Header photograph: Lena Headey as Kate in the 2008 action-adventure movie “The Red Baron.”
Where else have you seen these 50 Game of Thrones actors? It’s a mix of veterans and newcomers, and some of them pop up in unexpected places.
Did you ever wonder where else you might have seen members of the Game of Thrones cast? Some of them, like Sean Bean and Diana Rigg, are well-established veterans with huge lists of credits, while others, like Kit Harington and John Bradley-West, landed their roles right after they graduated acting school. Others never had any acting experience whatsoever before joining the cast, but almost all of them have some small, oddball, or even leading performances that most of us aren’t aware of.
Let’s go digging to see what we can find.
1. SEAN BEAN
Over the course of a long career, Sean Bean (Eddard Stark) is well-known for 1) playing a lot of bad guys and 2) dying onscreen. Bean was one of the easily recognizable faces when Game of Thrones first hit the air. Audiences might have known him from his roles as Alec Trevelyan in GoldenEye, Boromir in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and Odysseus in Troy. He’s also voiced a number of video games, including Civilization IV and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.
Bean has also starred in many TV productions, one of his most successful being the Napoleonic-era Richard Sharpe TV movie series from the UK. In fact, it may have been his portrayal of the dashing Sharpe that got him the part of Ned Stark. At least, that’s when A Song of Ice and Fire George R.R. Martin became a fan of his. When Bean was doing an interview with Hero Complex in 2011, George R.R. Martin dropped by tell Bean: “It was a terrific series,” he told Bean in a conversation recorded right around the time the first season was premiering. “That’s when I became a fan of yours.”
We went digging for one of Bean’s earliest cinematic efforts. Above, he’s looking sufficiently street tough/80s hip in his first onscreen role as Horace Clark on the The Bill TV series in the 1984 episode “Long Odds.” The Bill was the longest-running police procedural drama (1984-2010) in the history of British TV.
The Bill wasn’t Bean’s first professional gig, however: after graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he starred in a theatrical production of Romeo and Juliet in 1983. What’s next for the always busy Bean? He’s slated to appear in the TV series Broken and two features, Drone and Dark River, in 2017.
2) KATE DICKIE
As the quivering, demented and damaged Lysa Arryn, Kate Dickie was impressive. She’s one of those actresses you know you’ve seen before, even if you can’t quite put your finger on where and when. She’s appeared in dark dramas like The Witch and Filth, and has admitted to being drawn to troubled characters:
"I don’t feel drawn to lightness, I need something more. I feel that – oh, I hate saying this, it sounds so wanky – but I feel a real urge to give voices to people we don’t usually hear from in real life. There are always reasons for people’s behaviour, and it’s easy just to dismiss them and assume that we already know their story, especially if they’re no good at showing their emotions. Life gives you all these knocks, it’s so easy to form a shell to protect yourself. I’ve done it myself."
You may also have seen Dickie as a member of the ill-fated crew in Prometheus (2012).
The Scottish-born actress stars as Kate Ford, the USCSS Prometheus’ Medical and First Officer. As an actress used to smaller fare, being in a big budget spectacular was an experience, something she laughed about in a 2014 interview with ReelScotland:
"It was surprising to me to see me popping up in that one! I had a great time on that. The first month I couldn’t quite believe I was there and I remember thinking ‘I’m either having this vivid dream or I’ve lost the plot and I’m delusional’. Then I thought they’d maybe meant to call Kate Winslett, it just seemed too surreal … Michael Fassbender was very kind to me, I think he could see I was quite nervous."
Even in small roles, Dickie’s ability to convey naked emotion is striking. She received accolades for the thriller Red Road, where she played the depressed and isolated Jackie Morrison, a video-surveillance officer working in Glasgow.
In a poll of film critics and filmmakers by the Observer, Red Road was voted one of the best British films in the last 25 years. It also received the 2006 Cannes Jury Prize, and Dickie won the 2006 Scottish BAFTA award for Best Actress in a Scottish Film. Looking ahead, Dickie will appear in the Second World War era drama Landgericht in 2017.
3) JOHN BRADLEY-WEST
Hailing from Wythenshaw, South Manchester, Bradley-West is best known to us as the timid but resilient Samwell Tarly. His Game of Thrones role is his first major job, and he landed it though his college website.
Bradley-West has popped up in a number of TV series since his debut on Thrones, playing Giovanni De Medici in Borgia, Wesley in Shameless and Tyr Seward in the 2012 TV series Merlin (along with a slew of other Game of Thrones alumni, including Donald Sumpter, Liam Cunningham, Alexander Siddig, Joe Dempsie, Charles Dance, Clive Russel, James Cosmo and Julian Glover). It looks like his stint on Merlin (see photo, above) didn’t require much of a shave or costume change…
Bradley-West also has a great role in the movie Traders (2015). He plays Vernon Stynes, a laid-off bean counter living a life of quiet desperation who sets up a web page where miserable people can meet and fight to the death for money (each brings their entire life savings). In an interview with Vice, Bradley-West compared Vernon to another repulsive villain:
"I’ve always likened Vernon to the Penguin in Batman. You expect him to be friendly and open. It’s definitely a Freudian thing—round things you’re drawn to. They seem comforting. And the thing about Vernon and the Penguin is they’re both very soft and look very playful, but are incredibly sinister."
It looks like Bradley-West is working hard on his Game of Thrones extracurricular projects: look for him to pop up in American Satan and Patient Zero (with Game of Thrones costar Natalie Dormer, who plays Margaery Tyrell) later this year.
4) ESSIE DAVIS
On Game of Thrones, Essie Davis plays Lady Crane, a motherly actress killed by Arya’s nemesis the Waif. The Tasmanian-born Davis has appeared in a number of big Hollywood films, including The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, where she played Maggie, a crew member of the futuristic ship Mjolnir. She also starred in the Australian/Canadian-produced psychological horror film The Babadook (2014), which earned her an AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, an AACTA International Award for Best Actress and a Fangoria Chainsaw Award for Best Leading Actress.
Despite Davis’ notoriety, people often don’t recognize her on the street. It looks like one of her greatest talents is to vanish, chameleon-like, into every character she inhabits. “A lot of people don’t realize,” she told The Guardian in 2016, “that I’m the same person who has played all these parts.”
For Netflix lifers, Davis stars in the sumptuous Australian series Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, based on Kerry Greenwood’s Phryne Fisher crime novels. Set in Melbourne in the 1920s, Davis plays a wild, adventure-loving war veteran billed as “more Mata Hari than Miss Marple.” ”I thought Phryne was fabulous,” Davis said in a 2012 interview with Daily Life, ”She’s like a female Indiana Jones with a better wardrobe.”
What’s coming up next for Davis? She will play the dowager queen Elizabeth in The White Princess, a STARZ Miniseries. Davis is also considering starring in a Phryne Fisher movie.
5) NOAH TAYLOR
Noah Taylor’s turn as the sinister, hand-lopping Locke was a treat for Game of Thrones fans. His trademark scowl is the product of a long and distinguished acting career. You may remember seeing this English-Australian actor playing offbeat characters like Mr. Bucket in Tim Burton’s remake of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), Dr. Carter in The Edge of Tomorrow (2014), the adolescent David Helfgott in Shine (1996), and Bryce in 2000’s Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (with Game of Thrones costar Nikolaj Coster-Waldau).
Taylor’s first professional appearance was as a “Bowie Fan” in the 1986 post-punk film Dogs in Space, but the first role that really got him noticed was the part of an angsty teen in the 1987 coming of age film The Year my Voice Broke. He then worked his way up the marquee through small roles in films and TV shows, including Inspector Morse, G.P., and Water Rats.
Taylor worked his comedic muscles in Wes Anderson’s 2004 comedy-drama The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, playing Vladimir Wolodarsky, the Belefonte crews’ physicist and soundtrack composer. Taylor himself prefers the simpler life, although he admits to having most of the regular gadgets (iPad, etc.) He’s less a Luddite than a lazy person, which he laughingly explained to Vulture in 2014: “I don’t have a television, and I’m middle-aged, and I never figured out how to illegally download things. I’m a bit of a square.”
Did you remember that Taylor was in Cameron Crowe’s 2000 film Almost Famous? He portrayed Dick Roswell, the loyal but shady manager of the band Stillwater. Taylor is an accomplished musician himself, so prepping for his role on a Neil Young concert tour was something special, as he told Clash in 2011: “Almost Famous was a trip. I got sent on the road with Neil Young’s tour manager, saw some incredible Neil shows across America, met the great man and saw his amazing pimped-out bus.”
What’s coming up for Noah Taylor? Not sure. His last listed credit is The Menkoff Method, an Australian satirical comedy that premiered on December 1st, 2016.
6) LENA HEADEY
Cersei Lannister is everybody’s favorite Dark Queen, and Lena Headey has played her with evil aplomb from the very first episode of Game of Thrones. Born in Bermuda and raised in Yorkshire, England, Headey has been cast in a number of big and small-screen projects, including Kate in The Red Baron (2008), Angelika in The Brothers Grimm (2005), Sarah Connor in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (TV), Jocelyn in Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013), and Lady Catherine de Bourgh in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016).
Headey has had a long and impressive career, and has starred alongside such acting notables as Vanessa Redgrave (Mrs. Dalloway, 1997) and Ralph Fiennes (Onegin, 1999). She even had a tiny part in Remains of the Day (1993), which garnered eight Academy Awards nominations. Like Sean Bean, she also provides voiceover for video games, such as Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV and Dishonored.
