Tommy Vercetti – Protagonist:
Before the events in Vice City, Tommy Vercetti, voiced by Ray Liotta, had previously worked as a member of the Forelli Family of the Liberty City Mafia. In 1971, he was sent by Sonny Forelli to kill a man in the Harwood District, but as he arrived he was ambushed by 11 men. Vercetti was forced to kill them all, which meant he was sent down with a 15-year prison sentence for multiple counts of homicide.
Now fresh out of prison in 1986, Tommy, aged 35, is keen to start work again for the Forelli family, and is immediately sent by Sonny Forelli to Vice City to participate in a crucial introductory drug deal. When an ambush of the deal by a group of masked assailants results in Vercetti losing both the money and the drugs, he sets out to find and kill the people responsible.
Sonny Forelli – Antagonist:
Sonny Forelli, voiced by Tom Sizemore, is the main antagonist in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. He is the head of the Forelli Crime Family, a major crime family in Liberty City. Tommy Vercetti was one of Sonny’s trusted men, but he became afraid of Vercetti’s growing power. He orchestrated the Harwood massacre, sending Tommy on what was supposed to be a simple hit. Instead, there were assassins waiting for Tommy. Tommy survived by killing them all but was put in prison for 15 years.
At the start of the game, Tommy has been released from prison. Sonny believes that Tommy’s presence and notoriety will bring the law down on the Mafia and so sends him to Vice City to oversee a cocaine deal at the docks. When the deal gets ambushed and unknown assailants make off with both the drugs and the money, he orders Tommy to retrieve both.
Ken Rosenberg – Major Character:
Ken Rosenberg, who is voiced by Bill Fichtner, is a lawyer, and the contact in Vice City for the Liberty City Mob. He is suspected to have cheated his way through law school, and has defended Mafia associates in court such as Sonny Forelli’s cousin Georgio. He is supposed to mediate the cocaine deal, and narrowly escapes with Tommy Vercetti when it gets ambushed.
Lance Vance – Major Character:
Lance Vance is voiced by Miami star Philip Michael Thomas. Lance arrived in Vice City in 1984, and became one of the heads of the Vance Crime Family along with his brother Victor. Although during a cocaine sale to the Forelli Family, both families were ambushed by the Diaz’ Gang, and Victor, Lances’ brother was killed. Seeing Tommy Vercetti, the lone surviving member of the Forelli Family, as his best route to take revenge, Lance began buddying up to Tommy. He appears cool and collected on the surface, although below that he’s impulsive and emotionally insecure.
Juan Cortez – Majory Character:
Colonel Juan García Cortez who is voiced by Robert Davi, is a Cultural attaché. He is believed to facilitate trade in all areas of criminal activity, including, but not limited to, narcotics, firearms, weapons and military secrets. In his own country, he has been sentenced to death 9 times, but always survives and gets promoted. Cortez has diplomatic immunity which is an asset when the cops are bugging his house. He also has a long term dislike for French secret service.
Ricardo Diaz – Major Character:
Voiced by Luis Guzmán, Ricardo Diaz is a Gun Collector and is always armed. He has a private army/militia and is heavily guarded at all times. He has been involved in long running battle for control of Narcotics business in Vice City. He is known to have bribed police and officials within the town. He is feared due to his reputation for unpredictable behaviour and is thought to be responsible for 18 murders.
Ricardo Diaz is an extremely dangerous character. He bribed INS for Green card in 1978. Diaz is an extremely popular philanthropist. Gives to various Ricardo Diaz foundations and Central and South America. All are believed to be a front. He is extremely short, believed to suffer from Napoleon complex. Medical records show he has over-active glands and sweats more than is socially acceptable.
Kent Paul– Major Character:
Kent Paul, voiced by Danny Dyer, is a young man from the UK, believed to be from London. He claims to work in the music business, but has no known employment, his INS papers are not in order, and although he claims to be a criminal mastermind no criminal record has been found. Although he has no criminal record of his own, he has been described as “having his nose up the ass of most of Vice City” and is known to be a good source of information about the criminal goings-on in Vice City’s underworld. He seems to have contacts in certain SWAT divisions, and is frequently seen together with SWAT in bars.
Avery Carrington – Major Character:
Avery Carrington is voiced by Burt Reynolds, and is a Texas property magnate and real estate developer. He is an extreme capitalist. and is suspected of doing anything to manipulate property prices and land value, including arson, rioting, bribery, intimidation and murder. Avery always wears a cowboy hat and is thought to be involved in several developments and slum-clearance programs. He is a known guest of Colonel Juan García Cortez. He uses Ken Rosenberg for legal advice who is a possibly weak link.
Umberto Robina – Major Character:
Umberto Robina, voiced by Danny Trejo, is Vice City’s Cuban warlord. He has a long term feud with Haitian criminals and wants control of their turf. He really is a strong macho man who wants to wage a full scale war with the Haitians. He has never implicated in a crime personally. Umberto Robina’s bravery has been questioned within Cuban circles.
Auntie Poulet – Major Character:
Auntie Poulet, voiced by Youree Cleomili Harris, is an elderly Haitian matriarch. She is believed to be involved in a long term war with Cuban crime families for control of eastern and downtown Vice City. She is heavily protected by Haitian thugs at all times.
Mitch Baker – Major Character:
“Big” Mitch Baker, voiced by Lee Majors, is a Vietnam veteran and motorcycle enthusiast. His extreme bitterness at treatment of veterans has led to violent clashes with authority. He has been jailed on 13 occasions. His character has been described in Rockstar Games’s official website as a lawless degenerate sociopath. Big Mitch Baker’s hobbies include bar sports, fighting, Pinball, Pool, eating live animals, Hard Rock music, wrestling, racing motorbikes, urinating in public places and scaring police.
Big Mitch Baker is believed to have been involved in several civil disturbances. He runs the local gang of Bikers and is thought to be implicated in Narcotics distribution. He has extreme loyalty within his gang, the Bikers. His initiation rituals for the Biker Gang preclude getting a man on inside.
Phil Cassidy – Major Character:
Phil Cassidy is a redneck arms dealer. Voiced by Gary Busey, he’s involved in weapons trade. Phil is a gun enthusiast and a member of various second amendment organizations and various Vice City gun clubs. Sources suggest he also distills boomshine in his own stills. Phil is fighting a war with Mexican gun-running gangs.
Phil Cassidy is linked with Cam Jones. They are believed to have worked together several times although Cassidy has avoided convictions. He is a degenerate and a patriot. It is also thought that Cassidy claims to have served in various divisions although Army records show he was repeatedly rejected for service drunkenness and an unsuitable temperament for combat.
Mercedes Cortez – Major Character:
Mercedes Cortez is Colonel Cortez’s wayward daughter and is voiced by Fairuza Balk. She is set up as a possible love interest for Tommy Vercetti, but this plot line is never fully explored. Tommy is first introduced to her during a party aboard the Colonel’s yacht. Afterwards, she asks Tommy to give her a ride to the Pole Position Club, which Tommy ends up owning. On another occasion, she has sex with the band Love Fist. She becomes involved in the porn film industry, co-starring with Candy Suxxx in a film directed by Steve Scott and produced by Vercetti and his movie studio.