Michael Shapiro (born c. 1966[1], also known as Mike Shapiro) is a voice actor for the Half-Life series. He also provided voice acting to other video games, such as Blood II: The Chosen (for which Kathy Levin and Lani Minella also provided a voice).
Of Jewish ancestry, he also performed voice work for the television, in some feature films, and is an acclaimed theater director.[2] He has also directed many TV sitcoms.
With Harry S. Robins, Shapiro is one of the few voice actors who has done voice acting for all of the Half-Life games.
Shapiro's on-screen roles include Lovers Lane (1999 film) in which he portrayed Deputy David Schwick. He has done mostly voice work, having narrated the TV series Interpol Investigates and voiced the psychotic French chef Richard Goblin in Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories. As a writer he has written for Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, Discovery Channel and NPR[3]. He has also worked extensively with comedy writer Rob Kutner.
As a director, Shapiro has directed the film "A Problem With Sharks" which screened widely in the U.S. and internationally.[2] He has also directed the TV pilot, "Family Values", which was selected in the New York Television Festival.[2]
Shapiro has performed in shows like Camelot and Dracula[4]. He himself has also directed many theater productions[5]. He helped launch the Annex Theatre in 1987. Most recently, he has performed in the 2012 productions, Eavesdropping on Dreams[6] and Motel Cherry[7].