American audiences probably best recognize Heady from her role as the Spartan Queen Gorgo in the 300 movies. Her ability to bring both defiant strength and vulnerability keeps casting directors knocking on her door. Knowing her talents, it was her friend Peter Dinklage (Tyrion) who went to the Game of Thrones producers and recommended her for Cersei.
One big difference between Game of Thrones and the 300 series is that Game of Thrones sets are largely “built,” as opposed to all the CGI on 300. Headey talked about how that affected her as an actor during an interview with Crave in 2014:
"It’s (Game of Thrones) easier because in something like 300 you just have the other actors to… Your emotional place is the anchor of it because you’re not seeing something real. Plus, green screen makes me want to puke. In “Thrones” everything is built. There’s things on every table. There are things that you believe you would have had when you were five, and you can give stories to everything. So it’s immersive in that way, which is a real treasure as an actor."
Back in the early days of her career, Headey appeared on the British TV series Soldier, Soldier (1991-1997). The show followed the lives of the men of B Company and their struggles adapting to a new era of military life after the Cold War. Headey’s character, Shenna Bowles, appeared in only three episodes in 1993, but it was one of the launching points of her career. Soldier, Soldier is credited with catapulting several other Game of Thrones actors into the limelight, too, including Jerome Flynn (Bronn) and Dominic Carter (Janos Slynt).
What’s coming up for Headey (outside of Game of Thrones, of course)? Look for her in the role of Ellen in the movie Thumper, a drama slated for 2017.
7) IAIN GLEN
On Game of Thrones, Iain Glen plays Jorah Mormont, a handsome soldier handicapped by poor decision-making and unrequited love.
Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Glen gets around Hollywood. He’s appeared as Manfred Powell in Tomb Raider, Dr. Isaacs in the Resident Evil series, and Alfred Roberts in The Iron Lady. He’s also a stage actor with turns in plays like Macbeth (Tron Theater) and Henry the V (Royal Shakespeare Company).
Glen has a long TV resume with starring roles in many top-flight series and miniseries. He has portrayed Jarrod Slade in Cleverman (2016), Jacob in The Red Tent (2014), Sir Richard Carlisle in Downton Abbey (2011), and Octavian in Dr. Who (2010). Glen also played Madoc Faulkner in one episode of Ripper Street alongside Game of Thrones costar Jerome Flynn (Bronn) in 2013. Glen and Flynn know each other from way back, as Glen revealed when asked which Game of Thrones character he’d like to face in a fighting pit:
"As Jorah… it sounds cowardly, but I’d like to face Littlefinger. I’d like to know the reality of what he spreads and some of the consequences of the balls he sets rolling. As Iain… Jerome Flynn (Bronn). I’ve known him from when we were in opposing drama schools in London. We used to play football together and try to cripple each other on the field. He might be better than me at football, but in armed combat, I’d whip his ass."
In one of those ‘Hey, don’t blink or you might miss him,’ moments, Glen shows up at the very end of Ridley Scott’s 12th Century crusade epic Kingdom of Heaven, once again donning plate armor for his cameo as Richard Couer de Lion (2005). Two of his costars on Game of Thrones, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister) and Alexander Siddig (Prince Doran Martell), have parts in the film as well.
What’s up next for the prolific Glen? He stars in the new TV drama-comedy Delicious (2016-17), and has two films slated for release in 2017: My Cousin Rachel and What About Love.
8) DIANA RIGG
Diana Rigg brings her trademark no-nonsense toughness to her Thrones role as the political mastermind Olenna Tyrell. She believes the family matriarch has a darker soul than fans may first suspect. In an interview with BBCHardtalk in 2016, Rigg said that “(Olenna) is pretty evil…I’m good at evil.”
Younger fans may not be aware of Rigg’s eventful career. Her first pro gig was in 1957, in a The Caucasian Chalk Circle. Her notable film roles include The Painted Veil (2006) and Theater of Blood (1973).
Outside of Thrones, Rigg is probably best known for her portrayal of the talented agent Emma Peel on The Avengers, a British cult hit TV series (1965-67), but her other television credits are impressive. Her TV roles include Lady Honoria Dedlock in Masterpiece Theater: Bleak House (1985) and Adela Bradley in The Mrs. Bradley Mysteries (1998-2000). Also, she won a BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Helena Vesey in the 1989 BBC miniseries Mother Love. She also earned an Emmy Award for her role as Mrs. Danvers in the 1997 adaptation of Rebecca.
Like many Game of Thrones alumni, Rigg has appeared on the venerable Dr. Who TV series. In an episode written specifically for her by actor Mark Gattis (you may know him as Tycho Nestoris, the Braavosi Iron Banker on Thrones), Rigg appeared with her real-life daughter, Rachael Stirling, in an episode entitled “The Crimson Horror,” in 2013.
One of Rigg’s big early movie roles was as a Bond girl alongside George Lazenby in 1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (Rigg played Tracy Bond, the only time James Bond had a wife). The young Rigg bears a striking resemblance to actress Natalie Dormer, who plays Lady Olenna’s granddaughter, Margaery Tyrell, on Game of Thrones. In a more serious vein, Rigg has also had a stellar theatrical career, joining the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1959 and gaining accolades for roles such as Helen in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1968), Portia in Julius Caesar (1970) and Oresteia in the TV miniseries Clytemntestra (1979). She won a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for performing the title role of Medea in 1994.
Looking forward, it seems probable that Lady Olenna, having avoided the thermonuclear purge of Game of Thrones characters in the Sept of Baelor at the end of Season 6, will return to the show in season 7. Beyond that, Rigg will appear in the British dramatic feature Breathe in 2017.
9) DONALD SUMPTER
As one of the wisest and kindest characters on Game of Thrones, actor Donald Sumpter’s Maester Luwin was very protective of all the Stark children. When Sumpter appeared on the British TV aftershow Thronecast to discuss season 6’s “The Door,” the hosts asked if Luwin was dead wrong when he told Bran back in season 2 that magic was gone from the world. “I was lying, but of necessity,” Sumpter replied. “Because the whole point about magic, at the time it was dark and dangerous and very, very scary … you don’t want it to grow.”
Can we all say that Maester Luwin of House Stark seemed familiar to us right away? He sure could have, since Sumpter has been appearing in films and television productions since the 1960s. His recent motion picture roles include Heart of the Sea (2015), The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011), Eastern Promises (2007), and The Constant Gardener (2005).
In the role of the Fisher King in the Merlin TV series (photo above), the British-born Sumpter seems to be channeling the Three-Eyed Raven. That’s not Merlin’s only link to Game of Thrones, however. The show also boasted actors like David Bradley-West, Liam Cunningham, Alexander Siddig, Joe Dempsie, Charles Dance, Clive Russel, James Cosmo and Julian Glover.
Sumpter has appeared on Dr. Who several times, in 1968, 1972, and 2005. He also had a role in Masterpiece Theater’s 1985 Bleak House miniseries, and made two appearances on the popular British crime drama The Bill, the same program where Game of Thrones castmate Sean Bean got his start.
Sumpter has done a ton of work. We thought we’d leave you with the above image of the much younger man (with a full head of hair) when he appeared as a member of the band Opal Butterfly in the 1970 ‘saucy,’ low-budget flick, Groupie Girl.
It looks like Sumpter may be taking a rest for the immediate future. He has no appearances slated for 2017.
10) BIRGITTE HJORT SORENSEN
The character of Karsi didn’t last long on Game of Thrones, but everybody fell in love with Birgitte Hjort Sorensen’s empathetic portrayal of the tough wildling spearwife/mother who could not bring herself to kill children, even undead ones. (By the way, the Danish actress’ first name is pronounced “Beer-gui-deh.”) Karsi appeared in only one episode, season 5’s “Hardhome,” but it was a big one. When interviewed by the New York Times ArtsBeat in 2015, she talked about how director Miguel Sapochnik kept the actors focused amidst the sprawling action scenes:
"It was easy to lose yourself in the fantasy world because the sets are so incredibly life-like. And during all this fighting, Miguel Sapochnik, our director, was so good at keeping us on the acting track. It was about protecting the family. It was never just about killing off some guys."
North American audiences may well recognize Sorensen from her roles as Ingrid on the HBO series Vinyl (2016) and as the a cappella machine Kommissar in Pitch Perfect 2, but she has also starred in a number of European features, including Automata (2014) and Someone You Love (2014).
In the Danish TV series Borgen (2010-2013), Sorensen plays Katrine Fonsmark, media advisor/spin doctor to a Danish Prime Minister (Sidse Babett Knudsen, of Westworld fame) becoming corrupted by her rise to power. Borgen also stars Pilou Asbaeck, who portrays the maniacal Euron Greyjoy on Thrones.
Sorensen also shines in the title role of Marie Kroyer (2012), a Danish costume-drama chronicling the stormy personal lives of famous painters Marie and P.S. Krøyer.
Sorensen’s latest project is the upcoming 2017 drama-thriller 3 Things, co-starring fellow Game of Thrones actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister.) Note: Sorensen and Coster-Waldau, both Danish-born, have starred together previously in the Dutch action adventure At World’s End (2009).
