The main characters of GTA San Andreas, including CJ, Sweet, Big Smoke, Ryder, Cesar, Tenpenny, Woozie and Toreno, with their roles in the story and verified voice actors: Samuel L. Jackson, James Woods, Peter Fonda, Ice-T and more.
Who the main San Andreas characters are
The GTA San Andreas story is about family and the gang. Carl "CJ" Johnson comes back to Los Santos for his mother's funeral and finds the Grove Street Families in decline. Around him are his brother Sweet, his sister Kendl, childhood friends Big Smoke and Ryder, and from day one, pressure from corrupt cop Frank Tenpenny and his C.R.A.S.H. unit.
From there the story takes CJ across the whole state, and each chapter brings new people: Catalina and The Truth in the countryside, Woozie, Zero and Jizzy B. in San Fierro, Mike Toreno in the desert, Rosenberg and Salvatore Leone in Las Venturas. The full rundown of who gives which mission is on the GTA San Andreas missions page.
CJ, his family and Grove Street
| Character | Who they are | Voice |
|---|---|---|
| Carl "CJ" Johnson | the protagonist; returns to Los Santos after five years away | Young Maylay |
| Sweet Johnson | CJ's older brother, leader of the Grove Street Families | Faizon Love |
| Kendl Johnson | CJ's sister, Cesar's girlfriend | Yo-Yo |
| Big Smoke | a longtime family friend from Grove Street | Clifton Powell |
| Ryder | a Grove Street member and CJ's childhood friend | MC Eiht |
| Cesar Vialpando | leader of the Varrios Los Aztecas, Kendl's boyfriend and CJ's ally | Clifton Collins Jr. |
| Frank Tenpenny | corrupt Los Santos police officer, the main antagonist | Samuel L. Jackson |
| Eddie Pulaski | Tenpenny's partner in the C.R.A.S.H. unit | Chris Penn |
| Jimmy Hernandez | the rookie in C.R.A.S.H. | Armando Riesco |
| OG Loc | an aspiring rapper whose career CJ "promotes" | Jonathan Anderson |
CJ was voiced by rapper Young Maylay. Rappers MC Eiht and Yo-Yo and actor Faizon Love also helped give the game its early-'90s West Coast sound.
Characters from other regions
| Character | Who they are | Voice |
|---|---|---|
| Catalina | Cesar's cousin, briefly CJ's girlfriend | Cynthia Farrell |
| The Truth | an aging hippie and conspiracy theorist who introduces CJ to the right people | Peter Fonda |
| Wu Zi Mu "Woozie" | the blind leader of the Mountain Cloud Boys in San Fierro | James Yaegashi |
| Mike Toreno | an undercover government agent who hands out jobs in the desert | James Woods |
| Zero | owner of an RC model shop in San Fierro | David Cross |
| Jizzy B. | club owner and member of the Loco Syndicate | Charlie Murphy |
| Madd Dogg | a star rapper from Los Santos | Ice-T |
| Ken Rosenberg | a lawyer, in San Andreas the manager of Caligula's casino | William Fichtner |
| Salvatore Leone | don of the Leone mafia family | Frank Vincent |
| Kent Paul | a music producer | Danny Dyer |
| Maccer | frontman of The Gurning Chimps | Shaun Ryder |
| Big Bear | a Grove Street veteran | Kurt "Big Boy" Alexander |
| Ran Fa Li | leader of the Red Gecko Tong triad; doesn't speak | Hunter Platin |
San Andreas ties the game world to earlier entries: Ken Rosenberg and Kent Paul first appeared in GTA Vice City and returned with the same actors, and Salvatore Leone dates back to GTA III.
Hollywood actors in San Andreas
San Andreas has plenty of famous names. Samuel L. Jackson played Tenpenny, James Woods agent Toreno, Peter Fonda the hippie The Truth, Chris Penn Pulaski, William Fichtner Rosenberg and Frank Vincent Don Leone. There are musicians too: Ice-T voiced Madd Dogg, Charlie Murphy Jizzy B., David Cross Zero, and musician Shaun Ryder Maccer.
Characters in the Definitive Edition
In the 2021 remaster the story and characters are the same; what changed are the models, which were redrawn for the new Unreal Engine. You can compare the versions on the GTA Trilogy – The Definitive Edition page.
GTA San Andreas characters FAQ
What is the name of the main character in GTA San Andreas?
Carl Johnson, nicknamed CJ. He was voiced by rapper Young Maylay.
Who voiced Tenpenny in GTA San Andreas?
Samuel L. Jackson. Officer Frank Tenpenny is the game's main antagonist.
Who voiced Big Smoke?
Clifton Powell, an American film and TV actor.
Who is Woozie in GTA San Andreas?
Wu Zi Mu, the blind leader of the Mountain Cloud Boys in San Fierro and one of CJ's key allies. Voiced by James Yaegashi.
Which San Andreas characters appeared in other GTA games?
Ken Rosenberg and Kent Paul appeared in Vice City, and Salvatore Leone in GTA III.