where Lamar remains part of his story.³

Trevor Philips

Trevor Philips is Michael's former robbery partner and the head of Trevor Philips Enterprises. He lives in Sandy Shores with Ron and Wade nearby, making money through smuggling, weapons and violence before discovering that Michael survived their failed North Yankton robbery.

Trevor is volatile, but his loyalty to the people he considers friends drives much of his conflict with Michael. His special ability increases the damage he deals and reduces the damage he takes. Steven Ogg provides Trevor's voice and performance.

The crew behind GTA 5's heists

Lester Crest

Lester Crest is the trio's planner, researcher and hacker. He identifies targets, assembles crews and supplies the information behind most of the game's major robberies. The GTA 5 story-mode heists guide explains how crew choices affect those jobs.

Lester also gives Franklin a series of assassination missions tied to stock-market movements. Completing most of Lester's assassination missions after the main story creates the best opportunity to profit from their market effects. Jay Klaitz provides Lester's voice and performance.

Lamar Davis

Lamar Davis is Franklin's longtime friend and a member of the Families. He shares Franklin's confidence but not his caution, repeatedly turning small criminal opportunities into dangerous situations. Lamar also introduces Franklin to Chop and later helps connect GTA Online's player character with Franklin in The Contract. Slink Johnson provides Lamar's voice and performance.

The available heist crew

Michael, Franklin, Trevor and Lester are not the only people involved in the robberies. Depending on the approach, players can recruit drivers, gunmen and hackers with different skill levels and payout cuts. Choosing a cheap recruit can preserve more money, but an inexperienced crew member may lose part of the take or make a job harder.

Michael's family

Amanda De Santa

Amanda De Santa is Michael's wife. Their marriage is already strained when the story begins, and Michael's return to crime deepens the conflict. Amanda eventually leaves the family home with Jimmy and Tracey, forcing Michael to confront the damage caused by his behavior. Vicki Van Tassel provides Amanda's voice and performance.

Jimmy and Tracey De Santa

Jimmy is Michael and Amanda's son, an unemployed gamer whose poor decisions repeatedly create problems for his father. Tracey is their daughter, who wants a career in entertainment and pursues an appearance on Fame or Shame. Danny Tamberelli performs Jimmy, while Michal Sinnott performs Tracey.

Trevor's associates

Ron Jakowski

Ron Jakowski is Trevor's anxious business partner and the host of the conspiracy program Blaine County Radio Community Hour. He helps manage Trevor Philips Enterprises, provides intelligence and supports several smuggling operations. David Mogentale provides Ron's voice and performance.

Wade and Floyd Hebert

Wade Hebert is one of Trevor's most loyal followers and helps him locate Michael in Los Santos. Wade's cousin Floyd reluctantly gives Trevor a place to stay and becomes caught in Trevor's plans for a robbery at the Port of Los Santos. Matthew Maher performs Wade, and Jimmy Ray Bennett performs Floyd.

FIB agents and major antagonists

Dave Norton is the FIB agent behind Michael's new identity and staged death. When Michael returns to crime, Dave uses the old arrangement to force Michael, Franklin and Trevor into off-the-books work for the agency. Julian Gamble provides Dave's voice and performance.

Steve Haines is Dave's superior and one of the game's principal antagonists. He exploits the trio for his own career while presenting himself to the public through the television program The Underbelly of Paradise. Robert Bogue provides his voice and performance.

Devin Weston is a billionaire investor who hires Franklin, Michael and Trevor, then refuses to honor his deal with them. His money and political connections make him a threat across the second half of the story. Jonathan Walker provides Devin's voice and performance.

Criminal contacts and other main cast members

Simeon Yetarian owns Premium Deluxe Motorsport and employs Franklin and Lamar to repossess vehicles. Martin Madrazo is a powerful crime boss whose confrontation with Michael brings the protagonists their first major financial problem. Patricia Madrazo, Martin's wife, develops an unexpected bond with Trevor after he abducts her.

Brad Snider was part of Michael and Trevor's North Yankton crew. Stretch is a senior member of the Chamberlain Gangster Families whose relationship with Lamar puts Franklin in repeated danger. Dr. Isiah Friedlander is Michael's therapist, while Solomon Richards is a Vinewood producer who gives Michael a route into the film business. Molly Schultz works for Devin Weston and manages his interests throughout Los Santos.

Tanisha Jackson is Franklin's former girlfriend and challenges his priorities. Denise Clinton is Franklin's aunt and shares his first South Los Santos home. Chop is Lamar's Rottweiler, but Franklin can take him for walks and use him in selected missions. The Chop commands guide lists the interactions available to him.

Rockstar's official character collections group Michael, Franklin and Trevor with recurring associates including Lester, Lamar and Chop, reflecting their central place in the cast.⁴

GTA 5 character FAQ

Who are the three main characters in GTA 5?

Michael De Santa, Franklin Clinton and Trevor Philips are GTA 5's three playable protagonists. The story switches among their connected lives and lets players control different members of the trio during selected missions.

Who voices Michael, Franklin and Trevor?

Ned Luke performs Michael De Santa, Shawn Fonteno performs Franklin Clinton, and Steven Ogg performs Trevor Philips.

Can you switch characters in GTA 5?

Yes. Once the relevant characters are available, the character wheel lets players switch between Michael, Franklin and Trevor during free roam. Some missions also use scripted character switching to divide tasks among the trio.

Who is the main villain in GTA 5?

GTA 5 has several antagonists rather than one villain throughout the entire story. Devin Weston and Steve Haines become the central threats to the trio, while characters such as Stretch and Wei Cheng drive separate conflicts.

Is Franklin in GTA Online?

Yes. Franklin returns as the owner of F. Clinton and Partner in The Contract. Players work with Franklin, Lamar, Imani and Dr. Dre through the update's story missions.³