11) NIKOLAJ COSTER-WALDAU
Fans have a profound love/hate relationship with Jaime Lannister, as portrayed in all his depravity (straight-arming Bran out the window in the pilot) and nobility (his intimate connection with Brienne) by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. Is Jaime ever going to truly move away from the darker anchors of his personality? It’s going to be an uphill battle, if this interview with Rolling Stone is any indication:
"Now, what if the question was put to Jamie – ‘You can either save this lady (Brienne of Tarth) or you can save your hand.’ I’m pretty sure he would save his hand, I’m sorry to say. Maybe losing his hand will make him answer that question in a different way later on in his life. For him as a character, for him as a person, I think, he needs to lose that hand."
While Coster-Waldau has recently appeared in big roles in movies like Gods of Egypt (2016), and Oblivion (2013), he started with small parts, such as the Village Sheriff in Kingdom of Heaven (2005) and Liam in Firewall (2006).
If you liked to haunt the foreign film section of your favorite now-defunct video store in the old days and you’re looking for more Coster-Waldau, you might want to check out his turn as former special forces soldier Clas Grev in the Norwegian-produced art theft caper, Headhunters (2011). It was the most popular Norwegian domestic film of the year and the 2nd most watched of all 2011 theatrical releases in the country, only beaten out by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2.
One of the places you may have seen Coster-Waldau and not realized it was in Black Hawk Down (2001), where he had a small role as Delta Force sniper Gary Gordon. How did he get the part? In a 2012 interview with My Fanbase, he explained: ” … a friend helped me put myself on tape up on the attic over my apartment in Copenhagen. We shipped it out and I got lucky.”
Black Hawk Down was Coster-Waldau’s first U.S. film, although he had already made his name in Denmark for his role in the movie Nightwatch (1990). He made his stage debut in 1992 as Laertes in Hamlet at the Betty Nansen Theater.
Powered by Game of Thrones, Coster-Waldau’s career is on a meteoric rise. We’ll be seeing him in Spinning Man, Small Crimes and the Danish thriller 3 Things in 2017.
12) KEISHA CASTLE-HUGHES
New Zealand actress Keisha Castle-Hughes plays Obara Sand, one of the dangerous Dornish Sand Snakes.
Castle-Hughes hasn’t been acting for as long as some of her castmates, but has chalked up some some impressive credits: she starred as Mary in The Nativity Story (2006) and has appeared on popular TV shows like Roadies (2016) and The Walking Dead (2014).
Even before her turn as Obara, the half-Maori Castle-Hughes was no stranger to the limelight. She received a Best Actress Academy Award nomination for her role as Paikea in 2003’s Whale Rider when she was just 14 years old. She was selected from among hundreds of Auckland schoolchildren to play the part and she had to learn how to swim before production began. In an interview with Honolulu Weekly in 2005, she talked about what the movie meant to her: “We lost the culture, like many other indigenous cultures did. My nationality was always a keep-it-to-myself kind of thing, but now I say I’m Maori proudly.”
Do you remember Castle-Hughes’ brief appearance in Star Wars Episode III: The Revenge of the Sith (2005)? She played Apailana, a young Queen of Naboo.
You’ll see Castle-Hughes in the feature drama Thank You for Your Service in 2017.
13) HARRY LLOYD
The arrogant Viserys Targaryen always had it coming, and when Khal Drogo gave him his golden melty-hat in season 1’s “A Golden Crown,” we were all glad to see him go. Chalk one up for Harry Lloyd, who gave us a character we both despised and understood, a boy who was promised the world and unable to function without it.
He may look young, but the London-born Lloyd has been around for a while. He’s starred in big projects such as The Theory of Everything (pictured above, with Eddie Redmayne, 2014), Anthropoid (2016), The Iron Lady (2011 — he played a young Denis Thatcher) and Jane Eyre (2011).
Lloyd is the great-great-great grandson of the British author Charles Dickens, and he has played characters in two TV adaptations of his famous ancestor’s novels: he took on the role of Young Steerforth in David Copperfield (1999) and Herbert Pocket in Great Expectations (2011). David Copperfield marked Lloyd’s first professional role (alongside another young unknown named Daniel Radcliffe). Being cast in a Dickens story freaked him out, as he told The Independent in 2011: “I got scared after that, that I’d spend my life in period dramas or would forever be playing Etonians. But that made me think: ‘Right, diversify.'”
And ‘diversify’ he did. Lloyd’s TV future saw him starring as Baines in two episodes of Doctor Who (pictured above, 2007), a series known for employing past and future Game of Thrones actors. He also has series credits on Marcella (2016), Manhattan (2014-2015), Wolf Hall (2015), Robin Hood (2006-2007) and The Bill (2005, another Game of Thrones actor-magnet).
Look for Lloyd to grace the big screen—alongside Game of Thrones costar Jonathan Pryce (the High Sparrow)—in the drama The Wife, in 2017.
14) CARICE VAN HOUTEN
The mysterious Red Woman is a handful, but well within the repertoire of Carice van Houten. Born in The Netherlands, she is a prolific actress with both European and Hollywood movie credits, including Rachel Stein in Black Book (2006), Carol in Repo Men (2010) and Anna in the gritty western Brimstone (2016), where she’s on the marquee alongside Thrones costar Kit Harington. She also has a sense of humor, having voiced characters on Robot Chicken (2016) and The Simpsons (2015).
Where have you seen van Houten before? It may have well been in Valkyrie (2008). She played Nina, the loyal wife of Nazi conspirator Claus von Stauffenberg (Tom Cruise). It was a small role, but also her first exposure to North American audiences. Although she had been a big star in relatively small budget European pictures (she’s won five Golden Calves, the Dutch equivalent of The Oscars), van Houten told The Daily Mail in 2009 she wasn’t ready for the overwhelming scope and perks of a big Hollywood production: “Nobody in Holland knows what Winnebago trailers are—if you ask for a chair, you are considered a diva.”
If you’re keeping track of your Game of Thrones extracurricular actor pairings, you’d be well-advised to check out Liam Cunningham (Ser Davos) as Jack Cope and van Houten as Ingrid Jonker in Black Butterflies (2011), a role that won her the Best Actress Award at the Tribeca Film Festival. Davos and Melisandre are lovers. It’s weird.
Van Houten has no no new projects listed on IMDb. Looks like Game of Thrones is keeping her busy.
15) MARK ADDY
In Game of Thrones season 1, Mark Addy stepped into the role of the drunken and bellicose King Robert Baratheon, the first of many ill-fated monarchs on the show. In a 2011 interview with Access Hollywood, Addy discussed his long history with Sean Bean: “We were involved in a trilogy of films a year ago called ‘Red Riding,’ but we were at drama school at the same time—same drama school, same time, different years, so we sort of go back, oh, longer than most of us can remember.”
Addy has a long acting pedigree, including roles as David Philby in The Time Machine (2002), Roland in A Knight’s Tale (2001) and Fred Flintstone in The Flintstones in Viva Las Vegas (2000). He’s also busy in TV, having performed in series like New Blood (2016), Atlantis (2013-2015), Still Standing (2002-2006) and a few early stints on The Bill (1990-1995).
If we stick with the sword and sorcery movies, Addy appeared as Friar Tuck in Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood (with Russel Crowe, above, in 2010). “Shooting stuff on horseback is more complicated and time consuming than anything else,” he told The Sydney Morning Herald in 2012.
Lastly, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention Addy’s role as Dave in The Full Monty, a comedy about six unemployed steel workers who create a striptease act, that made a big box office splash in 1997.
Addy’s last listed credit is his performance as Billy in Lies We Tell, released in 2016.
16) BELLA RAMSEY
The small but fiery Lyanna Mormont became an instant fan favorite in season 6, due in no small part to the work of newcomer Bella Ramsay. When asked what she would do if made Queen for a day in an interview with LeftLion, the UK-born actress set lofty goals: “I’d probably do nothing and eat loads of scones. If I could make a rule, I just wouldn’t want any wars. I’d make a spell to make everyone nice.”
Ramsay has one non-Thrones project on the docket for 2017: her one-episode role as Mildred Hubble in the British children’s TV series The Worst Witch.
17) STEPHEN DILLANE
Stannis Baratheon was yet another doomed contender for the Iron Throne, and actor Stephen Dillane portrayed his strengths and weaknesses beautifully. That’s not surprising given the number of other notches on Dillane’s thespian pistol: he’s played Leonard Wolf in The Hours (2002), Charles Harker in Spy Game (2001), a National Security Advisor in Zero Dark Thirty (2012) and Merlin in King Arthur (2004)
Changing gears, Dillane appeared as Thomas Jefferson in HBO’s John Adams mini-series (2008, above). Other television credits include Rupert Keel in Hunted (2012) and Karenin in Anna Karenina (2000).
Dillane has amassed a nice pile of honors over his career. He won a BAFTA award for the TV movie The Shooting of Thomas Hurndall, and received a Tony for his turn as Henry in The Real Thing (2000) on Broadway. Shakespeare plays have been a big part of Dillane’s career: he has taken the stage as Macbeth and as Prospero in The Tempest, and his 1994 run as Hamlet is considered the best performance of the role in decades.
You might not suspect it from his grim work as Stannis, but Dillane has a romantic bent, as seen in his role as Charles Godwin in 1997’s drama-romance Firelight, alongside Sophie Marceau’s Elisabeth Laurier.
If you’re a Dillane fan, 2017 should make you happy, because the actor has two projects coming up: he plays William Godwin in Mary Shelley and an unnamed role in Darkest Hour (currently filming).
