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Grand Theft Auto V

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Michael De Santa, Voiced by Ned Luke
Protagonist

Michael De Santa

Voiced by Ned Luke

Alive60 missions

Michael De Santa turns up in 60 of the 77 story missions, first in Prologue and last in The Third Way.

One of the three you switch between. The story is theirs.

Role
Protagonists
Voice actor
Ned Luke
Status
Alive
Occupation
Retired bank robber
Affiliations
Not stated

Player notes

In 2004, Michael Townley joins Trevor Philips and Brad Snider in robbing a cash depot outside Ludendorff, North Yankton. FIB agent Dave Norton has arranged the ambush under a private deal with Michael: Michael is meant to disappear, Trevor is meant to die and Brad is meant to be arrested. The plan collapses when Brad takes the bullet intended for Trevor. Michael feigns his death after Norton shoots him, while Trevor escapes. Nine years later, Michael lives as Michael De Santa in Rockford Hills, Los Santos, with Amanda, Jimmy and Tracey, but his money, marriage and family life have all soured.

Franklin Clinton meets Michael while repossessing Jimmy's SUV for Simeon Yetarian. Michael forces Franklin into the De Santa house and later recruits him after pursuing Jimmy's stolen yacht through Los Santos. When Michael finds Amanda with tennis coach Kyle Chavis, he and Franklin destroy the wrong house, angering its owner, Martin Madrazo. To repay Madrazo, Michael turns to Lester Crest and plans a robbery of Vangelico Fine Jewelry. Franklin joins the crew, and the job restores Michael's appetite for heists while putting cash back in his hands.

Michael tries to manage his children as Jimmy becomes entangled with drug dealers and Tracey chases a place on Fame or Shame. Trevor sees Tracey on the programme and hears Michael's voice when Michael confronts producer Lazlow Jones. Realising that Michael survived North Yankton, Trevor comes to Los Santos and forces his way back into Michael's life. At the same time, Dave Norton and FIB agent Steve Haines compel Michael to recover an FIB informant and help seize a target from a high-rise, with Franklin and Trevor drawn into the operation.

Under pressure from Haines, Michael tortures Ferdinand Kerimov for intelligence and joins Trevor and Franklin in stealing a weapon from Merryweather. After returning the device because its theft has become too dangerous, the three men take part in Haines's scheme to rob an armoured truck in Los Santos. Michael also works with Solomon Richards, a Vinewood producer whose films he admires, rescuing actor Milton McIlroy and pursuing financier Rocco Pelosi. Haines then drives the crew toward another score, this time against the Paleto Bay Bank.

Michael, Trevor, Franklin and their gunmen rob the Paleto Bay Bank, escaping through the town against the Blaine County Sheriff's Office and the military. Their work for the FIB continues with the theft of a chemical weapon from Humane Labs. Trevor discovers that Brad has been dead since the North Yankton robbery and takes Michael back to Ludendorff to expose the grave marked for Michael. Michael admits his arrangement with Dave. Trevor abandons him to the Triads, and Franklin rescues Michael from Wei Cheng's men at the Raven Slaughterhouse.

Back in Los Santos, Michael and Trevor agree to work together long enough to survive the conflict around them. Michael helps Solomon finish Meltdown after Devin Weston threatens the production, while the FIB forces the crew to prepare a raid on the Federal Investigation Bureau. The operation removes Haines's leverage, but exposes Michael to further pressure from Devin and the government agents. Amanda, Jimmy and Tracey return after leaving the De Santa home, and Michael reunites with them at his Rockford Hills mansion. He later helps Franklin recover Lamar Davis from the Ballas and the Los Santos Vagos.

Devin demands that Franklin kill Michael, while Haines and Stretch want Trevor and Franklin dead. Franklin instead brings Michael and Trevor together at the foundry in El Burro Heights. They eliminate Haines's FIB team, kill Stretch and Wei Cheng, then collect Devin from his mansion. Before that reckoning, Michael takes part in the Union Depository robbery with Franklin, Trevor and Lester's crew, escaping Los Santos with the gold. The three men drive Devin to a cliff overlooking Paleto Bay and send his car into the Pacific Ocean.

