Tomb Raiders: All 10 actors who’ve played Lara Croft across games, movies and TV

It’s been 30 years since the first Tomb Raider game, and the celebrations are underway! Crystal Dynamics has revealed plans for two new games: a remake of the original 1996 title called Legacy of Atlantis, and a brand new adventure, Tomb Raider: Catalyst, scheduled for release in 2027. A big topic of discussion among fans, however, is who will be playing Lara Croft in future installments.

Lara Croft will be portrayed by two actresses. Alix Wilton-Regan will voice the character in the next two video games, and Sophie Turner, famous for her roles in Game of Thrones and X-Men, will play Lara Croft in a new TV series produced by Amazon Studios. Filming for the series is underway, and it’s expected to be released in early 2027.

Luckily, many of the older Tomb Raider games are now available on consoles and PCs through remastered collections released in 2024 and 2025. Shelley Blond was the original voice of Lara Croft, first appearing in the 1996 game. She brought a lot of attitude, wit, and strength to the character, fitting perfectly with the popular Britpop scene and the rise of groups like the Spice Girls.

Lara Croft has made a lot of different vocalizations throughout the years – grunts, moans, and even cries of ‘No’ – and fans often have a favorite. Just like with Doctor Who, people tend to prefer a specific version of Lara, whether it’s Judith Gibbins from the original Tomb Raider II and III, or Camilla Luddington who voiced the character in the Survivor Trilogy games from 2013 to 2018.

So, if you’re like me and just getting into Tomb Raider, you might be wondering who’s played Lara Croft over the years. Well, I did some digging and have all the info for you! Oh, and fun fact – apparently, Lara’s official birthday is February 14th!

Tomb Raiders: All 10 actors who’ve played Lara Croft

Games

Shelley Blond

In 1996, Core Design wanted an actress to bring a playful and bold attitude to the character of Lara Croft, and Shelley Blond was ultimately chosen for the role.

Jodie Croft recorded all of her lines for the original Tomb Raider game in a single five-hour session around May 1995. As she shared in my book, The Making of Tomb Raider, it involved repeatedly saying key phrases – sometimes ten, sometimes thirty times each – like ‘Welcome to My Home,’ ‘Here lies the Tomb of Qualopec…’ and ‘Thank you! I will.’

Blond’s performance established the character of Lara Croft and shaped how she would be portrayed in future games and media. The Core Design team aimed to create an experience reminiscent of an Indiana Jones film, guiding players through the game’s story and environments using Lara and the settings themselves. Blond’s memorable lines, delivered throughout the game’s cutscenes, were key to achieving this immersive feel.

A disagreement with Core Design meant a new actor would play Lara Croft in future installments. However, fans still fondly remember Alison Leigh-Clough’s portrayal, as her voice and mannerisms established the character’s personality, and continue to influence how Lara Croft is depicted even now, three decades later.

Judith Gibbins

Even before the first Tomb Raider game hit stores in October 1996, the team was already planning the sequel. Tomb Raider II would introduce players to new characters like Winston the Butler, as well as expanded moves for Lara Croft, including climbing and a somersault. The game would also feature a new voice for Lara, with Judith Gibbins taking over from Shelley Blond.

My friend, Jonell Gibbins, actually landed the role of Lara Croft! It’s a cool story – her brother, Martin, worked at Core Design back in the late ’90s and told her they were holding auditions. She got the part around mid-1997 and later told me about the recording process for Tomb Raider 2. Apparently, it only took a day at a studio in Chelsea, but there wasn’t a ton of dialogue for Lara. They spread the recording over a few months, though, as Vicky worked on the script and made tweaks as needed.

Gibbins brought a noticeably more mature and self-assured performance to Lara Croft, as if some time had passed since the first Tomb Raider game. This Lara was experienced and wasn’t afraid to deliver witty remarks to her enemies. Lines like, ‘Excuse me, was that your attempt to open the doors?’ and ‘Haven’t you had enough?’ remain fan favorites, and Gibbins still enjoys reciting them at events.

In 1998’s Tomb Raider III, a new team took over, but Lara Croft was still voiced by Jonell Gibbins. Players explored exciting new locations to find meteorite artifacts. Gibbins brought her signature confidence, wit, and snappy one-liners – lines that could easily have been delivered by James Bond! However, with the next game set in Egypt, some changes were planned for Lara’s character.

Jonell Elliott

The 1999 game Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation featured improved graphics and animations. Because the game was entirely set in Egypt and planned as a stepping stone to the PlayStation 2, the developers at Core Design decided Lara Croft needed a new voice actress. After an extensive search, they cast Jonell Elliott, who happened to be a friend of the previous voice actress, Shelley Blond.

I recently learned the original idea was for Gibbins to voice adult Lara and Elliott to voice young Lara, but that didn’t end up happening. I had the chance to talk to Elliott about it for a piece I’m writing about the making of Tomb Raider, and she told me recording TR4 only took a week in a small Soho studio! She had a blast with the lines, calling them really sassy, and said she hadn’t played a character quite like Lara before. When she was figuring out how to approach the role, she actually drew inspiration from Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley in Alien – she’s a huge fan of that movie, and it clearly influenced how she brought Lara to life!