18) OONA CHAPLIN
We were all saddened when Talisa Stark (nee Maegyr) was butchered along with nearly every other Stark and Stark bannerman at the Red Wedding in “The Rains of Castamere.” The gentle Talisa was a great match for Robb, and Chaplin brought heart and grit to the role.
The Spanish-born Chaplin is a growing force in movies, playing a Receptionist in Quantum of Solace (2008) and moving up to bigger parts such as Julianne in What If (2013), Rosa in the musical Dancing for Havana (2015) and Naomi in Realive (2016). She’s also done TV, including roles as Marnie Madden in The Hour (2011-2012) and Mia in Dates (2013).
If Chaplin’s name raises your eyebrow, it should: she is the granddaughter of legendary silent film star Charlie Chaplin. But that’s not all—her mother is actress Geraldine Chaplin, and her great-grandfather is playwright Eugene O’Neil.
In an interview with The Telegraph in 2015, she talked about her famous surname: “The Chaplin name certainly makes ears prick up. I don’t know if it’s got me any jobs, but it’s certainly got me into rooms, and all I can do is work as hard as I can and try to be as good as I can. I hope that if I’m really bad they will stop giving me work.”
When Chaplin signed on to star as Young Ruth in The Longest Ride (2015), she wasn’t the only famous Hollywood progeny in the cast: she performed scenes with Scott Eastwood (son of Clint) and Jack Huston (grandson of John, pictured with her above).
Chaplin’s breakthrough role was as Kitty Trevelyan, a World War I nurse in the BBC mini-series Crimson Field (2014, above).
Chaplin is currently starring as Zilpha Geary in the FX miniseries Taboo (along with several Thrones alumni) and will appear as Eva in As We Like It in 2017 (joined by former Thrones castmate Natalia Tena, who played Osha).
19) CONLETH HILL
Conleth Hill (his full Irish name is Conleth Seamus Eoin Croiston Hill) must feel comfortable as the mysterious eunuch Lord Varys—he seems attracted to slippery roles, such as the ‘archetypal chameleon’ commander in the play The White Guard or spymaster sir Ian Woodhead on Foyle’s War (2015). What’s with all the cloak and dagger gigs? Vulture asked him in 2015:
"I think the first spy I played was Günter Guillaume in Michael Frayn’s stage play Democracy. He was the famous East German spy who infiltrated West German chancellor Willy Brandt’s party. He worked in his offices. And ever since then, I seem to be offered them quite a lot! But I’m not complaining. [Laughs.] It’s all in the writing."
If you’d like to see a movie where Hill has a full head of hair, you’re in luck. He played Brockman opposite Larry David and Michael McKean (photo above) in Whatever Works (2009), Bernard Sugden in Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (2011) and Harry Montague in Two Down (2015), among many other projects. His TV credits include Edward Darby in Suits (2013), Jared in The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle (2007), an Irish Tenor in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (2007) and a starter bit as Michael White on The Bill (2003).
Hill’s primary love is theater, and his stage resume looks like a university English major’s course syllabus. His performances, some on Broadway and London’s West End, include Faustus, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Playboy of the Western World and Waiting for Godot. He’s also earned Olivier Awards for Stones in his Pockets and The Producers. He recently appeared in the title role of MacBeth at Berkley, California, alongside Frances McDormand as Lady MacBeth (photo above, 2016).
By the way, Hill has family working on Game of Thrones: his younger brother, Ronan, has won two Emmys for his sound mixing work. And there might be more TV in his future: on his Not a Blog, George R.R. Martin has hinted that Hill might be the right guy to play the lead in a TV series based on his novel Tuf Voyaging.
Yes, Varys is headed back to Westeros, but you can also look for Hill as Douglas Innis in the horror-thriller The Isle in 2017.
20) ELLIE KENDRICK
If any character on Game of Thrones deserves a ‘stand by your man award,’ it may be Meera Reed, as acknowledgement for her long, difficult journey spent protecting Bran Stark. Life in Westeros isn’t easy, and as actress Ellie Kendrick told Comicsverse, that suits her fine: “I approach every role often in the same way. I often take parts that I find terrifying. The level of terror normally corresponds to the level of me wanting to do it. If I’m really scared, I think: ‘This is something I’ve got to do.’ I’m sort of a bit of an adrenaline junkie in terms of the roles I take.”
The London-born Kendrick has starred as Tina in An Education (2009), Clover in The Leveling (2016) and Eva in Native (2016), but you may know her best from her role as Anne Frank in the 2010 BBC TV adaptation of The Diary of Anne Frank. Kendrick (right, in photo above) acts alongside Tamsin Greig and a barely recognizable Iain Glen (Jorah Mormont).
Kendrick’s TV credits include a 2013 part as the superpowered Helen in Misfits (photo above), a series that also employed Thrones co-stars Iwan Rheon (Ramsay Bolton), Josef Altin (Pypar), Michelle Fairley (Catelyn Stark) and Nathalie Emmanuel (Missandei). She also appeared in Being Human (2012-2013), Upstairs, Downstairs (2010) and Inspector Lewis (2007).
Kendrick had three films slated for release in 2016, which may be why she has nothing new (beyond Thrones) coming out in 2017.
21) MAX VON SYDOW
We were darned lucky that one of the grand old men of the silver screen, Max von Sydow, signed up to play the wise and mysterious Three-eyed Raven. He brought the weariness and gravitas the part required.
You could do a PhD dissertation on von Sydow’s roles, but here are a few of the highlights: Father Merrin in The Exorcist (1971), G. Joubert in Three Days of the Condor (1975), King Osric in Conan the Barbarian (1982), Judge Fargo in Judge Dredd (1995) and Lor San Tekka in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015).
It’s pretty much impossible to talk about Sydow’s career without referencing his association with Ingmar Bergman, the brilliant Swedish director with whom he made 13 films, including the classic The Seventh Seal (1957, above). When von Sydow talked to The Guardian in 2012, he discussed working with the legendary filmmaker: “He taught me that when you play classical characters you should not take them too seriously, because they are human. Bergman had a great sense of humour.”
Speaking of humor, von Sydow’s also played Emperor Ming in the super-campy Flash Gordon (1980). It’s one of those popcorn-chawing films that are great because they’re bad, and hey, Queen wrote and performed the soundtrack. He was also in Strange Brew (1983), as all Canadians are aware.
Von Sydow has no releases officially slated for 2017, although his participation in a project entitled Bach has been announced.
22) JOE DEMPSIE
Where in the world is Gendry? Still rowing or drinking pina coladas out of coconuts on an island paradise somewhere off the coast of southern Essos? Fans wanna know, particularly since Gendry has the potential to stir the pot, having Baratheon blood and all.
Actor Joe Dempsie has starred in films in Blitz (2011), Monster: Dark Continent (2014) and Burn, Burn, Burn (2015). He talked about the rewards of picking smaller, more complicated parts in a 2012 Guardian interview: “Audiences in every medium are becoming far more savvy. No one goes to watch a Tom Cruise movie any more just because it’s starring Tom Cruise. No one gives a toss. Concept is what makes actors raise their game. Everyone’s on merit now. A pretty face only gets you so far these days. Even pretty boys don’t want to do the pretty boy roles.”
The Liverpool-born Dempsie has appeared in a number of television mini-series, including a starring role as Rob Elliot in One of Us (2016, cast photo above), Ned in New Worlds (2014) and Chris Cooper in Southcliffe (2014). He’s also appeared in Merlin (2008) and Doctor Who (2008), both gathering grounds for Game of Thrones alumni.
UK fans may well remember Dempsie from his role as the youthful Chris Miles in the TV series Skins (2007-2008).
Will Dempsie be rowing Gendry back into Game of Thrones in 2017? Nothing is for certain, but he will be appearing in two shorts: Star Girl and Come Out of the Woods.
23) MICHELLE FAIRLEY
When it comes to fictional characters, you’ll probably never meet two people finer than Lord Eddard Stark and his wife Catelyn, played like a lioness by Michelle Fairley. Alas, Game of Thrones shows little mercy to the nice guys.
Fairley has been acting professionally since 1987, and her better-known roles include Mrs. Marlish in The Others (2009), Sally Mitchell in Philomena (2013) and Mrs. Nickerson In The Heart of the Sea (2015). She is also well-established on the London West End stage. The Game of Thrones writers offered her the role of Catelyn Stark after seeing her performance as Iago’s wife Emilia in a 2008 production of Othello, as Fairley explained in a 2015 interview with The Telegraph:
"I think in retrospect [the writers] needed somebody to go on an emotional journey. Catelyn goes through the loss of her husband, the loss of her children and eventually makes the decision to kill herself because she thinks that there’s nothing left to live for – and they thought, because of the final scenes in Othello, that I could maybe achieve that for them."
Early on, the Irish-born Fairley joined the Belfast Fringe Benefit repertory company where she tread the boards alongside future Thrones co-star Conleth Hill (Lord Varys).
Fairley may feel familiar to you from her large body of TV work. She appeared as Margot Al-Harazi in the popular series 24: Live Another Day (2014, photo above) and many other roles, such as Margaret Langston in Resurrection (2014-2015), Ava Hessington in Suits (2013) and Louise Young in Misfits (2009).
As for that small role you can’t quite place her in, Fairley starred as Mrs. Granger in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I in 2010.
You’ll be seeing a lot of Fairley on TV in 2017. She’s starring as Freya Lennox in the series Fortitude and as Margaret Beaufort in the mini-series The White Princess alongside Essie Davis (Lady Crane).
