Game of Thrones (2011-2019) boasts a powerhouse, award-winning ensemble. Though many of its younger stars were relatively unknown when the series first premiered, as the show exploded, so did their careers. The cast quickly became household names, with several actors leveraging Thrones’ success into memorable movie and television roles, thereby cementing their place in the industry.
As massive as Game of Thrones was, for many of its cast, it was just the beginning. 2026 marks the series’ 15th anniversary, with much of the ensemble having had ample time to build respectable careers of their own. Undoubtedly, Emilia Clarke, Sophie Turner, Kit Harington, and the rest will always carry Thrones’ legacy with them, but there’s far more to them as they continue to be seen in a wide range of movies and television projects.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Quietly Confirmed A Major Jon Snow Theory
Game of Thrones and AKOTSK both feature two black-haired Targaryens who, had they sat the Iron Throne, may have changed Westeros history forever.
Kit Harington
Played Jon Snow Across Seasons 1–8
The English actor Kit Harington portrayed the heroic Jon Snow on Game of Thrones, but he has since admitted he is keen to break away from the traditional heroic roles. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, he revealed, “I’m not so interested in heroic roles, and if I am, they have to be pretty anti-hero-ish.” Harington’s Jon Snow, long known as the “bastard of Winterfell” or “Ned Stark’s bastard,” was ultimately revealed to be the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark. Throughout the series, he stood out as a hero, selflessly saving people at the Wall, beyond it, and at Winterfell, among other battles.
Interestingly, Harington reunited with his Game of Thrones costar, Sophie Turner, in the 2026 gothic horror movie The Dreadful. He also stars in the HBO drama Industry, which explores the aftermath of the 2008 financial collapse, and is set to conclude with its fifth season, with casting confirmations pending. He is also attached to Sophie Stava’s Count My Lies at Hulu alongside Lindsay Lohan and Shailene Woodley, and set to appear in the four-part MGM+ and BBC miniseries, A Tale of Two Cities.
Peter Dinklage
Portrayed Tyrion Lannister Across Seasons 1–8
In a show known for killing off its characters without warning, Peter Dinklage’s Tyrion Lannister proved his resilience, surviving the worst storms, including defending King’s Landing during the Battle of the Blackwater to enduring injuries in the Battle on the Green Fork, navigating the perilous journey on a boat sailing the Smoking Sea with Ser Jorah Mormont, and worst of all, the battles of Winterfell and King’s Landing. The youngest and most despised son of Tywin Lannister, Tyrion, remained fiercely loyal to him until he no longer could. He killed his father before serving Daenerys Targaryen, concluding the series as one of the most powerful men in Westeros, becoming Hand to King Bran.
Dinklage has joined Noah Hawley’s sci-fi drama, Alien: Earth, for its second season. He also starred alongside Marisa Tomei and Anne Hathaway in the 2023 romantic comedy-drama She Came to Me. More of his acting credits include playing Eitri, the King of the Dwarves, in 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War, Bolivar Trask in 2014’s X-Men: Days of Future Past, Casca Highbottom in 2023’s The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, and Doctor Dillamond in 2024’s Wicked, among others.
Sophie Turner
Portrayed Sansa Stark Across Seasons 1–8
Sophie Turner’s Sansa Stark had a compelling coming-of-age arc on Game of Thrones, evolving from the sheltered eldest daughter of Ned Stark into one of the shrewdest chess players. She made it out alive of Lannister and the Boltons’ captivity, ultimately winning back Winterfell from the Boltons and securing her seat as Queen in the North in the aftermath of the Battle of King’s Landing.
Turner made headlines quite recently after sustaining a minor back injury on the Tomb Raider set, leading to a temporary production halt. She is set to take on the role of Lara Croft in the Amazon MGM Studios adaptation, helmed by Phoebe Waller-Bridge of Fleabag fame. Her other movie credits include playing Jean Grey in 2016’s X-Men: Apocalypse and its 2019 follow-up Dark Phoenix.
