Whose face and body were used as the model for Chell?

Alésia Glidewell was the face and body model used for Chell in Portal.

Glidewell’s likeness helped define Chell, the silent player character who navigates Aperture Science’s lethal test chambers. Chell’s appearance was later redesigned for Portal 2, but the character remained intentionally understated rather than presented as a conventionally glamorous action hero.

A common mix-up is confusing Chell’s model with the performers behind other Portal characters. Ellen McLain voices GLaDOS, while Chell communicates mainly through movement, exertion sounds, and player action. Glidewell also worked in voice acting and motion performance for other games, but her Portal connection is specifically as Chell’s face and body model.