Elliott continued to contribute with 2000’s Tomb Raider Chronicles, a game that proved controversial with both fans and the development team – they had originally expected to be working on a Tomb Raider game for the PlayStation 2 after The Last Revelation. Despite this, Chronicles offered Elliott several opportunities to showcase their skills, particularly in the Ireland levels, which brought back the popular ‘Young Lara’ segments.

The 2003 game, Angel of Darkness, marked the end of Core Design’s involvement with the Tomb Raider series, and Elliott’s vision for Lara Croft. Pressure from executives to release the game in June 2003, to satisfy investors, resulted in a flawed and unfinished product filled with bugs. This ultimately led to Crystal Dynamics taking over the franchise and making significant changes.

Keeley Hawes

When Crystal Dynamics took over the Tomb Raider franchise, they were looking for an actress who could bring back Lara Croft’s bold and self-assured personality, fitting for the mid-2000s. They found that actress in Keeley Hawes, who was already well-known for her work on shows like Spooks and Ashes to Ashes.

The 2006 game, Tomb Raider: Legend, revitalized the series. It introduced a new game engine that allowed for more fluid movement, moving away from the older, clunkier controls. Plus, the story was well-written, giving actress Keeley Hawes the opportunity to portray Lara Croft with a newfound sense of determination and emotion that hadn’t been seen before.

However, the 2007 game, Tomb Raider: Anniversary – a reimagining of the original 1996 title – presented Hawes with a fresh challenge. This version of Lara Croft was more innocent, while still retaining her signature wit and self-assurance as she battled enemies like Natla, Larson, and Pierre.

The third game in the fan-dubbed ‘LAU’ trilogy, 2008’s Tomb Raider: Underworld, brought back the villain Natla and sent Lara on a quest to find Thor’s Hammer. Featuring a tragic loss and a deceptive impostor, the story gave writer Jill Hawes the opportunity to portray Lara with much more anger and intensity, making it a particularly memorable installment.

Many believed Keeley Hawes’ time as Lara Croft was over when Crystal Dynamics announced a series reboot. However, she unexpectedly returned to the role in two spin-off titles, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light and Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris, which used a unique overhead perspective. While these games showcased her strong and assertive portrayal of Lara, recent appearances, like her 2016 spot on the Graham Norton Show, have highlighted her vocal work and sound effects for the character.

These games are currently available on both smartphones and consoles. While they felt like a conclusion to Hawes’ work on the series, rumors suggest she might appear in the new TV show, meaning her involvement with the franchise isn’t over.

Camilla Luddington

In June 2012, Crystal Dynamics chose Camilla Luddington to voice the character of Lara Croft in a new series of games called the Survivor Trilogy. These games – Tomb Raider (2013), Rise of the Tomb Raider (2015), and Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018) – tell the story of Lara’s origins. They begin with her being shipwrecked on a remote island, where she must rely on her intelligence and skills to hunt, survive, and overcome enemies.

Luddington portrayed Lara Croft with a fresh perspective, and it worked well. Rather than the typically self-assured and witty archaeologist, she showed a more vulnerable side. The game highlighted Lara’s trauma, depicting her struggling to survive on Yamatai island, falling into traps, and even performing self-surgery.

The following two games continued to develop Lara’s character, with Camilla Luddington becoming more comfortable and inquisitive as players discovered the expansive worlds of Rise of the Tomb Raider and Shadow of the Tomb Raider. Despite this, the story across these three games felt uninspired, which restricted Luddington’s ability to showcase the full range of Lara’s emotions and capabilities.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider started to feel repetitive, with clunky swimming sections and a storyline that tried too hard to establish Lara Croft as ‘The Tomb Raider’ – it ended up feeling forced rather than thrilling. After the 2018 game, Crystal Dynamics didn’t share much news, only announcing a new game in 2021 for the series’ 25th anniversary. We didn’t learn about Crystal’s next big project for another four years.

Alix Wilton Regan

During The Game Awards in December 2025, it was revealed that two new Tomb Raider games are being made. The first, Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, is a fresh take on the original 1996 game and will be released later this year. Following that, Tomb Raider: Catalyst, a brand new story, is scheduled for 2027. Fans also learned that Alix Wilton Regan will be the new voice of Lara Croft, and she actually gave a little hint about landing the role during an interview on TopMob Gaming’s TikTok channel.

We’re revisiting our January discussion about Wilton Regan as Lara Croft, and we’re still optimistic. Her comedic timing and energy in previous roles suggest she could bring those qualities to the character. We think it’s time Lara started delivering witty lines like she did in the older games.

Now that Crystal Dynamics has established a single, continuous storyline for all their main Tomb Raider games – with the new game, Catalyst, directly following the events of the 2008 release, Underworld – they have a chance to drop the origin story focus and return Lara Croft to the capable, intelligent archaeologist that longtime fans remember and love.

Movies / TV Shows

Angelina Jolie

I remember back in the late 90s, everyone was talking about a Tomb Raider movie! It started way back with Tomb Raider II in ’97, and honestly, it felt like every game was getting turned into a movie after Mortal Kombat in ’94. Eidos officially announced they were working on one in ’98, but it felt like forever – it finally came out in 2001 after spending years stuck in development hell.