Charles Dance
Portrayed Tywin Lannister Across Seasons 1–4
Veteran English actor Charles Dance is known for his flawless performance as Tywin Lannister across the first four seasons of Game of Thrones. A power-hungry westerman, he ruled with an iron fist as arguably the most influential man in the Seven Kingdoms, even as concerns mounted over the crown’s debts to the Iron Bank of Braavos and the drying up of the Lannister gold mines. Yet, he remained one of the shrewdest and most cunning characters on Game of Thrones, keeping the Iron Bank at bay through his prowess. For a time, Tywin effectively controlled the Iron Throne through pawns like Joffrey Baratheon and Tommen Baratheon. His sheer hatred for his youngest son, Tyrion, led to his death at his son’s hands, exposing his family to threats from all sides.
Dance shared screen space in the 2016 Romance-Drama Me Before You with another Game of Thrones star, Emilia Clarke. He also appeared in the Netflix Original series The Crown as Lord Mountbatten. His most recent and notable role is that of Baron Leopold Frankenstein in Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein. Per Mirror, he is currently filming season 2 of The Day of the Jackel.
15 Years Later, HBO Drops New Game of Thrones Trailer
Game of Thrones turned 15, and to mark the occasion, HBO dropped an iconic, Thrones-universe-spanning trailer to commemorate the show.
Emilia Clarke
Portrayed Daenerys Targaryen Across Seasons 1–8
English actress Emilia Clarke survived two brain aneurysms during the early years of Game of Thrones. She later founded the brain injury recovery charity SameYou, aimed at improving mental health treatment for survivors. Clarke’s Daenerys Targaryen remains one of Game of Thrones’ iconic characters, cementing a place in the realms of pop culture.
Besides headlining Me Before You as Louisa Clarke alongside Sam Claflin, the actress portrayed Sarah Connor in Terminator Genisys and Qi’ra in Solo: A Star Wars Story, as well as Katherine Andrich in Last Christmas. As of 2026, she has starred in Peakcock’s spy-thriller Ponies alongside Haley Lu Richardson. Her upcoming projects include the sci-fi romantic drama Next Life.
Sean Bean
Portrayed Eddard Stark In Season 1
The English actor Sean Bean was already established before Game of Thrones. He played the honorable Eddard “Ned” Stark who ruled as Lord of Winterfell in the aftermath of Robert’s Rebellion, until his shocking execution at the end of Season 1. Ned served as the show’s moral anchor, standing in stark contrast to many of the show’s ruthless, morally ambiguous characters. He had five children with his wife, Catelyn. Everything was well until King Robert Baratheon traveled to Winterfell, asking Ned to leave his seat and serve him as Hand at King’s Landing. This set off a chain of events, leading to Ned’s execution and the near decimation of House Stark.
Bean is widely known for his portrayal of Boromir in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy, more specifically in The Fellowship of the Ring (2001). He has built a career marked by versatility across both movies and television. In 2025, he starred in BBC One’s crime drama This City Is Ours and appeared in the psychological thriller Anemone alongside Daniel Day-Lewis.
Lena Headey
Portrayed Cersei Lannister Across Seasons 1–8
The English actress Lena Headey deserves thorough praise for her portrayal of Cersei Lannister in Game of Thrones: one of modern television’s most iconic and unforgettable villains. Cersei, daughter of Tywin, and twin of Jaime and elder sister to Tyrion, stood by her father as he worked to secure the interests of their House. Cersei was wedded to Robert Baratheon in a purely practical arrangement that made her Queen of the Seven Kingdoms and mother to his supposed three children that were secretly fathered by Jaime. Cersei clung to power for as long as she could, eventually becoming de facto Queen after her youngest died by suicide.
Headey was already a widely recognized name before Game of Thrones came along. Her notable roles include Queen Gorgo in 300, Sarah Connor in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and Catherine de Bourgh in Pride and Prejudice. More recently, she starred in Netflix’s Western drama series The Abandons alongside Gillian Anderson. Headey has recently been added to the cast of Wednesday Season 3 in an undisclosed role.
