Who's Who in L.A. Noire - Article

"Team Bondi takes us into new territory with its use of extraordinary facial performance capture," said Oli as he worked his way towards an 8/10 verdict, "This results in spooky facial animation which really does make it possible for actors to communicate more of their performances, using eyes, tics and expressions."

L.A. Noire represents an incredible step forward in performance capture, finally allowing the subtle facial movements and mannerisms of an actors' performance to make it through the development process intact.

While it's easy to marvel at what the technique can do, the realism of the characters means it's also easy to be distracted by the nagging tip-of-the-tongue feeling that you recognise some of them already. And you probably have.

Here's our guide to the stars of L.A. Noire and where you might have seen them before.

The actor: Kurt Fuller

In the game: Richard Coombs, a shady used car salesman from the DLC traffic case, A Slip of the Tongue.

Previously: Another veteran supporting player, Fuller has specialised in oily yes-men, appearing as Rob Lowe's toadying henchman in Wayne's World and the mayor's chief butt-kisser in Ghostbusters II. More recently, he had a seven episode run on Supernatural as angelic bossy boots Zachariah.

The actor: Matt Corboy

In the game: Lars Taraldsen, another bereaved husband on the homicide beat, this time from The White Shoe Slaying.

Previously: Corboy is most familiar as Ray Carlson, the unpleasantly thuggish homophobic cop from gritty cop show The Shield. He'll next be seen with George Clooney and Beau Bridges in The Descendants, the latest film from Alexander "Sideways" Payne.

The actor: Myra Turley

In the game: Barbara Lapenti, owner of the boarding house where homicide victim Antonia Maldonado stays in The Silk Stocking Murder.

Previously: Team Bondi dipped into the Mad Men cast yet again, as Turley is best known for playing Peggy's mother in the 1960s advertising drama. She can also be found playing Paul Walker's mum in Flags of Our Fathers, Clint Eastwood's film about the war in the Pacific.

The actor: Michael Gladis

In the game: Dudley Lynch, a bartender who Cole meets early on, during his first traffic assignment. You may meet up with Lynch later, if you respond to the right street crime...

Previously: Another Mad Men alumni, Gladis plays far-out beatnik copywriter and sci-fi fan Paul Kinsey on the hit show.

The actor: Joseph Culp

In the game: Walter Robbins, the slightly sad liquor store owner from The Studio Secretary Murder.

Previously: The son of Robert Culp, the legendary American actor. Joe Culp had a short but important recurring turn in Mad Men as Don Draper's father, Archie Whitman, until a hoof to the face finished him off. Culp earned his cult credentials, and guaranteed a lifetime of convention autograph income, by hiding behind a metal mask as the evil Doctor Doom in the never-released 1994 Fantastic Four movie.

The actor: Steve Rankin

In the game: Lieutenant Archibald Colmyer, the rather cavalier head of the vice department.

Previously: Not a particularly famous face, but he does have the distinction of appearing in the award-winning movie L.A. Confidential, where he played the cop who puts the cuffs on Mickey Cohen, the real life Jewish gangster who also plays a pivotal role in L.A. Noire. How's that for full circle?