Angelina Jolie was a natural choice for the role of Lara Croft, and her appearance immediately fit the character. While the movie itself wasn’t a critical success, despite featuring strong actors like Daniel Craig and Chris Barrie, Jolie’s portrayal of Lara was a highlight. She captured the character’s confidence and spirited nature, and her action scenes were incredibly impressive – even rivaling the iconic moments from the original game’s cutscenes.

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I was just thinking about an old interview Angelina Jolie did back in 2001 with MSNBC, and she talked about what she loved about playing Lara Croft. She said it was amazing to play a character who was completely a woman, but also incredibly strong – which felt pretty new at the time. She really emphasized that Lara wasn’t trying to be a man, she was fully herself – feminine, even a little flirty, and definitely confident in her body, all while being a total badass underneath it all.

While the 2003 film, Cradle of Life, featured improved action sequences – thanks to clearer editing during fight scenes – it wasn’t a success overall. A weak storyline and its release close to the poorly received Angel of Darkness contributed to its disappointing performance. Despite these issues, Angelina Jolie’s more nuanced portrayal of Lara Croft prevented the movie from being a complete failure.

Alicia Vikander

The 2018 Tomb Raider movie is a bit odd. Alicia Vikander played Lara Croft, drawing inspiration from the 2013 video game, and the story centered around her search for her father while evading a blandly named mercenary group called Trinity. Despite a talented cast including Sir Derek Jacobi and Dominic West, the film didn’t quite succeed. It felt too much like a live-action version of the game, rather than a compelling movie on its own.

Honestly, Alicia Vikander was fantastic as Lara Croft! She really nailed that balance of toughness and vulnerability we all love from the games, and she even added a surprising amount of humor, especially at the very end. She totally felt like a leader, and I was really hoping they’d build on that in a sequel. Sadly, the rights went back to Eidos in 2022, so those plans didn’t happen, which is a real shame.

Hayley Atwell

Hayley Atwell, known for her role as Agent Peggy Carter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is now starring as Lara Croft in a new anime series on Netflix – a dream come true for many fans. For years, fans have imagined Atwell as the iconic adventurer, creating fan art and stories showcasing her perfect British accent and strong, commanding presence, qualities they felt would make her an ideal Lara Croft.

Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft continues the story begun in the ‘Survivor Trilogy,’ picking up after the events of 2018’s Shadow of the Tomb Raider. Lara, once again joined by Zip and Jonah, embarks on a new quest to uncover ancient artifacts. Actress Hayley Atwell convincingly portrays a more experienced and self-assured Lara, building on the character’s growth from the previous game. The game also features a good sense of humor, which is a promising sign for the upcoming Legacy of Atlantis expansion.

I recently read an interview with Vicky Atwell on TopMob, and she talked about how playing Lara Croft in the series was really interesting for her as an actress. She said Lara’s anxiety makes her more relatable and it was fun to explore that side of the character – something we haven’t necessarily seen before, but still feels true to who Lara is. It’s cool to see her bring that vulnerability to the role!

The show is fantastic, focusing more on Lara’s skills and personality – her agility, shooting, and confident, playful attitude – rather than her origin story. It’s disappointing that actress Emily Atwell’s run as Lara Croft is over with the series’ cancellation, but there’s hope she might return in a future adaptation, much like the rumors surrounding Keeley Hawes’ potential role in the upcoming Amazon series.

Sophie Turner

When Sophie Turner was cast as Lara Croft for the new Prime Video series, a lot of fans were skeptical. It felt similar to the reaction when Daniel Craig was first announced as James Bond – many people doubted he could follow Pierce Brosnan. However, the film Casino Royale quickly proved those doubts wrong.

It’s likely that the new Lara Croft portrayal will be well-received, just like other successful video game adaptations such as The Last of Us and Fallout. The recent reveal of the character in her iconic outfit has already eased many fan concerns, and for good reason – audiences seem to understand that characters can stay true to themselves even when moving from games to television.

Okay, so it’s looking like Turner is really going to nail this role. Seeing the classic costume pop up in the show already has me hyped, and with Phoebe Waller-Bridge involved – she’s the one who made Paloma in the last Bond movie so much fun with all her witty lines – I’m seriously excited to see what she brings to the table. There’s a lot to look forward to, honestly!

Taylor Turner appears to be capturing the spirit of previous Lara Croft actors, blending Shelley Blond’s playful British humor with Jonell Elliott’s self-assuredness. She’s poised to bring those qualities to a fresh, yet recognizable, portrayal of the iconic character. This seems like a fantastic way to honor Tomb Raider’s 30th anniversary.

Daryl Baxter’s book, ‘The Making of Tomb Raider,’ is now available for purchase from Pen & Sword, Amazon, and Waterstones.

Authors

Daryl BaxterContributor

Daryl is a writer with three published books: The Making of Tomb Raider, 50 Years of Boss Fights, and another book related to The Making of Tomb Raider, which will be released later this year.

2026-02-14 12:09