24) PETER VAUGHAN
And now his watch is ended. We lost powerhouse character actor Peter Vaughan last year when he passed at age 93, but we will always remember his portrayal of the forgotten Targaryen, Maester Aemon. When asked his recipe for living so long and so well, he once replied, “Luck, good wine and beer.”
The British-born Vaughan acted professionally for nearly 50 years, appearing as characters like William Stevens in The Remains of the Day (1993), Mr. Helpmann in Brazil (1985), Mackenzie in The Razor’s Edge (1984), Mr. Freeman in The French Lieutenant’s Woman (1981) and Tom Heddon in Straw Dogs (1971). Talking to the Sunday Post in 2016, Vaughan talked about co-starring with Frank Sinatra in the 1967 spy thriller Naked Runner:
"The film was made by a company called Artanis. Read that backwards — Sinatra. He was the guv’nor, he was the boss. But the great thing about Frank was that you had to stand up to him very quickly. If you did that, he respected you, otherwise he’d walk all over you."
Vaughan may be best remembered in the UK for his role as inmate Harry Grout in the popular TV series Porridge (1975-1977, photo above). His TV credits are legion, including roles on The Saint (1964), Coronation Street (1966), The Avengers (1968), Citizen Smith (1977-1979), Chancer (1990-1991) and The Jury (2002).
Did you remember that Vaughan, well known for comedic parts, donned a lot of makeup and prosthetics to play the blustering Winston the Ogre in 1981 for Terry Gilliam’s Time Bandits (pictured with Katherine Helmond, above)?
Vaughan’s last onscreen bit of acting was Maester Aemon’s touching death scene on Game of Thrones (“The Gift,” S5, Ep7).
25) NATALIE DORMER
Natalie Dormer did a superb job as Margaery Tyrell, a highbrow gold digger attempting to seduce her way to the Iron Throne. Also famous for her similar turn as the conniving Anne Boleyn in The Tudors (2007-2010), Dormer wants to avoid being typecast, as she told Nylon in 2014: “I must have a variation on resting bitch face, like, maybe I have resting manipulative face, through no fault of my own.”
Dormer has also starred in a number of high-profile films, including as Cressida in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part II (she starred alongside Thrones castmate Gwendoline Christie in that one), Pvt. Lorraine in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), Charlie in The Riot Club (2014) and Sara/Jess Price in The Forest (2016). She’s also well known for her roles on TV, including Elementary (2013-2015), The Fades (2011) and Silk (2011).
One of Dormer’s first roles was as the porcelain-complected Victoria in Casanova (2005). The quality of her performance got her a three-picture deal with Disney/Touchstone.
Dormer’s career has skyrocketed since the explosion of the Sept of Baelor. Watch for her to appear in three films: The Professor and the Madman, Patient Zero (with Thrones alumni David Bradley) and In Darkness, plus the TV mini-series Picnic at Hanging Rock, in 2017.
26) PETER DINKLAGE
Peter Dinklage’s performance as the cynical Tyrion Lannister has been so towering that we tend to forget about his physical size. Dinklage himself has no problem with the ‘D-word’ or ‘M-word,’ as he explained to The Guardian in 2004:
"I hate all that ‘little person’ shit. Call me a midget, but just be real … People have the strangest ideas about dwarves. I met a guy last year in a bar, he was a friend of a friend and he was pretty toasty, and he said, ‘Dude, I was so scared of midgets, man. But you’re cool – you’re a guy, let’s hang out!’ So I put my face right up next to his and said, ‘This is your nightmare. I will see you tonight. When you wake, I’ll be sitting at the end of your bed.’"
The New Jersey-born Dinklage has given a number of brilliant performances, such as the stoic Finmar McBride in The Station Agent (2003, above, with Michelle Williams). Other roles include Trumpkin in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008) and Dr. Bolivar Trask in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014). His TV work includes appearances on Nip/Tuck (2006), 30 Rock (2009) and Sesame Street (2013).
While he’s achieved success in dramatic roles, Dinklage has also shown a penchant for comedy, such as his (Thrones parodying?) part as cosplayer Hung in 2013’s Knights of Badassery (above, with Sean Cook), as Eddie in Pixels (2015), Renault in The Boss (2016) and his hilarious portrayal of nasty children’s book author Miles Finch in Elf (2003).
Dinklage is wedging a lot of work around his Game of Thrones commitments. His 2017 projects list includes the feature films Rememory and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, plus a rumored appearance in the currently filming Avengers: Infinity War (2018).
27) NATALIA TENA
We loved Natalia Tena as Osha, the wildling spearwife turned fierce protector of the youngest Stark boys. Beyond Thrones, Tena has had roles like Ellie in About a Boy (2002), Alex in 10,000 km (2014) and Dorris in Superbob (2015). Her TV series appearances include Tanya in Ambassadors (2013) and Emma in The Refugees (2014-2015).
Up until her time on Thrones, Tena was best known for playing Nymphadora Tonks in the Harry Potter movie series (photo above, with David Thewlis). Craveonline asked her which character she preferred playing: Osha or Tonks. “I think I like Osha more … I just liked that she has more to do and it’s more fun. I get to kill people.”
The London-born Tena also starred as Jennifer Preston in the 2015 sci-fi horror film (and TV mini-series) Residue along with Thrones castmate Iwan Rheon.
We’ll be seeing Tena in As We Like it (with Thrones alumni Oona Chaplin) and Amar in 2017.
The sycophantic, lecherous Grand Maester Pycelle was easy to despise, but actor Julian Glover imbued him with a desperation we could understand as well. The English-born Glover is a trained classical stage actor with dozens of prestigious plays under his belt, and was made a Commander of the Order for the British Empire for “his services to drama” in 1993.
Despite his dedication to the live theater, Glover has appeared in a prolific number of film and television series, including as villain Walter Donovan in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (pictured with Alison Doody, above, in 1989). Heavy on the villains, Glover also starred as Aristotle Kristatos in For Your Eyes Only (1981), Brian Harcourt-Smith in The Fourth Protocol (1987) and Triopas in Troy (2004). He also provided the voice for Aragog in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002).
We’d be amiss if we didn’t mention Glover’s brief appearance as General Veers in Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back (above, 1980). Those few seconds onscreen have garnered him a lot of attention over the years, as he explained to the BBC in 2004:
"Well, appearing in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and For Your Eyes Only were two major film villains, which I’ve done rather a lot in my career. Star Wars was not a very big part but I enjoyed doing it and I get more fan mail for that than anything else I’ve ever done. It’s quite extraordinary. It comes in every day. Unbelievable."
If you are a TV buff, you might remember the London-born Glover from The Avengers (1961), Doctor Who (1963), Space 1999 (1975) and Merlin (2008).
Glover’s golden years are as busy as ever: we’ll be seeing him in We Still Steal the Old Way and Amy and Sophia in 2017.
29) ROSE LESLIE
Wildling spearwives don’t last long on Game of Thrones, and Rose Leslie’s feisty Ygritte came out on the short end of her star-crossed love affair with Jon Snow.
Leslie’s first acting job was in the TV documentary Locked Up Abroad (2007), but her acting career took off with Thrones, as she told The Scotsman in 2015:
"The phenomenon that is Game Of Thrones has propelled many actors associated with it into the minds of directors and producers and it’s a fabulous position to be in … Being given a gun (in Luther) stopped me pining for a bow and arrow. I got to shoot blanks, clumsily, and had to make sure I didn’t close my eyes when I pulled the trigger."
The Scottish-born Leslie starred alongside Vin Diesel as Chloe in 2015’s The Last Witch Hunter (photo above). She also starred as Bea in Honeymoon (2014), Athena in Sticky Notes (2016) and Dr. Amy Menser in Morgan (2016).
Leslie got a lot of exposure playing Gwen Dawson on the popular Downton Abby TV series (2010, above). She’s also appeared as Sarah in The Great Fire (2014) and Emma Lane in Luther (2015).
Leslie appears as Maia Rindell in the TV series The Good Fight in 2017.
30) OWEN TEALE
Nobody liked to beat up on Jon Snow more than the cruel Master at Arms of the Night’s Watch, Alliser Thorne, played with seething excellence by actor Owen Teale.
Acting professionally since 1983, Teale (a Welshman) has appeared as Vatrenus in The Last Legion (2007, above, with Colin Firth), Grattius in Cleopatra (1999) and Will Scarlett in Robin Hood (1991). He’s put together a stack of TV credits as well, including Dr. Who (1985), Ballykissangel (1999), Conspiracy (2001, TV movie) and Dai in Stella (2012-2013).
Like many Thrones players, Teale is an accomplished stage actor; he’s a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and won the 1997 Tony Award as Best Actor for Ibsen’s play A Doll’s House. In a 2015 interview with Moviemarker, Teale discussed the theater vs TV conundrum and working closely with Thrones costar Sean Bean.
"It (theater) really is my first love and I would say I’ve had more success in theatre … I made a film for television called “The Fifteen Streets” and that was when my day to day life changed … I think around 15 million people watched that film … it was a massive and heroic part. And it was this bad brother kind of scenario, and that character was played by Sean Bean and I remember that we use to hang out a lot and I used to get a lot of attention from people. But, I still wanted to go back to theatre, so I joined up with the Royal Shakespeare Company and stayed for 4 years and Sean became a huge movie star."
Teale has no film/TV projects set to release in 2017.
