Stephen Dillane
Role In “Game of Thrones”: Stannis Baratheon, the dour and humorless brother of King Robert, who enters proceedings after the king’s death as he throws his hat into the battle to succeed him. Increasingly falling under the influence of fire priestess Melisandre.
Yes, But Where Else Do I Know Him From? Dillane’s long been one of the most acclaimed stage actors of his generation, appearing in the premiere of “Angels In America,” and winning a Tony for a 2000 revival of Tom Stoppard‘s “The Real Thing” opposite Jennifer Ehle. Dillane broke into movies after being cast as Horatio in Zeffirelli‘s Mel Gibson-starring version of “Hamlet” in 1990, and later in the decade starred in Sandra Bullock/Denis Leary rom-com “Two If By Sea,” had the lead in Michael Winterbottom‘s “Welcome To Sarajevo,” and starred alongside Sophie Marceau in William Nicholson‘s “Firelight.” He’s had antagonistic roles in starry films like “Ordinary Decent Criminal,” “Spy Game,” and “The Parole Officer,” played Merlin in “King Arthur,” Thomas Jefferson in “John Adams” and Leonard Woolf in “The Hours,” and most recently had a small part in “Zero Dark Thirty.” He also toplined Canadian drama “Fugitive Pieces,” and cropped up in indies “Savage Grace,” “Perfect Sense” and “Papadopolous & Sons,” while he also took lead roles in “The Tunnel” (the Anglo-French remake of “The Bridge“) and cop parody “A Touch Of Cloth“.
Fans Should Check Out: Dillane’s an enormously talented actor who’s never quite found the big-screen showcase he deserves, although he’s excellent in “Welcome To Sarajevo” and “Fugitive Pieces.” Short of a movie adaptation of his transcendent performance in “The Real Thing,” his finest screen performance might be in Channel 4 docudrama “The Shooting Of Thomas Hurndall,” about the killing of a young British man by the Israel Defense Forces in the Gaza Strip. Dillane played Hurndall’s father, and his wrenching performance won him a BAFTA in 2009.
Iain Glen
Role in “Game of Thrones”: Ser Jorah Mormont, Daenerys Targaryen’s most trusted and loyal advisor, who is probably in love with her (totes understandable), and is seeking to redress the fall from grace that happened back during his shady past. Fluent in Dothraki.
Yes, But Where Else Do I Know Him From? Glen, like Dance, is a noted stage actor, who never quite caught fire as a leading man, despite a strong start playing opposite Sigourney Weaver in “Gorillas in the Mist” and taking co-lead (with Patrick Bergin) in the overlooked but pretty epic Bob Rafelson film “Mountains of the Moon,” about the search for the source of the Nile. After that his film career settled more into a supporting role/British villain-in Hollywood-pic mold. The baddie in “Tomb Raider” is probably his most high-profile outing, but he’s also played evil scientist Dr. Isaacs in two “Resident Evil” sequels (named, apparently, after Jason Isaacs who played the equivalent character in the first film but was unnamed) and took a cameo as Uncle Ralph in the disappointing “Kick-Ass 2.” Supporting turns include “Beautiful Creatures,” “Song for a Raggy Boy,” “Tara Road,” “The Iron Lady” and the role of Richard the Lionheart in “Kingdom of Heaven.” And if TV geeks didn’t love him enough for ‘Thrones,’ he also showed up in two Matt Smith episodes of “Doctor Who.” More recently, TV costume dramas have been a good source of income for the actor, between “Ripper Street,” a recurring role in “Downton Abbey” as Sir Richard Carlisle, and a regular slot on ’60s-set Brit show “Breathless.”
Fans Should Check Out: The most old-school enjoyable way to get your fill of Glen is probably with his lead turn in “Mountains of the Moon,” but we’re very fond of him as Hamlet (a role he’s a hall-of-famer for on stage, by all accounts) in the underrated film version of Tom Stoppard’s “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.” Sample below.
Liam Cunningham
Character In “Game Of Thrones:” Davos Seaworth (also known as the Onion Knight), a one-time smuggler who, during Robert Baratheon’s rebellion, became Stannis’ right-hand man.
Yes, But Where Else Do I Know Him From: Cunningham’s a veteran Irish character actor whose appearance in “Game of Thrones” has coincided with a general and long overdue rise in his profile. The Dublin native kicked off his career in the theatre, before getting his first big-screen break as the father of the main character in Alfonso Cuarón‘s gorgeous English-language debut “A Little Princess.” Further work in blockbuster “First Knight,” Michael Winterbottom‘s “Jude” and Stephen Poliakoff‘s “Shooting The Past” followed, and he played “Citizen Kane” DoP Gregg Toland in HBO movie “RKO 281.” After a quiet few years focused mostly on TV work, he returned to the big screen by playing the bad guy in future GoT director Neil Marshall‘s cult debut “Dog Soldiers,” and went on to appear in “Breakfast In Pluto,” Rupert Wyatt‘s “The Escapist” and in a major role in Ken Loach‘s Palme d’Or-winning “The WInd That Shakes the Barley.” He got particular attention opposite pal Michael Fassbender in Steve McQueen‘s “Hunger,” and has since cropped up in “Centurion,” “The Guard,” “Clash Of The Titans,” “The Guard,” “War Horse,” “Doctor Who” and “Safe House,” while starring and producing short “Pitch Black Heist” alongside Fassbender, which won him a BAFTA.
Fans Should Check Out: Cunningham’s one of those actors who elevates everything he’s in (even when those things are terrible), but he’s particularly good in “The Wind That Shakes the Barley” and “Hunger,” the latter of which he shares an extended unbroken 20-minute scene with Fassbender.