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
Portrayed Jaime Lannister Across Seasons 1–8
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is a Danish actor who rose to global fame with Game of Thrones, starring as Jaime Lannister across all eight seasons. A formidable presence throughout, Jaime stood out in scenes opposite Dances’s Tywin Lannister, Headey’s Cersei Lannister, and Gwendoline Christie’s Brienne of Tarth. He shared an antagonistic dynamic in notable Season 1 scenes opposite Bean’s Eddard Stark.
Coster-Waldau’s credits include The Other Woman, Domino, and The Silencing. In 2025, he portrayed William, Duke of Normandy, in the BBC’s King & Conqueror. He also reprised his role as Owen Michaels in Apple’s limited series The Last Thing He Told Me alongside Jennifer Garner and Angourie Rice.
Pedro Pascal
Portrayed Oberyn Martell In Season 4
Pedro Pascal portrayed the charming Red Viper of Dorne, Oberyn Martell, in Game of Thrones: a prince driven by hate towards the Lannisters for the treatment they meted out to his sister, Elia Martell, during Tywin’s sack of King’s Landing. Wanting to exact revenge, he fought as Tyrion Lannister’s champion in the Trial by Combat against Gregor Clegane, also known as the Mountain. He nearly won the duel before being defeated and brutally killed. Despite this, Pascal’s charismatic performance is remembered to this day.
Pascal has evolved into a formidable talent, becoming a part of major franchises as well as critically and commercially acclaimed series. From starring in TV shows such as the Netflix Original, Narcos, Disney+’s The Mandalorian, to leading HBO’s The Last of Us across Season 1 and briefly in Season 2, his presence has been established on the small screen. On the big screen, he has appeared in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Eddington, and The Materialists, among other projects.
The Best Episodes Of Game Of Thrones, Ranked
Game of Thrones is often regarded as one of the best TV shows of all time, and these episodes prove why.
Liam Cunningham
Portrayed Ser Davos Seaworth From Seasons 2–8
The Irish actor Liam Cunningham portrayed the Onion Knight, Ser Davos Seaworth, in Game of Thrones. Once a loyal supporter of Stannis Baratheon, he later became a trusted advisor and companion to Jon Snow. By the end of Thrones, Davos was the Master of Ships on Bran the Broken’s Small Council, bringing his arc full circle.
Cunningham, who boasts numerous acting credits before and after Thrones, has consistently worked since 2019, appearing in movies, namely The Vault (2021), The Last Voyage of the Demeter (2023), and also starred in the Netflix sci-fi series 3 Body Problem (2024), reuniting with Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss.
Maisie Williams
Portrayed Arya Stark Across Seasons 1–8
English actor Maisie Williams portrayed Arya Stark, the youngest daughter of Ned Stark, who traveled to King’s Landing with him and sister, Sansa. Following their father’s execution, she escaped the Lannisters’ clutches, becoming a wanderer alongside Sandor Clegane. Arya later traveled to Braavos, where she trained with the Faceless Men and became a lethal assassin. She returned to Winterfell and fought in the Battle of Winterfell, delivering a decisive blow by killing the Night King with the Valyrian steel dagger.
Williams’ notable projects after the conclusion of Game of Thrones include the movie The New Mutants (2020), the miniseries Pistol (2022), and the drama series The New Look (2024). She is set to appear in Practical Magic 2 alongside Joey King, Sandra Bullock, and Joey King.
More achievements of the Game of Thrones cast underscore how its stars have branched out across the industry. Richard Madden, who played the short-lived King in the North, Robb Stark, is set to star in Jed Mercurio’s miniseries Trinity. Meanwhile, Bella Ramsey, who portrayed Lady Lyanna Mormont of Bear Island, leads HBO’s post-apocalyptic drama The Last of Us, and are reprising their role for its third season. Jason Momoa portrayed Daenerys’ husband, Khal Drogo, in Season 1 is coming back in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Three after sitting out the second installment. This time, Momoa will be back as the deadly ghola Hayt. Gwendoline Christie, who concluded the series as Lord Commander Brienne of Tarth to King Bran, has joined German-language drama Black Gold. Additionally, Ian Glenn, who portrayed Daenerys’ loyalist, Ser Jorah Mormont, starred in the 2025 Philippine historical drama movie Quezon.