31) LIAM CUNNINGHAM
Liam Cunningham has endeared us the former smuggler and current Onion Knight Ser Davos, the soft-voiced pragmatist who can’t believe what he’s seeing half the time. That feeling may not be too far off from Cunningham’s real life, since the day in the mid 1980’s when he got tired of his electrician’s job (in Africa) and decided to try acting school.
The Irish-born Cunningham described his career trajectory in a 2014 interview with The Daily Mail: “I thought I might have a go at that after coming back from Africa and I was looking for a distraction. It wasn’t until I started doing it that I fell in love with it. It was like heroin, I couldn’t get enough of it. I mean, I still say I have no interest in being an actor – I just love acting … I love my arthouse films and I love taking a chance.”
Cunningham continues to deliver critically acclaimed performances in ‘arthouse’ films like Dog Soldiers (2002), The Wind that Shakes the Barley (2006), Hunger (2008), and as Jack Cope in the brilliant 2011 drama Black Butterflies with Thrones costar Carice van Houten (Melisandre).
Although he’s a theater and arthouse film aficionado, Cunningham doesn’t shy away from popcorn blockbusters, having appeared as Maguire in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008, photo above), Solon in 2010’s Clash of the Titans (working with Rory McCaan, the Hound), an Army Doctor in War Horse (2011) and Brick in Centurion (2010).
One of Cunningham’s earliest notable Hollywood film roles was as the well-coiffed Agravaine in First Knight (above, 1995). As for his TV resume, the hard-working actor has appeared on a lot of shows, including Cracker (1995), Murphy’s Law (2006), Outcasts (2011), Merlin (2015) and Doctor Who (2013).
It looks like Cunningham will be seen in the film 24 Hours to Live in 2017, although no formal release date has been set.
32) GEMMA WHELAN
As one of the honorable characters in the mix, it’s always a delight to see Yara Greyjoy hit the screen. Gemma Whelan imbues her with practicality and grit, and her strong background in comedy bring a gleam to her eye that makes her particularly memorable.
Whelan, who has also done stand-up, revels in what might be termed “naughty” material. In a 2015 interview with British Comedy Guide, she agreed that her talk show host character Chastity Butterworth enjoys the same “filthy” sense of humor as Yara Greyjoy:
"That’s true – either cheeky or elaborate. There are certain things you wouldn’t want your mum and dad to watch. Although my mum and dad love it, they love Thrones and they love Chastity, although my mum was like “darling, what’s ‘the safe word?'” – asking all these questions. And certain other things I can’t say here because there are people around. Certain Japanese practices."
Whelan’s motion picture and TV work consists largely of comedy and drama with comedy in it. She’s played Gwen’s Maid in The Wolfman (2010) and Lilliputian Rose in Gulliver’s Travels (2010). Her TV series credits are more extensive — she played Kate in Upstart Crow (2016, photo above), Ida Battersea in Hetty Feather (2016) and Kat Cassidy in Morgana Robinson’s the Agency (2016). We feel compelled to add that she also popped up in one episode of a TV mini-series titled The Day They came to Suck Out Our Brains! in 2013.
Whelan also appeared in the Mapp & Lucia TV mini-series (2014) where she played Irene Coles alongside Major Benjamin ‘Benjy’ Flint, jauntily portrayed by Thrones castmate Mark Gatiss (Tycho Nestoris).
With two TV series appearances (Uncle and The Moorside) running alongside Game of Thrones in 2017, Whelan is staying busy. She will also appear in the Squadron 42 video game with Thrones costar Liam Cunningham.
33) MICHIEL HUISMAN
Michiel Huisman was the second actor to play Daario Naharis, but his dreamy-eyed good looks won over the Queen of Dragons, if only for a time. In a 2015 interview with PopSugar, Huisman talked about how Thrones is a different animal compared to other TV shows or movies:
"If I compare the differences between shooting for TV shows versus film, then Game of Thrones doesn’t fit into either one. It’s a whole different experience. The scope is larger than any movie set I’ve ever been on. I worked on World War Z, which was this big production, and you could feel it in everything. But Game of Thrones feels like it’s up there."
Huisman has appeared in a number of Hollywood films — he played Ellis in World War Z (2013), Jonathan in Wild (2014) and Ellis Jones in The Age of Adeline (2015, above, with Blake Lively). His TV work is also impressive, having played Sonny on Treme (2010-2013), Liam McGuinnis on Nashville (2012-2014) and Cal Morrison on Orphan Black (2014-2015).
Huisman is a member of the Dutch Thrones contingent, which includes Carice Van Houten. Like her, he starred in a number of Dutch productions before breaking into the American scene. He even costarred with Van Houten in the Dutch World War 2 thriller Zwartboek (English: Black Book, photo above) in 2006.
We may not see a lot of Daario in 2017, and Huisman is taking advantage: his 2017 projects include The Ottoman Lieutenant, State Like Sleep, 2:22 and Irreplaceable You (filming).
34) CHARLES DANCE
As one of the most elegant of Game of Thrones bad guys, Tywin Lannister was both smooth and dark. Actor Charles Dance talked about Game of Thrones fans in an interview with The Telegraph in 2013:
"I’ve done a couple of fan conventions and [the fans] are legion. They’re rather like Star Wars or Star Trek fans. We’re very glad of the loyal fans – but it’s a strange way to spend your life, dressing up like Star Wars. At least we change our costumes – I don’t spend 40 years dressed up as Tywin Lannister."
The English-born Dance has played parts in an insane number of movies, starring as Sardo Numspa in The Golden Child (1986), Clemens in Alien 3 (1992, above, with Sigourney Weaver), Raymond Stockbridge in Gosford Park (2001) and Commander Deniston in The Imitation Game (2014). Thrones costar Lena Headey joined him in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies in 2016. His TV credits include stints on The Jewel in the Crown (1994), First Born (1988), Foyle’s War (2002) and Bleak House (2005).
And here he is shirtless with Helen Mirren in Pascali’s Island (1988).
Dance is still going strong in 2017. Here is his release list for this year: That Good Night, Journey to China: The Mystery of the Iron Mask, Euphoria and Fanny Lye Deliver’d.
35) EMILIA CLARKE
Since getting cast as the driven Daenerys Targaryen, Emilia Clarke has found a path to superstardom. She’s come a long from her first TV appearance: a guest role on the BBC soap opera Doctors (2000). Her first film role, in Triassic Attack (2010), wasn’t particularly auspicious, either. She’s starred in bigger films since, such as Dom Hemingway (2013) and Terminator: Genysis (2015) and she even hit the Broadway stage as Holly Golightly in a production of Breakfast at Tiffany’s (2013).
In a 2015 interview with The Telegraph, Clarke talked about her move from Queen of Dragons to survivalist Sarah Connor in Terminator: Genysis (above):
"In Game of Thrones I’m lucky enough to play a very strong woman who doesn’t really get her hands dirty, so I came to this movie with none of the skills I needed to play Sarah Connor. I had to learn a lot, namely the gun training. I had military advisers helping me out, and I really wanted to beat the boys, so I made sure I was training enough to have the strength to be able to last a day’s filming carrying those guns."
Interestingly Clarke’s Thrones costar Lena Headey (Cersei), also played Sarah Connor character on the TV series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008).
Clarke also stars as Lou Clark in the romance Me Before You (2016, above). Charles Dance (Tywin) is in it, too. For the record, she’s also done voice work for the animated series Futurama (2013) and Robot Chicken (2016).
The future is bright for Clarke, even if you don’t count Thrones: she’ll be appearing in Above Suspicion and Voice from the Stone in 2017, and she’s joined the cast of the currently untitled Han Solo Star Wars Anthology film coming in 2018.
36) ALFIE ALLEN
As Theon Greyjoy, Alfie Allen has had to play a lot of uncomfortable situations, and that was before Ramsay tortured his identity away. Speaking to to Tribune 242 in 2012, he described how he would get uncomfortable every time Theon dropped his trousers in the early days of Game of Thrones:
"I did it for a play called ‘Equus’ where I had to be (nude) on stage for about 15 minutes, but when you’re in the theatre you’re just in the moment more. I was very unconscious of the audience. But it is a bit strange when you’ve got a mic boom and stuff and there’s people there. To a degree they have a closed set, but then the directors and producers have to be there."
Allen’s screen roles include The King’s Messenger in The Other Boleyn Girl (above, 2oo8), Wheezer in Powder (2011), Iosef Tarasov in John Wick (2014, joining Thrones guest star Ian McShane, who played Brother Ray) and Wheeler in Pandemic (2016). As a little boy, he made a brief appearance as Arundel’s Son in Elizabeth (1998).
It looks like Allen has a nose for classy pictures, established early in his small role as Danny Hardman in Atonement (above, 2007). That movie was nominated for seven academy awards. He has also appeared in TV series such as Casualty 1907 (2008) and Close to the Enemy (2016).
And we can’t talk about Alfie Allen without mentioning that his sister, pop star Lily Allen, once made a music video about what a lazy git he was.
Other than Thrones, Allen has joined the cast of Shane Black’s The Predator, slated for release in 2018.
37) ALEXANDER SIDDIG
While the Dornish storyline on Game of Thrones has struggled, it wasn’t the fault of the actors. In fact, it was a treat to watch Alexander Siddig’s measured, regal portrayal of Doran Martell…while it lasted.
The Sudan-born and English-raised Siddig is familiar to us from his parts in Hollywood films big and small, such as Ajay in Reign of Fire (2002), Imad in Kingdom of Heaven (2005, alongside Thrones castmates Nikolai Coster-Waldau and Iain Glen), Prince Nasir Al-Subaii in Syriana (2005) and Hermes in Clash of the Titans (2010, below, along with Rory McCaan).
