GTA 5 Characters: Michael, Franklin, Trevor and Cast
GTA 5 has three playable protagonists: Michael De Santa (played by Ned Luke), Franklin Clinton (Shawn Fonteno) and Trevor Philips (Steven Ogg). Each actor provided both the voice and the motion capture. Michael lives in a Rockford Hills mansion, Franklin moves from Strawberry to the Vinewood Hills, and Trevor lives in a trailer in Sandy Shores. The table below opens each home on our 3D map. This guide stays light on spoilers; anything that gives away the story is flagged.
The three protagonists at a glance
| Character | Played by | Home | On the map |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael De Santa | Ned Luke | Portola Drive, Rockford Hills | Michael’s house |
| Franklin Clinton | Shawn Fonteno | Forum Drive, Strawberry, then 3671 Whispymound Drive, Vinewood Hills | Aunt Denise’s house, Whispymound Drive |
| Trevor Philips | Steven Ogg | Trailer on Zancudo Avenue, Sandy Shores | Trevor’s trailer |
Michael De Santa
Michael is a retired career criminal and bank robber, formerly known as Michael Townley. He lives in Los Santos with his family under a new identity, the result of a secret deal with FIB agent Dave Norton, who helped him fake his death. Comfortable and deeply bored, he is drawn back into crime early in the story.
His family is half the drama: his wife Amanda, his son Jimmy and his daughter Tracey all live under the same roof, and none of them is easy company.
Where he lives. The De Santa Residence is a Spanish Revival mansion on Portola Drive in Rockford Hills, a nod to Beverly Hills, with a pool, a hot tub and a two-car garage. It first appears in the mission Complications, when Franklin shows up there for reasons that have nothing to do with friendship.
Franklin Clinton
Franklin is a young hustler born and raised in Los Santos who wants out of small-time gang life. With his best friend Lamar Davis he left the Chamberlain Gangster Families to form the Forum Drive crew, and at the start of the game he repossesses cars for Simeon Yetarian at Premium Deluxe Motorsport. Meeting Michael gives him a shot at the big time.
He is also the keeper of Chop, Lamar’s Rottweiler, who lives with Franklin for most of the story and can be switched to in some missions.
Where he lives. Franklin starts at his aunt Denise’s bungalow on Forum Drive in Strawberry. After the mission The Hotel Assassination, Lester sets him up in a modern house with an infinity pool at 3671 Whispymound Drive in the Vinewood Hills, and Franklin is happy to leave his aunt’s place behind.
Trevor Philips
Trevor is a Canadian-born career criminal, a former bank robber and Michael’s old partner. He runs Trevor Philips Enterprises out of Sandy Shores, trying to take over the gun and drug trade in Blaine County. He believes Michael died years ago, until a news report about the Vangelico jewellery store robbery makes him think otherwise.
Where he lives. His home is a squalid trailer on Zancudo Avenue in Sandy Shores, the smallest safehouse in the game. His business operates from a meth lab nearby, and during the story he also spends time at Floyd’s apartment in Vespucci Beach and takes over the Vanilla Unicorn strip club.
The supporting cast
All voice actors below are credited on the GTA Wiki character pages.
| Character | Who they are | Played by |
|---|---|---|
| Lester Crest | Planner behind the heists, old associate of Michael and Trevor, lives in El Burro Heights | Jay Klaitz |
| Lamar Davis | Franklin’s best friend and Chop’s owner | Slink Johnson |
| Amanda De Santa | Michael’s wife | Vicki van Tassel |
| Jimmy De Santa | Michael’s son | Danny Tamberelli |
| Tracey De Santa | Michael’s daughter | Michal Sinnott |
| Denise Clinton | Franklin’s aunt | Janet Hubert |
| Simeon Yetarian | Car dealer and Franklin’s first boss | Demosthenes Chrysan |
| Dave Norton | FIB agent who helped Michael disappear | Julian Gamble |
| Steve Haines | Dave Norton’s superior at the FIB | Robert Bogue |
| Devin Weston | Billionaire venture capitalist | Jonathan Walker |
| Martin Madrazo | Cartel boss | Alfredo Huereca |
| Wade Hebert | Trevor’s naive sidekick | Matthew Maher |
| Floyd Hebert | Wade’s cousin, owner of the Vespucci Beach apartment | Jimmy Ray Bennett |
| Ron Jakowski | Trevor’s neighbour, conspiracy theorist and stand-in boss of Trevor Philips Enterprises | David Mogentale |
Switching between them
The three protagonists are played through a switch system: outside missions you can jump from one to another at any time, and the game picks up wherever that character happens to be, sometimes in an embarrassing situation. Each has his own money, safehouses, vehicles and special ability, and their relationships drive the story, including its three possible endings.
Where they are now (spoilers)
This section reveals which characters are alive after the story. GTA Online, set years later, keeps using them:
- Lamar has been a GTA Online contact for years.
- Franklin returned in The Contract (December 15, 2021), running a “celebrity solutions agency” called F. Clinton and Partner, with Lamar and Chop along for the ride.
- Michael appears in A Safehouse in the Hills (December 10, 2025), where, in Rockstar’s words, new homeowners are greeted by the “career criminal turned hotshot movie producer” and his wife Amanda.
- Trevor appears in GTA Online’s first heists, set in 2013 before the story, and later updates say he has retired his company and left Blaine County.
What that means for how the story ends is covered in our GTA 5 endings guide. For the heists the trio pulls off together, see our GTA 5 heists guide, and for their successors in Leonida, meet Jason and Lucia in our GTA 6 characters guide.
Frequently asked questions
Who are the three main characters in GTA 5?
Michael De Santa, a retired bank robber living under a new identity, Franklin Clinton, a young repo man from South Los Santos, and Trevor Philips, Michael's volatile former partner who runs a criminal operation in Blaine County. You can switch between all three.
Who plays Michael, Franklin and Trevor?
Ned Luke plays Michael, Shawn Fonteno plays Franklin and Steven Ogg plays Trevor. Each actor provided both the voice and the motion capture for his character.
Where is Michael's house in GTA 5?
On Portola Drive in Rockford Hills, the wealthy western part of Los Santos. It is a Spanish Revival mansion with a pool, first seen in the mission Complications.
Where does Franklin live in GTA 5?
He starts at his aunt Denise's house on Forum Drive in Strawberry, then moves to 3671 Whispymound Drive in the Vinewood Hills after the mission The Hotel Assassination.
Do the GTA 5 characters appear in GTA Online?
Yes. Lamar has been a GTA Online contact for years, Franklin returned in The Contract in December 2021, and Michael appears in A Safehouse in the Hills, released in December 2025.