Matt Smith may currently be well-known for his portrayal of Daemon Targaryen in HBO's Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon, but viewers will forever see him as synonymous with his portrayal of the Doctor on Doctor Who.
Smith portrayed the Eleventh Doctor for three seasons, making just shy of 50 episodes. Alongside David Tennant, his seasons are widely regarded as the golden age of the 'New Who' era of the franchise. Fans are always campaigning for his triumphant return, although Smith himself isn't too interested in reprising his beloved role just yet.
Of course, Smith would go on to grow his illustrious filmography. Notably, he played the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, in Netflix's The Crown. Other big roles include Last Night in Soho and a Marvel debut in Morbius. However, outside of Doctor Who, his biggest role by far is playing Daemon Targaryen in House of the Dragon.
While the outcome seemed obvious from the outset, RadioTimes recently ran a pole to determine once and for all which of Matt Smith's roles is his best performance ever. With over 1,200 voters, his iconic portrayal of the Doctor came out on top. It was a landslide victory — over 80% of votes were in favor of the Time Lord. Meanwhile, Daemon Targaryen came in second place, while Prince Philip took third. The report suggests very little, if any, love was given to Morbius and Last Night in Soho. But at least they're acutally mentioned. The less said about Smith's take on Mr. Collins in Pride & Prejudice & Zombies, the better.
Despite this being a Game of Thrones-focused site, I must agree that Smith's portrayal of the Doctor is his best performance. He introduced Doctor Who to an entire new generation of fans, delivering some of the most memorable performances in the franchise's 60-year history. It's totally fair that House of the Dragon comes in second place, for this occasion, at least.
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