Most sci-fi/fantasy buffs immediately recognize Siddig from his six-year stint as Dr. Julian Bashir on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (below, 1993-1999) but he’s collected a lot of other TV credits, including The Big Battalions (1992), 24 (2007), Merlin (2008), Atlantis (2013), Da Vinci’s Demon’s (2013-2015) and Peaky Blinders (2016).
While promoting his 2009 project, Cairo Time, Siddig told Collider how he felt sci-fi (and, we would argue, fantasy) can tackle difficult social and cultural questions easier than smaller, contemporary stories:
"You can do really dark, full-on stuff and take it so far away, to a spaceship somewhere miles and miles (away) on a funny little planet where the creatures are barely recognizable. That and the fact that they work with massive archetypes that we can’t really work with. Only Batman movies can work with those. The characters in Cairo Time, they’re not massive archetypes. They’re normal people."
If you need a little more Siddig in you life, watch for him to pop up in Submergence and the TV miniseries The Kennedys After Camelot in 2017.
38) HANNAH MURRAY
We’re all rooting for Gilly, played with a tremendous inner strength by Hannah Murray.
In a 2015 interview with Time, Murray mentioned that she had several connections to Thrones even before she appeared as Gilly:
"I’m really good friends with John [Bradley], and I also have friends [on Thrones] who I was friends with before we started the show. I did Skins with Joe Dempsie [who plays Gendry]. My friend Jacob Anderson plays Grey Worm—we used to live together. We shared a flat with another actor. I think we were still living together when Jacob got the part, and I was so happy he was going to join."
Murray’s film resume includes roles like Hippy Chick 2 in Dark Shadows (2012), Cassie in God Help The Girl (above, 2014), Kat in Lily & Kat (2015), Sylvia Ageloff in The Chosen (2015) and Sara in Bridgend (2015).
Some fans know the UK-born Murray from her role as Cassie Ainsworth in the popular TV series Skins (2007-2013), which in addition to Dempsie also included performances from Anderson and Paul Kaye (Thoros of Myr). The remainder of her TV work came early, with small parts in Agatha Christie’s Marple (2009) and Above Suspicion (2010).
Murray is part of an Untitled Detroit Project set to release in 2017.
39) TOM WLASCHIHA
German-born actor Tom Wlaschiha inhabits the mysterious Jaqen H’ghar with a wonderful kind of knowing. It sounds like Wlaschiha would love to continue his journey with Arya (Maise Williams), as he explained to HBO in 2016:
"I think we’ve always had a great dynamic. I love how Maisie’s character changes. She grows up with the character, and the character grows up with her. In … Season 5 she’s already much more – I don’t want to say scheming – but she makes conscious decisions and she thinks of the consequences. It’s great for an actor to be able to play alongside a part that grows with you."
As Wlaschiha worked to expand beyond the German entertainment scene, he took on a series of bit parts in big Hollywood productions, such as a Soldier in Enemy at the Gates (2001), a News Crewman in Munich (2005) and a Communications Officer in Valkyrie (2008, with Carice van Houten). Bigger success followed with meatier roles such as Albrecht in Resistance (2011, above), Harald Ertl in Rush (2013) and Prince Albert in Mr. Turner (2014).
Wlaschiha has made a splash in TV in his role as Sebastian Berger in Crossing Lines (2013-2015, above). He’s also had parts on other series like The Air Rescue Team (2000-2004), The Deep (2010), The Sarah Jane Adventures (2010) and Borgia (2014).
If you’re busy, you and Wlaschiha have something in common — he’s got four projects hitting screens in 2017: Night at the Crossroads (TV movie), Berlin Falling, Eltern Lugen Besser (German TV movie) and Dengler (German TV mini-series).
40) JONATHAN PRYCE
Jonathan Pryce is another one of the old lions of the acting world — his screen credits stretch back to 1972. Yet he told The Telegraph in 2015 that he gets more fan mail for Game of Thrones than for anything else he’s done in his long career (just like Julian Glover), and he almost passed up the show:
"It’s a genre I don’t really respond to very well: swords, sorcery, fantasy things … But … when they sent the script and it was the role of High Sparrow … He has a very good storyline, a great character, and I could see no reason for not doing it. … Nobody emailed saying, ‘Marvellous, you’re doing King Lear, darling!’ But I did get, ‘Wow, you’re doing Game of Thrones!’ (amused) There was a feeling that I’d really made it at last."
A sampling of Pryce’s many film roles includes Mr. Dark in Something Wicked This Way Comes (1985), Juan Peron in Evita (1996), Elliot Carver in Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) and Governor Weatherby Swan in Disney’s The Pirates of The Caribbean film series (3003-2007, above). He hasn’t neglected TV, appearing on notable series such as Roger Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1981), Selling Hitler (1991), Clone (2008), Wolf Hall (2015) and Taboo (2017, currently airing, with a slew of Thrones alumni).
One of Pryce’s best-remembered performances is of Sam Lowry in Terry Gilliam’s masterpiece Brazil (1985, above, with Charles McKeown). He’s also conquered the stage at the highest levels, with leading roles in classics like Hamlet (for which he won a 1980 Laurence Olivier Award), The Merchant of Venice and King Lear. Like Thrones castmate Julian Glover, Pryce was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire “for his services to drama.”
In 2017, Pryce can be seen in The Wife and The Man Who Invented Christmas. He’ll be in Terry Gilliam’s The Man Who Killed Don Quixote in 2018.
41) MAISE WILLIAMS
It’s been a long, tough road for Arya Stark — she and actress Maisie Williams have both grown up before our eyes. Game of Thrones was her acting debut, and in 2015 she told Flicks and the City she credited it with giving her an appreciation for strong female characters:
"I think she’s [Arya] a fantastic role model for girls. There is no gender stereotype, you can do with your life as you please. It’s almost by chance that I managed to take on this role so young and now that I’ve got a taste of playing these strong female characters that aren’t put into any sort of mould. I want to continue doing that."
Like many newcomers who were lucky enough to be cast on Thrones, the British-born Williams’ career has taken off. Her recent film work includes roles as Josie in Heatstroke (2013), Abbie in Gold (2014) and Lydia Lamont in 2014’s The Falling (above, with Florence Pugh). Her TV credits include The Secret of Crickley Hall (2012), Robot Chicken (2014) and the TV movie Cyberbully (2015).
It’s also nice to see Williams following the hallowed tradition of many Thrones alumni by appearing in Doctor Who — she played Ashildr/Me in several episodes in 2015.
Williams has been hard at work, with the features iBoy, The Forest of Hands and Teeth and Mary Shelley all in the mix in 2017.
42) JASON MOMOA
When Khal Drogo first came growling onto our screens, we didn’t suspect he would soon become part of one of the greatest and sweetest love affairs on the show, but it happened.
Momoa got an early start in TV, appearing in series such as North Shore (2004-2005), Stargate Atlantis (2005-2009) and The Game (2009). He jumped to films in 2011, the same year he portrayed Drogo on Thrones — he took the title role in Conan, picture above. More starring roles followed, with feature parts as Keegan in Bullet to the Head (2012) and Connor in Wolves (2014). He also appeared in TV series like The Red Road (2014-2015) and Frontier (2016). Finally, Momoa snagged the role of Aquaman in the Justice League movie series, with his own feature coming in 2018.
The Hawaiian-born Momoa’s first big break was playing lifeguard Jason Ioane on Baywatch Hawaii (1999-2001, above), which was partly the result of being named Hawaiian Model of the Year for 1999. Momoa had a struggle ahead when his ethnic look (he’s half-Hawaiian, half-German) didn’t fit the parts he wanted in Hollywood. But his hard work has paid off with Aquaman, as he told The Daily Beast in 2015:
"Aquaman is especially cool because being a Kanaka Maoli—being Hawaiian—our Gods are Kanaloa and Maui, and the Earth is 71 percent water, so I get to represent that. And I’m someone who gets to represent all the islanders, not some blond-haired superhero. It’s cool that there’s a brown-skinned superhero … It’s a trip. I spent 15 years trying to dig myself out of the Baywatch hole, and now I’m Aquaman. Life is very good."
Momoa’s 2017 releases include Once Upon a Time in Venice, Braven and Justice League (with Thrones castmate Ciaran Hinds, who played Mance Rayder).
43) RORY McCANN
Let’s start with something interesting: the Scottish-born McCaan is an outdoorsman, and he was helping paint the bridge over the River Forth when he got some notice as the ruggedly handsome and sometimes barely-clothed TV spokesman for Scott’s Porridge Oats.
Try to not think about that for a while.
Early in his career, McCaan sat down with the the Scottish Herald (2003) and talked about his fear tackling his first starring TV role in The Book Group (2002-2003):
"There were times at the start of it all when I would be standing, terrified in front of the cameras and people I considered ‘real’ actors. I had no idea what was happening, what the guy with the clipboard did, or if people in the studio were looking at me because it was their job to look at me or because they thought I was making a mess of things."
Fortunately, he figured it out: he won a 2002 Scottish BAFTA Award for best TV performance as a wheelchair-bound lifeguard.
McCaan parlayed his newfound fame into lots of TV roles, such as Peter the Great in Peter in Paradise (2003), Adam in Rockface (2003), Derek Hatch in The Jury (2011) and Marston in Banished (2015, above). Burly film roles also ensued, including Crateros in Alexander (2004), Belo in Clash of the Titans (2010, with Thrones castmate Alexander Siddig) and John Ross in Slow West (2015).
