Ciaran Hinds
We’ve only seen glimpses of Ciaran Hinds as upstart king of the north Mance Rayder so far, but we’re sure there’s more to come, as you don’t hire an actor of this caliber for a small role. Hinds previously had his HBO bona fides for playing Julius Caesar in “Rome,” but he’s a more familiar face from the big screen, with roles including “Road To Perdition,” “Munich,” “There Will Be Blood,” “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,” and, uh, “Race To Witch Mountain.” He just starred on Broadway in “Cat On A Hot Tin Roof” opposite Scarlett Johansson, and recently voiced the Troll King in “Frozen.”
Donald Sumpter
Another one of those faces, Donald Sumpter, who played Stark confidante Maester Luwin, took the lead role of criminal Donald Neilson in ’70s British crime flick “The Black Panther.” Since then, he’s had notable roles in “K-19: The Widowmaker,” “The Constant Gardener,” “Eastern Promises” and “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo,” and will soon be seen in Ron Howard‘s “In The Heart Of The Sea.”
Richard Dormer
The Northern Irish actor, who made a strong impression as seemingly immortal Brotherhood Without Banners leader Beric Dondarrion, came to prominence playing troubled snooker player Hurricane Higgins in a one-man show, before last year getting a big-screen showcase in charming Belfast-set punk biopic “Good Vibrations.” He’ll soon be seen alongside Jack O’Connell in much-praised Berlin competition film “‘71.”
Kate Dickie
Scottish actress Kate Dickie, who plays the inappropriately-breastfeeding Lysa Arryn, came to fame with a remarkable performance in Andrea Arnold‘s debut “Red Road.” Since then, she’s also appeared in British indies “Somers Town” and “Filth,” and was one of the crew of the “Prometheus.”
David Bradley
Yet another fantasy veteran, Bradley, who played Red Wedding perpetrator Walder Frey, is best known for playing caretaker Argus Filch in the ‘Harry Potter‘ films. He’s an RSC veteran with stacks of TV credits, who also had a scene-stealing turn in Mike Leigh‘s “Another Year,” and appeared incomprehensibly in “Hot Fuzz,” and more intelligibly in “The World’s End.” His career continues to go from strength to strength: he recently and movingly played original Doctor Who in biopic “An Adventure In Space And Time,” won a BAFTA nod for whodunnit “Broadchurch,” and replaced John Hurt in Guillermo del Toro‘s upcoming FX series “The Strain.”
Rose Leslie
The wildling Ygritte is definitely her largest role to date and is ongoing, so we expect to see a lot more from Leslie in the future, but she did also have a recurring part on another TV phenomenon (though not one we can really say we’ve ever gotten into in the same way) “Downton Abbey,” in which she played the maid Gwen. Also, for kicks, it’s great to hear her natural speaking voice which is plummy and cultured and a million miles away from Ygritte’s harsh Northern-inflected brogue.
Along with Hinds and Cunninghamn, another Irish actor for whom ‘Thrones’ has been a boon, McElhatton’s been a well known face and voice on U.K. and Irish television for a long time, with the excellent mockumentary comedy show “Paths to Freedom,” which he co-wrote, showing his range: in contrast to the perfidious but haughty Roose Bolton he plays a newly released lowlife prisoner called Rats. He also took roles in “Albert Nobbs,” “Shadow Dancer” “I Went Down” and “Intermission,” and the recent, very well-received “The Fall” TV show starring Gillian Anderson.
Conleth Hill
Another Northern Irish ‘Thrones’ alum, Hill is totally unrecognisable outside the show because as soon as he’s got hair, he looks nothing like the oleaginous eunuch Varys. In fact he’s had a six-episode arc on USA‘s “Suits” (Michelle Fairley/Catelyn Stark has also guested on the show) as well as a small role in “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen” and a part in a recent episode of terrifically weird concept TV show “Inside no 9” (in which Oona Chaplin/Talisa has also shown up, in case you’re playing a “Game of Thrones” version of the Kevin Bacon game).
So we hope this set off as many “Oh that’s what I’d seen him/her in!” moments for you as it did for us, and that it provided with you enough suggestions for further, extra-credit viewing to tide you over the gaping maw of the rest of the week till next Sunday rolls around.