Trivia

  • โ—†Michael's appearance in the game may be based on Tom Sizemore's character Michael Cheritto in the 1995 film Heat, as both characters are professional bank robbers who enjoy the action, both are overweight, both bear an Italian surname, both have family and kids.
  • โ—†A clear reference to the movie Heat is seen in the mission Blitz Play, where Michael, Trevor, and Franklin attempt to rob an armored truck by ramming into it with a large tow truck. In the movie, Sizemore's character and his crew attempt to steal the armored van under the same circumstances, but a crew member, Waingro, on whom Trevor is based, messes it up by killing the security guards.
  • โ—†The way Trevor discovers Michael's survival and whereabouts because of his repeated usage of his trademark quote "You forget a thousand things every day, make sure this is one of them" is similar to the way the police identify Cheritto, who likes to call everyone "Slick."
  • โ—†Michael may also be partially based on Robert De Niro's character Neil McCauley from the 1995 film Heat, as both are veteran professional criminals who attempt to leave their criminal lives behind and retire in comfort after years of successful robberies. However, both are eventually drawn back into major heists by circumstances beyond their control.
  • โ—†Several missions in Grand Theft Auto V, most notably Blitz Play, contain clear references to Heat, further reinforcing the connection between De Santa and McCauley.
  • โ—†Michael's conflict with Trevor Philips may also resemble Neil McCauley's rivalry with Waingro in Heat. Both Trevor and Waingro are volatile and unpredictable criminals whom De Santa and McCauley respectively view as dangerous liabilities. As a result, both protagonists eventually attempt to have them killed in order to protect themselves and secure their futures.
  • โ—†Michael may also be partially based on Paul Vitti (Robert De Niro) from the 1999 film Analyze This, as both are middle-aged criminals struggling with psychological issues and personal dissatisfaction while attempting to balance their criminal past with family life. Both characters seek professional help to cope with their emotional problems and experience frequent conflicts with their families.
  • โ—†The similarities are further reflected in Michael's sessions with Dr. Isiah Friedlander, which parallel Vitti's therapy sessions with Dr. Ben Sobel throughout Analyze This.
  • โ—†Michael's special ability may have been inspired by the ability from Remedy Entertainment's Max Payne series and/or the ability from Rockstar San Diego's series.
  • โ—†There are a lot of similarities between Michael and Tony Soprano from the TV show, The Sopranos:
  • โ—†Both Tony and Michael smoke cigars.
  • โ—†They both go to a shrink, even though none believes in therapy.
  • โ—†Both of them have two children, a boy and a girl, with whom they have a lot of fights, especially about their job: Tony being a mob boss and Michael being a robber.
  • โ—†Both of them have trouble with their wives and shaky relationships. However, Tony's wife Carmela doesn't officially cheat on him, whereas Amanda cheats on Michael.
  • โ—†They both live in a big house with a pool.
  • โ—†Their language and way of speaking are similar.
  • โ—†Michael occasionally exclaims " " in a similar manner to Tony and many characters from the show.
  • โ—†Both of them are huge movie fans, and they both prefer classic movies of Hollywood (GTA world, Vinewood), to "new age" movies.
  • โ—†Both are known for their similar hypocrisy.
  • โ—†Both ran criminal operations out of a strip club (Vanilla Unicorn for Michael, Bada Bing! for Tony).
  • โ—†Both played football during their childhood.
  • โ—†Michael also shares many similarities with from the Max Payne franchise:
  • โ—†Both have/had a wife and child(ren).
  • โ—†Both have a drinking problem.
  • โ—†Both men have similar physical appearances.
  • โ—†Both are around the same age if Michael was born in 1965.
  • โ—†Both have very similar abilities.
  • โ—†Both are/were fugitives of the law.
  • โ—†Both were used in scandals.
  • โ—†Both can share the same hairstyles and clothing.
  • โ—†Michael's false surname "De Santa" is similar to 's real surname from Rockstar San Diego's Red Dead series. However, these characters and games are not related.
  • โ—†Michael Townley is a real person under federal witness protection. He was a former CIA operative who was involved in the 1976 assassination of Orlando Letelier, a Chilean ambassador.
  • โ—†In the Rush Casting Call from 2010, Michael was called Albert De Silva.
  • โ—†Michael was the first protagonist that came to Rockstar's mind when they began the development of GTA V.
  • โ—†His favorite radio stations are Los Santos Rock Radio, Vinewood Boulevard Radio, and Radio Mirror Park. He also seems to have a taste for funk, as the radio inside his mansion is tuned to The Lowdown 91.1, and he will bob his head in appreciation to both it and Space 103.2 while in a vehicle. Additionally, he will listen to Rebel Radio between Did Somebody Say Yoga? and Monkey Business.
  • โ—†Furthermore, he calls Trevor's music taste "weird" in Paleto Score Setup, suggesting he may not be fond of Channel X, Trevor's favourite.
  • โ—†After firing a pistol and starting to run or walk, Michael will be holding it in both hands, unlike Franklin and Trevor.
