Ellen McLain is a renowned opera singer and voice actress hailing from Nashville, Tennessee, USA. She has lent her distinctive voice to a multitude of characters in various video games developed by Valve Corporation.
Notably, McLain has provided the voice of GLaDOS, the artificial-intelligence antagonist in the critically acclaimed Portal series, including Portal (2007) and Portal 2 (2011). Her outstanding performance in these titles earned her an AIAS Interactive Achievement Award for Outstanding Achievement in Character Performance.
In addition to her work on the Portal series, McLain has voiced the announcer in Team Fortress 2 (2007) and the Combine overwatch in the Half-Life 2 (2004) series. She has also contributed to the world of Cyberpunk 2077 (2020),lending her voice to one of Delamain's cabs.
McLain holds a unique distinction as the only person to have had her voice featured in all of the Orange Box games. Furthermore, she has showcased her impressive vocal range by singing the ending-credits songs "Still Alive" from Portal and "Want You Gone" from Portal 2, both of which were written by Jonathan Coulton.
The talented vocalist has also performed an opera-style turret song at the conclusion of Portal 2, which has become a beloved favorite among fans, colloquially referred to as the Turret Opera.
In her personal life, McLain is married to John Patrick Lowrie, a fellow voice actor who has also worked on several Valve projects, including Half-Life 2 and Team Fortress 2. Her husband's notable voice acting credits include a citizen who assists the protagonist in Half-Life 2 and the Sniper in Team Fortress 2.
