Franklin Clinton is one of three main protagonists in GTA: San Andreas. The Los Santos-born gangster spends the majority of GTA 5 trying to escape his family’s poverty by making something better of himself, and things start falling into place for him when he eventually crosses paths with Michael De Santa.
GTA 5 was released in 2013 and allowed players to explore the open-world environment of Los Santos and Blaine County, Rockstar’s fictional Los Angeles (and the surrounding areas) set in the state of San Andreas. GTA: San Andreas, on the other hand, was released almost a decade earlier, in 2004. Also set in San Andreas, a fictional state based on California and Nevada, players follow ex-gangster Carl “CJ” Johnson who returned to his hometown following his mother’s death, but, of course, he gets into a lot of crime and conflict in the process.
Given that the two Grand Theft Auto games follow completely different characters and were released a decade apart, it may be jarring to hear that Grand Theft Auto 5’s Franklin has a specific connection to San Andreas. But even though the character doesn’t make a cameo himself, players will be able to recognize his voice.
Where GTA 5's Franklin Was During San Andreas
The voice actor who lends his vocals and motion capture to Franklin actually has a role in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Shawn Fonteno is not only the voice behind Franklin in GTA 5, but he also lends his voice to one of the Grove Street Families’ gang in GTA: San Andreas. Players may have difficulty finding his name in the credits for GTA: San Andreas, though, since he didn’t use his full legal name. Rather, Fonteno opted to be credited by his rapper name Solo. There’s another connection, too. Fonteno happens to be the real-life cousin of Young Maylay, who voices CJ in San Andreas, once again providing a link between the two games.
Aside from his musical aspirations, Shawn Fonteno is largely known for his voice acting roles in the Grand Theft Auto games. He was even nominated for a Behind the Voice Actors Award for Best Vocal Ensemble in 2014 for his portrayal of Franklin. He’s also acted in a variety of films, including 3 Strikes (2000), The Wash (2001), and Grow House (2017). Young Malay, whose real name is Christopher Bellard, is a rapper, record producer, and actor, also based in L.A. like his cousin. He’s lent his voice to the film Sherman & Buttercup (2020) and appeared in TV shows like The Brodies and Dogstar: High School 2. Clearly, music and acting run in these two Grand Theft Auto voice actors’ families.