  • โ—†Michael's great shooting accuracy makes him one of the most challenging opponents while playing darts.
  • โ—†The quote that Michael uses in Prologue and The Jewel Store Job, "You forget a thousand things every day, make sure this is one of them.", is from the Solomon Richards movie Arthur Penny's Sanitorium, although slightly modified. The original line is "We forget a thousand things every day, can't we just make this one of them?".
  • โ—†Throughout the game, Michael displays a contempt for yoga instructors. Coincidentally, his voice and motion capture performer, Ned Luke, is married to a yoga instructor.
  • โ—†Opposite to Trevor, who hates Los Santos, Michael declares many times that he hates the Grand Senora Desert and implies in Monkey Business that he wants to never return there.
  • โ—†It is possible that Michael dreamed of becoming a cop growing up, as suggested by Trevor in I Fought the Law....
  • โ—†Michael was called "snowbird" by Devin Weston and Gianni. "Snowbird" means someone from the U.S. Northeast, U.S. Midwest, Pacific Northwest, or Canada who spends a large portion of winter in warmer locales such as southern California, southern Nevada, Arizona, Florida, Texas, Georgia, the Carolinas, or elsewhere along the Sun Belt of the southern and southwest United States, Mexico, and areas of the Caribbean. The way that snowbird was used by Devin and Gianni towards Michael was a reference to how he moved to Los Santos from Ludendorff.
  • โ—†Michael may be of Irish descent, as a number of his possible tattoos are Irish-themed, he has green eyes, and his favorite drink is whisky, all of these being common Irish traits.
  • โ—†Upon returning to his house, one possible line of dialogue for Michael to shout is "Daddy's back, bitches!", which is a reference to the first line of dialogue in GTA IV.
  • โ—†Michael has unique, terrified reactions when he hits a family member with a car.
  • โ—†Michael is the only protagonist to only have one safehouse in the game, however Trevor's trailer was temporary due to being exile from Martin Madrazo's henchmen.
  • โ—†If Michael accesses the in-game website PsychicShoutout and speaks with Ms. Tammy, she will reveal that Amanda has already had sex with the yoga instructor (Fabien LaRouche), the tennis coach (Kyle Chavis) and also a fireman, a plumber, a beach lifeguard, a truck driver, a dustman, a gardener, as well as a hipster. Michael angrily replies that they have an open relationship. This is later backed up by Tracey De Santa in the mission Reuniting the Family when Michael drives himself, Tracey, and Jimmy De Santa to Dr. Friedlander's office.
  • โ—†When walking, Michael is slightly slower than Franklin or Trevor; this might be due to him being retired and not as active as he used to be. Ned Luke even put on 25 pounds to replicate this.
  • โ—†When someone talks to Michael on his right side, he shifts his body toward that person. This is because in real life, Ned Luke is deaf in his right ear.
  • โ—†A person comments under the synopsis of Rum Runner on the Classic Vinewood in-game website, under the pseudonym 'michaelds', saying "I wanted to be Eddie Olson when I was a kid. Just without the handicap fetish.". "michaelds" is most likely a pseudonym for Michael De Santa.
  • โ—†There is a second comment from 'michaelds' under the synopsis of The Many Wives of Alfredo Smith. In this one, he comments, "This is how movies should be. A plot so tangled that you still don't know what's going on even after watching it five times. Not the dumbed down sickly sweet trash Vinewood pumps out these days.".
  • โ—†After Friedlander's optional death in Abandonment Issues (non-canon), it is stated on the radio that Michael's name was "Marky De Santos," a fake name made by Friedlander. Ahron Ward and the police dispatcher also call Michael "Mr. De Santo" and "Michael De Santo" respectively.
  • โ—†On the Overview page on the Social Club, Michael's business card strangely says "Michael Townley" instead of "Michael De Santa". It also says "entrepreneur" just like Franklin's.
  • โ—†Michael sleeps for the shortest time of the three protagonists. When saving the game with Michael, the game skips ahead six hours. Franklin sleeps for eight hours, while Trevor sleeps for twelve. While he lives alone after his family moves out, one of his switch scenes shows him waking up screaming and pointing a gun around. He may suffer from nightmares, which could explain his short sleeping time compared to Trevor and Franklin.
  • โ—†According to a phone call with Friedlander, Michael tried taking behavior medication before the events of the game, but stopped because the dosage was incorrect, causing him to "cry and piss all over himself".
  • โ—†While wearing the Epsilon Robes, other characters, such as Bob Mulรฉt and other barbers, may say Kifflom to him in greeting.
  • โ—†Michael, unlike Trevor, dislikes killing people for no reason. He mentions this in a number of missions, including not killing the tennis coach or Lazlow. He only kills people when he feels like he has to, such as killing Stretch for betraying Franklin and Lamar or as an act of self-defense.
  • โ—†Michael's relationship with Amanda bears similarities to John Marston's relationship with his wife, Abigail, in *Red Dead Redemption* and its prequel, *Red Dead Redemption 2*, as both couples separate over the course of their stories and later reconcile.

