Cole Phelps

L.A. Noire, a neo-noir detective video game developed by Team Bondi, focuses on police detective Cole Phelps and his partners as they investigate and solve various crimes. Previously a U.S. Marine Lieutenant in the second World War, Phelps' experiences during the war left him scarred, and inspired him to join the Los Angeles Police Department.

Cole Phelps is the primary playable character of the game. He is accompanied by a number of characters, notably his partners: Ralph Dunn, Stefan Bekowsky, Rusty Galloway, Roy Earle, and Herschel Biggs. Phelps has two love interests in the game: his wife Marie, and the German singer Elsa Lichtmann, whom he falls in love with throughout the course of the story. For a small part of the game, the player controls Jack Kelso, an investigator who fought alongside Phelps during the war. Despite the similarities of their past, Phelps and Kelso behave in an antagonistic nature to each other.

A team at Team Bondi designed the character appearances, and Brendan McNamara was the main writer of their personalities and mannerisms. The team wanted players to connect with the game's characters, and the actors tried to make their performances appear as realistic as possible. The actors' facial mannerisms were recorded with the newly developed MotionScan, while their physical movements were mostly recorded using motion capture technology. The characters received praise from several gaming publications. The acting has also received acclaim, including a nomination at the British Academy Video Games Awards.

L.A. Noire has over twenty hours of voice work, and over 400 actors performed for the game. To cast the characters, the team held secretive auditions. Many of Staton's Mad Men co-stars are also featured in the game, including Vincent Kartheiser, Rich Sommer, Michael Gladis, Patrick Fischler and Morgan Rusler. Game writer and director Brendan McNamara explained that this is due to the casting agency, Schiff/Audino, which also casts for Mad Men. When casting actors for the game, the team simply sought "quality actors", as opposed to well-known actors. During their performances, the actors attempted to appear as realistic as possible. Director Michael Uppendahl said, "I try to monitor the performances to make sure we're getting the human element that's going to make it compelling and interesting."

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