13 Game of Thrones actors who first found fame in other roles including Charles Dance as Tywin Lannister and Nathalie Emmanuel as Missandei
GAME of Thrones has catapulted many of its actors to meteoric fame.
Stars like Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams had their big break through the show - but others had successful, if less well-known careers behind them. Here's where you might have seen them before...
Charles Dance - Tywin Lannister
Charles Dance OBE is a very decorated actor - and if you only know him from Game of Thrones, you're missing out.
He performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company during the 1970's and has won awards for his stage work.
His first blockbuster role was as villainous henchman Claus in For Your Eyes Only in 1981, but he got his big break to stardom as Guy Perron in The Jewel in the Crown three years later.
Charles has a whopping 135 film and TV acting credits to his name, according to IMDB. These include The Imitation Game, Alien 3, Last Action Hero, Dracula Untold, and Jam & Jerusalem.
Natalie Dormer - Margaery Tyrell
Natalie Dormer was no stranger to playing scheming queens before taking on Margaery Tyrell.
She starred as Anne Boleyn in TV drama The Tudors from 2007-10.
Since landing her Game of Thrones role Natalie's also played Irene Adler in Sherlock Holmes series Elementary and filmmaker Cressida in the final two Hunger Games films.
Thomas Brodie-Sangster - Jojen Reed
If you didn't recognise Jojen Reed when he made his Game of Thrones entrance to help Bran Stark with his visions, you're probably in the minority.
Despite only being 27, Thomas Brodie-Sangster has been acting for 16 years as he was a huge child star.
He played lovesick 10-year-old Sam in Love Actually, and also bagged lead roles in Featherboy and Stig of the Dump.
Jason Momoa - Khal Drogo
Jason Momoa was a relative unknown in the UK when he stepped into the shoes of alpha male Khal Drogo.
But far from being discovered by the series, Hawaiian actor Jason had already achieved TV success.
He played lifeguard Jason Ioane in Baywatch from 1999-2001, Frankie Seau in North Shore from 2004-05, and Ronon Dex in Stargate: Atlantis from 2005-09. He also starred in Disney box office flop Conan the Barbarian.
Since being killed off, he's starring as Aquaman in a series of superhero blockbusters.
Diana Rigg - Olenna Tyrell
Diana Rigg CBE is a living legend, known for playing Emma Peel in the 1960s TV series The Avengers (1965–68) as well as Olenna Tyrell in Game of Thrones.
She has also had an extensive career in theatre, including playing the title role in Medea, both in London and New York, for which she won the 1994 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play.
Plus, in 2017 The Sun revealed that Diana was joining the cast of ITV's hit show Victoria.
Nathalie Emmanuel - Missandei
Before she became chief adviser to Danaerys Targaryen, Nathalie Emmanuel played Sasha Valentine in Hollyoaks from 2006-2010.
Sasha's biggest storylines included experimentation with recreational drugs culminating in a heroin addiction and a tumultuous relationship with brother Calvin Valentine, played by Ricky Whittle.
Aidan Gillen - Petyr Baelish
Before playing slippery social climber Littlefinger, Aidan Gillen had a long acting career behind him.
He's had a ton of medium-sized film roles, as well as recurring roles in Queer as Folk, playing Stuart Jones from 1999-2000, and in The Wire, playing Mayor Tommy Carcetti from 2004-2008.
Hannah Murray - Gilly
Hannah Murray's face will have been strikingly familiar when she appeared as Gilly on Game of Thrones, due to her huge role in TV drama Skins.
She played Cassie Ainsworth, an eccentric and controversial character who suffered from drug addiction, suicidal thoughts, and anorexia.
Fellow Skins cast member Joe Dempsie, who played Chris Miles, has also joined the Game of Thrones cast. He played Robert Baratheon's illegitimate son, Gendry.
Michelle Fairley - Catelyn Stark
Catelyn Stark actress Michelle Fairley had more of a theatre career before joining the cast of Game of Thrones.
She starred in a host of West End shows, and was nominated for an Olivier for Shakespeare play Othello.
Like a huge number of British actors, she also made an appearance in Harry Potter. She played Hermione's mum when the witch left home during Deathly Hallows Part One.
Lena Headey - Cersei Lannister
Lena Headey is one of the highest-paid actors in TV - it's estimated she could earn up to £2million per episode of Game of Thrones.
Before playing evil queen Cersei Lannister she starred as Sarah Connor in the Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles TV series.
She also had roles in 300, The Brothers Grimm, and St. Trinians.
Iwan Rheon - Ramsay Bolton
Terrifying Game of Thrones villain Ramsay Bolton is played by an actor with a surprising history in comedy roles.
Welsh-born Iwan Rheon played Ash Weston in sitcom Vicious, alongside Derek Jacobi and Ian McKellen, from 2013-16.
He also starred as Simon Bellamy in Misfits from 2009-11, and was in the first series of Our Girl alongside EastEnders' Lacey Turner in 2014.
Iain Glen - Jorah Mormont
Iain Glen is a seasoned professional and has been acting in film and TV since 1983.
Before Jorah Mormont, he starred in Lara Croft and Resident Evil, and played Anne Frank's dad Otto in a televised version of her diary.
He also appeared in Spooks, and battled the weeping angels alongside Matt Smith, Alex Kingston and Karen Gillan in two episodes of Doctor Who.
Mark Addy - Robert Baratheon
Like a lot of his co-stars, Mark Addy is a seasoned actor with credits dating back to the 1980's - and was known before he played Robert Baratheon.
At the beginning of his career he made a living playing police officers in roles in Band of Gold, Ghostbusters of East Finchley, The Thin Blue Line, and The Bill.
Mark also spent four years on family sitcom Still Standing from 2002-06. Plus he played Fred Flinstone in live action film The Flintstones Viva Rock Vegas.
Since dying very early on in Game of Thrones he's played Hercules in BBC series Atlantis, and returned to his police drama roots in New Blood.