Story missions

60 missions
All missions

In story order, numbered as they are on the mission list. Not all of these are missions they hand you; some they only appear in.

1
PrologueLudendorff, North Yankton
2
Franklin and LamarSimeon Yetarian
4
ComplicationsSimeon Yetarian
5
Father/SonMichael De Santa
6
Marriage CounselingMichael De Santa
7
Daddy's Little GirlMichael De Santa
10
Friend RequestLester Crest
11
Casing The Jewel StoreLester Crest
12
Carbine RiflesLester Crest
13
Bugstars EquipmentLester Crest
14
BZ Gas GrenadesLester Crest
15
The Jewel Store JobHeists
16
Mr. PhilipsTrevor Philips
21
Fame or ShameMichael De Santa
22
Dead Man WalkingFederal Investigation Bureau/Dave Norton
23
Three's CompanyFederal Investigation Bureau/Dave Norton
24
By the BookFederal Investigation Bureau/Steve Haines
25
Scouting The PortTrevor Philips
28
The Merryweather HeistHeists
29
Did Somebody Say Yoga?Michael De Santa
36
Blitz Play IntroFederal Investigation Bureau/Steve Haines
37
MasksFederal Investigation Bureau/Heist Setups
38
Boiler SuitsFederal Investigation Bureau/Heist Setups
39
Trash TruckFederal Investigation Bureau/Heist Setups
40
Tow TruckFederal Investigation Bureau/Heist Setups
41
Blitz PlayHeists
42
I Fought The Law...Devin Weston
43
Eye In The SkyDevin Weston
44
Mr. RichardsSolomon Richards
45
Caida LibreMartin Madrazo
47
Minor TurbulenceTrevor Philips
48
Paleto Score SetupFederal Investigation Bureau/Steve Haines
49
Military HardwareFederal Investigation Bureau/Steve Haines
50
PredatorTrevor Philips
51
The Paleto ScoreHeists
52
DerailedTrevor Philips
53
Monkey BusinessFederal Investigation Bureau/Steve Haines
54
Hang TenTrevor Philips
55
Surveying The ScoreTrevor Philips
56
Bury the HatchetMichael De Santa
58
Fresh MeatFranklin Clinton
59
Cleaning Out The BureauLester Crest
60
Architect's PlansLester Crest
61
Fire TruckLester Crest
62
Reuniting the FamilyMichael De Santa
63
The Bureau RaidHeists
64
The Wrap UpFederal Investigation Bureau/Dave Norton
65
Lamar DownFranklin Clinton
66
The Ballad of RoccoSolomon Richards
67
Legal TroubleSolomon Richards
68
MeltdownMichael De Santa
69
Planning the Big ScoreLester Crest
70
StingersLester Crest
71
GauntletLester Crest
72
DrillerLester Crest
73
SidetrackedLester Crest
74
The Big ScoreHeists
75
Something SensibleFederal Investigation Bureau/Steve Haines
76
The Time's ComeDevin Weston
77
The Third WayLester Crest

Shares missions with

The characters who appear in the most of the same missions.

Franklin Clinton40 shared missions
Trevor Philips37 shared missions
Lester Crest22 shared missions
Dave Norton17 shared missions
Jimmy De Santa17 shared missions
Amanda De Santa12 shared missions
View on GTA Wiki โ†’

Character data from GTA Wiki, CC BY-SA. Not affiliated with Rockstar Games.

Last verified September 14, 2026