Lara Croft

Lara Croft
Tomb Raider character
Lara Croft, as she appears in a promotional render from Tomb Raider (2013)
First game	Tomb Raider (1996)
Created by	Toby Gard
Voiced by (English)	Shelley Blond (1996) Judith Gibbins (1997–98) Jonell Elliott (1999–2003) Keeley Hawes (2006–) Charlotte Sparey (2006) Camilla Luddington (2013–present) Abigail Stahlschmidt (2015) Harriet Perring (2015) Minnie Driver (animated series)
Voiced by (Japanese)	Yūko Kaida (Tomb Raider (reboot), Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris, Rise of the Tomb Raider)
Motion capture	Heidi Moneymaker (Underworld) Camilla Luddington (Tomb Raider (reboot), Rise of the Tomb Raider)
Portrayed by	Angelina Jolie (2 films) Rachel Appleton (first film) Alicia Vikander (reboot) Sofía Vergara (Visa's "Monster Chase" commercial)

Lara Croft is a British fictional character and the main protagonist of the Square Enix (previously Eidos Interactive) video game franchise Tomb Raider. She is presented as a beautiful, intelligent, and athletic English archaeologist-adventurer who ventures into ancient, hazardous tombs and ruins around the world. Created by a team at UK developer Core Design that included Toby Gard, the character first appeared in the 1996 video game Tomb Raider. She has also appeared in video game sequels, printed adaptations, a series of animated short films, feature films (portrayed by Angelina Jolie), and merchandise related to the series. Official promotion of the character includes a brand of apparel and accessories, action figures, and model portrayals. Croft has also been licensed for third-party promotion, including television and print advertisements, music-related appearances, and as a spokesmodel. As of June 2016, Lara Croft has been featured on over 1,100 magazine covers surpassing any supermodel.

Core Design handled initial development of the character and the series. Inspired by Neneh Cherry and comic book character Tank Girl, Gard designed Lara Croft to counter stereotypical female characters. The company modified the character for subsequent titles, which included graphical improvements and gameplay additions. American developer Crystal Dynamics took over the series after the 2003 sequel Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness was received poorly. The new developer rebooted the character along with the video game series. The company altered her physical proportions, and gave her additional ways of interacting with game environments. Croft has been voiced by six actresses in the video game series: Shelley Blond (1996), Judith Gibbins (1997–98), Jonell Elliott (1999–2003), Keeley Hawes (2006–14), Camilla Luddington (2013–present) and Abigail Stahlschmidt (2015).