Misplaced Pages

David Bateson (born 9 February 1960) is an English actor who holds both British and Danish citizenship. He is best known for providing the voice of Agent 47, the protagonist of IO Interactive's stealth game series Hitman, having played the role since 2000 in each of the franchise's eight main games.

Early life

David Bateson was born in Durban on 9 February 1960 to his English parents. He has said that the family moved between South Africa and England at least 13 times and that he attended nine schools overall, which "made a little confused as to identity for a while".

Career

Bateson landed his first role when he played Hother in the 1994 film Prince of Jutland. He also played the part of a young sailor in the 1996 film Breaking the Waves, along with the main role in the 2002 short film Debutanten.

Bateson's most notable role is that of Agent 47, the protagonist of IO Interactive's stealth game series Hitman. He has provided the voice and motion capture for the character in every entry in the series since 2000. Despite bearing an uncanny resemblance, he has refuted the popular belief that Agent 47's physical appearance was based on him, dismissing it as a coincidence. Addressing fan backlash following the revelation that he had been replaced without warning by American actor William Mapother for Hitman: Absolution, Bateson revealed that IO Interactive were ignoring his efforts to contact them and later confirmed on his website that he had been "unceremoniously dropped from the franchise" but was unable to comment further for "legal reasons". He was rehired for the voice role before the game's release, though Mapother's motion capture work remained intact. Mapother returned for the subsequent game to voice Dino Bosco, an arrogant Italian actor Agent 47 must kill.

Bateson voiced Virgil in the 2020 indie game Lightmatter, his first non-Hitman video game voice role. He voiced Bowser in the Danish dub of the 2023 film The Super Mario Bros. Movie, dubbing Jack Black's voice. He has also worked extensively in Danish television series and narrated various Lego commercials.

Personal life

Bateson previously lived in Canada, England, and South Africa; he is now a long-time resident of Denmark, where he is based in Copenhagen, holds Danish citizenship, and speaks fluent Danish. He is a member of both the British and Danish actors' unions.

Filmography

Film

Video games

• Den Enes Død (1994)
• Carl Th. Dreyer: My Métier (1995) (documentary)
• Kun en Pige (1995) – Korrespondent
• Krystalbarnet (1996)
• Spoon River (1996)
• Another You (1997)
• Midnight Angels (1998)
• Daddyfox (2000) – Court Police Officer 2
• Debutanten (2002) (short) – Bill
• Langt fra Las Vegas (2001 – 2003) – Irer
• A Royal Family (TV, 2003) – Narrator (English version)
• The Core (2005) (documentary) – Niels Bohr
• Hero of God (2006)
• Anna Pihl (TV, 1 episode, 2008) – Mr.Reed
• Klovn (TV, 1 episode, 2008) – Dave
• Disco Ormene (2008) – Voice
• Maj & Charlie (TV, 1 episode, 2008) – Fitness Chef
• Aurum (2008) – Mark Boland
• Livvagterne (TV, 5 episodes, 2010) – Shane
• The Dark Side of Chocolate (2010) (documentary) – Narrator
• Borgen (TV, 2 episodes, 2010 – 2011) – Additional voices
• The Micro Debt (2011) (documentary) – Narrator
• The Life and Death of Thomas Simeon (2011) – Narrator (voice)
• A Tribute to J. J. Abrams (2013) (short) – Voice of Bouncer
• Taming the Quantum World (2013) (documentary) – Narrator
• Aftenshowet (TV, 2 episodes, 2013 – 2014) – Himself
• Exodus: Humanity Has A Price (2014) – Commander
• Monte Carlo Elsker USA (2014) – Speaker
• Upstart (2014)
• Huldra: Lady of the Forest (2016) – Mike
• Digital Romance (2016) (short) – Kane
• Bitter Grapes (2016) (documentary) – Narrator
• Ø (TV, 5 episodes, 2016) – Tommy
• Real Life Hitman (2016) (short) – Agent 47 (voice)
• Level up Norge (TV, 1 episode, 2017) – Agent 47 (voice)
• The Messenger (short, 2018) – Narrator / Boss
• Below the Surface (TV, 1 episode, 2019) – British newsreader (voice)
• Breeder (2020) – Speaker
• Kamikaze (TV, 1 episode, 2021) – Bengt
• A Taste of Hunger (2021) – Michelin Announcer
• The Orchestra (TV, 3 episodes, 2022) – Mablewood
• The Exigency II: Course of Action (TBA) – Hideout Guard (voice)
• The Somerdahl Murders (TV, 2 episodes, 2023) – Eric Windfeldt

References

1. ^ "Agent 47 Speaks! An Interview With David Bateson". Thegamingliberty.com. 21 October 2010. Archived from the original on 22 August 2011. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
2. David Bateson (16 June 2015). "@Metalchamp1995 yo Mario - yes I am! I'm just relieved to be able to say it out loud. Can't wait" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
3. "Hitman Absolution Q&A: The Voice of Agent 47". YouTube. 27 October 2012.
4. Beefjack.com Archived 11 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine
5. "Home". Davidbateson.dk. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
6. Usher, William (2012). "David Bateson Returns To Voice Agent 47 in Hitman: Absolution". Cinema Blend.
7. Rougeau, Michael (25 October 2012). ""Hitman: Absolution" Goes on US Tour, Creepy Guy From "Lost" is Playing as Agent 47". Complex.
8. "Lightmatter - Let's Play Lightmatter: David Bateson - Steam News". store.steampowered.com. 24 April 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
9. ^ Henry, Joshua (8 April 2023). "Agent 47 Is the Voice Actor of Bowser in the Danish Dub of The Super Mario Bros. Movie". The Gamer. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
10. ^ David Bateson (7 April 2023). "This may come as a surprise- but I am Bowzer in the Danish version of the new Super Mario Bros film. Thank you @iyunohq and @NintendoAmerica I'm the Danish #JackBlack Cool!" (Tweet). Retrieved 8 April 2023 – via Twitter.
11. "Complete CV for David Bateson". Official website of David Bateson. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
12. ^ "Behind the Voice Actors – David Bateson". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
13. "Lightmatter on Steam". store.steampowered.com. Retrieved 7 December 2019.

External links

• Official website
• David Bateson at IMDb

• 1960 births
• Living people
• English expatriates in Denmark
• English male voice actors
• English male comedians
• English male film actors
• English male stage actors
• English male television actors
• English male video game actors
• English television presenters
• Male actors from Durban
• South African people of British descent
• University of Natal alumni
• South African male actors