The eighth and final season of “Game of Thrones” was broadcast on April 14, 2019, and by the end of the season, millions of fans around the world will have watched 73 episodes of this successful fantasy drama.
Actors such as Kit Harington (Jon Snow), Maisie Williams (Arya Stark), Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister) and Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen) are now well known to the public, but many other famous faces have also appeared in this popular series. Did you recognize them?
Warning: If you have not listened to all GOT seasons, this article contains spoilers!
1. Ian McShane
Ian McShane, the star of “Deadwood”, played Brother Ray, in episode 7 of season 6, entitled “The Broken Man”. Brother Ray is a reformed peace-loving killer who teaches The Hound (Rory McCann) pacifism.
2. Alexander Siddig
Alexander Siddig appeared in six episodes during seasons five and six of “Game of Thrones” as Doran Martell, the head of the Martell House and the head of Dorne.
3. Joel Fry
Joel Fry, the lead singer of the London band Animal Circus, participated in seasons four and five of the show. He played Hizdahr zo Loraq, a former Meereen slave trader who caught the attention of Daenerys Targaryen.
4. Sean Bean
Sean Bean appeared in the first season of “Game of Thrones” as Ned Stark, whose shocking performance in episode nine remains one of the show’s most memorable deaths in a series that has had many. In addition to being a good guy, Stark was responsible for the iconic phrase: “Winter is coming.”
5. Sigur Ros
The “The Lion and the Rose” episode of season four features Joffrey Lannister’s wedding with Margaery Tyrell (aka Purple Wedding), Sigur Ros, one of Iceland’s biggest names in music, performing one of the show’s recurring songs, “Rains of Castamere”, and perhaps the most depressing wedding song ever written. The members of the Grammy-nominated pre-record band are big fans of the show, they were happy to play in front of the camera.
6. Richard E. Grant
Another British veteran, Richard E. Grant, played in three episodes of season six. He played the role of Izembaro, the master playwright of The Bloody Hand.
7. Oona Chaplin
Oona Chaplin (the granddaughter of English filmmaker and actor Charlie Chaplin and the great-granddaughter of American playwright Eugene O’Neill) played Robb Stark Talisa’s wife in the second season of “Game Of Thrones”.
8. Thomas Brodie-Sangster
You may remember him as Sam in “Love Actually” (2003), but Thomas Brodie-Sangster grew up and played Jojen Reed, the son of Howland Reed, the Lord of Greywater Watch, in the third and fourth seasons of “Game of Thrones”.
9. Jonathan Pryce
He recently performed alongside Glenn Close in “The Wife” and counts “Pirates of the Caribbean”, “Evita” and “Tomorrow Never Dies” among his previous projects. His character may not have been the most popular, but Pryce himself is a fan of the show.
10. Natalia Tena
British actress and musician Natalia Tena played Osha in “Game of Thrones”, appearing as a guest star in the first season, returning for a few episodes in the second, third and sixth seasons.
11. David Bradley
In the role of Walder Frey, actor David Bradley, winner of an Olivier Award, played one of the biggest villains in “Game of Thrones”, causing a bloodbath when he killed Robb, Catelyn, and Talisa Stark during the Red Wedding of season three.
12. Ed Sheeran
The award-winning songwriter of “Perfect” and “Shape of You” was invited to play in “Game of Thrones” after creators D.B. Weiss and David Benioff discovered that Maisie Williams was a big Sheeran fan.