You might also remember McCaan from his funky role as Michael Armstrong in Hot Fuzz (2007, above). Yarp!
In 2017, McCaan graces the big screen as Tennyson Torch in XxX: Return of Xander Cage.
44) JEROME FLYNN
Jerome Flynn brings a treasureload of swagger and dash to Bronn, a highly skilled sellsword who works for the Lannisters. But when he first joined Game of Thrones, he wasn’t sure he had made a good move, career-wise, as he told The Hollywood Reporter in 2016:
"I was a bit worried because I don’t think I was allowed to see the script … Then I was worried that it might be a substandard, you know, rather cringe-y medieval thing with worrying costumes and dodgy accents. And of course, that wasn’t the case. It’s a job of a lifetime for any actor. I feel very lucky to still be there and still be alive, quite frankly."
Bronn is familiar to fans from his TV roles as Eddie Hargreaves on Between the Lines (1992), Tom McCabe on Badger (1999-2000) and as Bennet Drake on the popular BBC America series Ripper Street (above, 2012-2016).
When Flynn got the parts of Bronn and Drake, he was attempting to resurrect his acting career after a hugely successful run as Paddy Garvey in the TV series Soldier, Soldier (above, with Robson Green) from 1991-1995. Thrones castmates Lena Headey, James Cosmo and Dominic Carter (Janos Slynt) had parts on Soldier, Soldier as well.
And of course, there was the period where Flynn performed with Green as part of a singing duo called Robson & Jerome. Prepare for surrealism.
Career restart status: successful. Along with Thrones, Flynn can be seen as Dr. Gachet in Loving Vincent in 2017.
45) SOPHIE TURNER
Sansa Stark was the first onscreen acting job Sophie Turner ever got, and its been amazing to watch her character evolve from a fragile innocent to a battle-scarred player of the great game. Apart from the show, she’s got a good string of movie appearances going, including roles as Heather in Barely Lethal (2014) and Penelope in Alone (2016).
Turner’s highest profile role outside of Thrones has been as Jean Gray in the blockbuster X-Men: Apocalypse (2016, above). In an interview with Self in 2016, Turner talked about the similarities between Jean and Sansa Stark: “Both Jean and Sansa are strong characters with such great arcs. Neither starts out strong, but they find that power within them, whether literally or metaphorically.”
One of Turner’s earliest film roles is as Fay in the mystery thriller Another Me (2013, above, with Gregg Sulkin). Turner had a twin who died before birth, and two of her films (Another Me and the TV movie The Thirteenth Tale) involve lost twins. Turner told the Daily Mail in 2014 that her unborn sister haunts her: “My mum had a miscarriage – my twin died and I lived. That definitely affected me in terms of I always felt as though – again, this sounds cheesy – something was missing.”
Turner will appear in Huntsville in 2017 and X-Men: Supernova in 2018.
46) JAMES COSMO
Actor James Cosmo added gravitas to the wise and honorable Lord Commander Jeor Mormont, a leader of men and mentor to the young Jon Snow.
Not wanting to know how and when Mormont might meet his doom, Cosmo tried to avoid reading George R. R. Martin’s books, but in 2013 he told The Daily News that his friends wouldn’t allow it: “My friends who were Game of Thrones fanatics made me aware that I wasn’t going anywhere after book three. I was a dead man walking.”
Cosmo is another Thrones player who’s been around the block, with screen credits stretching back to 1966. A primer of his movie roles includes parts as Angus MacLeod in Highlander (1986), Campbell in Braveheart (1995, above, 2nd from right), Father Christmas in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005) and Quintus in the 2016 version of Ben-Hur.
The Scottish-born Cosmo also played Mr. Renton in the indie hit Trainspotting (1996, above, with Ewan MacGregor and Eileen Nicholas). His TV career is similarly roust, with stints on shows like Warship (1973-1977), Running Scared (1986), Soldier, Soldier (1977, a series that also featured Thrones stars Lena Headey, Jerome Flynn and Dominic Carter) and Sons of Anarchy (2010).
At the moment, Cosmo may be the busiest Thrones alumni on this list. His 2017 projects include T2 Trainspotting, Tomorrow, In Darkness, Ashes in the Snow and a TV mini-series titled SS-GB.
He also appeared in the most recent season of Celebrity Big Brother, so that’s neat.
47) AIDAN GILLEN
Actor Aidan Gillen adds a lot of well-mannered sleaze to Peter ‘Littlefinger’ Baelis. The result is a guy who makes your skin crawl, but it crawls deliciously. Gillen has a sense of humor about it. In 2014, he talked to Vulture about disliking alternate endings and the awesomeness of a Lego Red Wedding:
"I don’t like DVD extras. No. Especially when they do things like put out alternative endings? I find all of that a little bizarre, because there should only be one ending. I don’t like to be told, ‘Oh, we could have had it this way,’ for the director’s cut … I’d like to see the Lego version of … The Lego Red Wedding! There’s some really good Lego Wire stuff, with the shootout with Omar on the street. Little Lego guns blazing."
Television has been kind to Gillen. He’s played major roles like Stuart Jones in Queer as Folk (1999-2000), Mayor Tommy Carcetti in The Wire (2004-2008, above) and John Boy Power in Love/Hate (2010-2013).
Gillen’s movie resume is stacked with notable performances like Aidan Lynch in Circle of Friends (1995), Rathbone in Shanghai Knights (2003, above), a CIA Op in The Dark Knight Rises (2012), Robert in Sing Street (2016) and Janson in Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (2016).
It looks like the Irish-born Gillen might be chasing James Cosmo’s title as ‘busiest Thrones guy in 2017’, with upcoming parts in Urban Myths (TV mini-series), Pickups, The Lovers and King Arthur: The Legend of the Sword.
48) GWENDOLINE CHRISTIE
Brienne of Tarth is the classic errant knight in female form, and Gwendoline Christie has infused her with great strength of character.
The English-born Christie left bit acting parts behind after she got her gig on Thrones, jumping to bigger roles such as Lexi/Lucy in the TV series Wizards Versus Aliens (2012-2013), Commander Lyme in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay-Part 2 (2015, above) and playing herself in Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie (2016).
Then, Christie launched into the entertainment world stratosphere when she landed the part of Captain Phasma in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015, above). She talks about how much she enjoyed playing a villain with Refinery29 in 2015:
"It was hugely satisfying because I’ve always wanted to play lots of different parts. But after playing a character which I love so much for so many years who is dedicated to a moral good, it was very nice to inhabit a completely different psychology. And isn’t it always fun to be bad?"
Retaining her grip on the big franchises, Christie will return to both Game of Thrones and Star Wars (in The Last Jedi) in 2017.
49) CIARAN HINDS
Ciaran Hinds, another very experienced actor, balanced the power of a charismatic leader with a distaste for the title of “king” as Mance Rayder.
You may remember Hinds from his leading role in another HBO period drama: Rome (2005-2007). In a 2015 interview, Esquire asked Hinds to compare the motivations of his two king characters (Julius Caesar in Rome and The King Beyond the Wall in Thrones):
"We knew Caesar apart [from Rome]— did he want to be emperor or was he really into a democratic Rome? Whereas, I believe, Mance had a theory that this was a lost tribe of people who needed help … They kept referring to him as ‘The King-Beyond-the-Wall.’ But he says early on that he’s not a king … Everyone else is looking for a crown and a throne, though he had the gift of political nous and understanding, he wanted to be their spokesman, not their leader. I don’t think he gives a f**k if he’s loved, but at heart, he has a social drive for improving people’s lives."
Hinds’ list of film credits is a hefty read. He played Lot in Excalibur (1981), Professor Flynn in Circle of Friends (1995, with Aiden Gillen), Carl in Munich (2005, above), Fletcher in There Will be Blood (2007) and Aberforth Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011). His TV work includes shows like Prime Suspect 3 (1993), Ivanhoe (1997) and Above Suspicion (2009-2012).
In 2017, Hinds will perform in Woman Walks Ahead, Red Sparrow and Justice League (with fellow Thrones alumni Jason Momoa).
50) KIT HARINGTON
Kit Harington basically walked out of acting school and into the role of the handsome and brooding Jon Snow. Luckily for us, he found his way into the character and his career has taken off from there.
The London-born Harington quickly tried to branch out into different movie roles, including Vincent in Silent Hill: Revelation 3D (2012), Milo in Pompeii (2014, above), Will Holloway in MI-5 (2015) and dim-witted tennis player Charles Poole in the TV comedy 7 Days in Hell (2015). He also voiced the character of Admiral Salen Kotch in the Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare video game (2016).
Perhaps one of Harington’s finest non-Thrones efforts so far has been his performance as the young lover Roland Leighton in Testament of Youth (2014, above, with Alicia Vikander). As Harington explained in a 2015 interview with The Independent, the role of Leighton and others like it hold the key to his future:
"I’m not going to be that person (Jon Snow) for ever. So I can’t let the industry decide that’s who I am. I need to do stuff for my own … creativity. My own … my own health, really. I created one character and then everyone sees you as that character – and I didn’t get into this game for that."
Look to the TV Mini-series Gunpowder (with Thrones castmate Mark Gatiss) and the feature film The Death and Life of John F. Donovan for your extra-Thrones Harington fixes in 2017 and 2018, respectively.