Steve Downes

Steve Downes is a successful American disc jockey and voice actor. He is best known for his work as the voice of John-117, the SPARTAN-II protagonist, in Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, and Halo 3.

Broadcast Radio
Steve Downes has worked in the music and broadcast radio industry for over 35 years. In the 1980s he hosted several syndicated radio shows and specials including The Superstar Concert Series. In the 1990s, he was the host of the award winning weekly live call-in show, Rockline.

Rockline provided Steve with several very memorable opportunities, including:
 * Playing tambourine "live on-air" with the band Little Feat.
 * Giving the first "live on-air" radio interview to all five members of the reunited Eagles
 * Welcoming the return of Page and Plant "live on-air"

Currently, Steve Downes works as the host of the morning show on 97.1 WDRV "The Drive" in Chicago, Illinois. Additionally, he hosts his nationally syndicated show, The Classics, every Sunday night. The Classics spotlights various Rock n' Roll artists and their ideas and stories behind the music. He was also the narrator for a series called Shark Attack!

Voice Acting
Steve Downes' first experience in voice acting came in 1999 when he played the role of Gunnar in the video game Septerra Core: Legacy of the Creator by Valkyrie Studios. Although a relatively minor role, his performance caught the attention of the voice acting director and composer of the game, Martin O'Donnell. When Marty began working on the video game Halo: Combat Evolved at Bungie Studios, he invited Steve to voice act the game's main character, the Master Chief.

Voice acting performances by Steve Downes include:
 * Gunnar - in Septerra Core: Legacy of the Creator (1999)
 * Master Chief - in Halo: Combat Evolved (2001)
 * Master Chief - in Halo 2 (2004)
 * Master Chief - in Halo 3 (2007)

Trivia

 * Steve Downes has stated that he does not like playing video games and that he is not good at playing them in the first place.