Game of Thrones - The Lion and the Rose - 02:30 am Monday, December 29 on Sky Atlantic +1

Charles Dance (Actor) .. Tywin Lannister

Born: October 10, 1946 in Redditch, Worcestershire

Best Known For: The Jewel in the Crown.

Early-life: Born Walter Charles Dance on October 10, 1946, in Redditch, Worcestershire. His engineer father died when Dance was four, after which he and his mother moved to Devon. She struggled to make ends meet, working in a café to support them both. After leaving school he enrolled at art college, but claims his heart wasn't in it. He took odd jobs to earn some cash, and spent his spare time doing amateur dramatics, prompting him to take acting lessons.

Career: Dance spent five years with the Royal Shakespeare Company and made his TV debut in miniseries Edward the King in 1975, following it up with appearances in Tales of the Unexpected and Fatal Spring. His first film was 1981 Bond movie For Your Eyes Only, but his big break came in 1984 when he was cast in The Jewel in the Crown. He went on to star in White Mischief, Alien3, The Last Action Hero, Gosford Park, Ali G InDaHouse and First Born. Dance also produced, directed, and wrote the screenplay for the acclaimed film Ladies in Lavender. He was awarded an OBE in 2006. More recent projects include Your Highness, Strike Back, Secret State, Game of Thrones, and Dracula Untold.

Quote: "If someone calls you suave and debonair you only get offered parts in a suit and a collar and tie. It just so happens I wear them reasonably well."

Trivia: Dance had no idea his Dracula Untold character was a resurrected Caligula until after the film was made.

Peter Dinklage (Actor) .. Tyrion Lannister

Born: June 11, 1969 in Morristown, New Jersey

Best Known For: Playing Tyrion Lannister in the HBO series Game of Thrones.

Early-life: Peter Hayden Dinklage was born in Morristown, New Jersey, on June 11, 1969 to Diane and John. Peter was born with achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism. He made his film debut in Living in Oblivion (1995).

Career: Dinklage's big break came in the 2003 film The Station Agent. In the same year, he starred alongside Will Ferrell in the seasonal favourite Elf (2003). He went on to have recurring roles on TV in Threshold and Nip/Tuck. His other film credits include Penelope (2006), Death at a Funeral (2007), and X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014). He is best known for playing Tyrion Lannister in the HBO series Game of Thrones, a role he has played since 2011.

Quote: "I was fortunate enough to have an upbringing that made me more accepting of who I am."

Trivia: He voiced Captain Gutt in the Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012) and Ghost in the video game Destiny.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Actor) .. Jaime Lannister

Lena Headey (Actor) .. Cersei Lannister

Born: October 03, 1973 in Hamilton, Bermuda

Best Known For: 300 and Game of Thrones.

Early-life: Lena was born in Hamilton, Bermuda, on October 3, 1973 to British parents Sue and John. Her father, a Yorkshire police cadet, was stationed in Bermuda when she was born. Her family returned to England when she was five. Her first taste of acting came as a student at Shelley College. She made her big-screen debut opposite Jeremy Irons in Waterland (1992).

Career: Headey landed a small role in the Oscar-nominated The Remains of the Day (1993) and a year later, she played Mowgli's love interest in The Jungle Book. In 1997, she starred opposite Vanessa Redgrave in Mrs Dalloway (1997). Her film credits also include Gossip (2000), The Parole Officer (2001), The Brothers Grimm (2005), 300 (2006), St Trinian's (2007), Dredd (2012), The Purge (2013) and 300: Rise of an Empire (2014). In addition to her film work, Headey has also appeared on the small screen in Band of Gold, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Game of Thrones.

Quote: "I don't think you should feel guilty about pleasure."

Trivia: Headey has suffered bouts of clinical depression since the age of 15.

Jack Gleeson (Actor) .. King Joffrey Baratheon

Aidan Gillen (Actor) .. Petyr `Littlefinger" Baelish

Born: April 24, 1968 in Dublin

Best Known For: Queer as Folk and Game of Thrones.

Early-life: Born Aidan Murphy in Dublin on April 24, 1968. As a teenager, he began his acting career with the Dublin Youth Theatre. His big break came in 1999 when he landed a lead role in Russell T Davies' Channel 4 drama Queer as Folk and its sequel, for which he received a Bafta nomination.

Career: In 2004, Gillen received a Tony Award nomination for his Broadway performance in Harold Pinter's The Caretaker. This led to a role in acclaimed HBO drama The Wire. In 2011, he began playing Petyr `Littlefinger" Baelish in HBO drama Game of Thrones. His film credits include The Dark Knight Rises (2012), The Good Man (2012), Mister John (2013) and Calvary (2014). In 2011, he began presenting RTE music series Other Voices. Since then, he has appeared in BBC drama Mayday and RTE dramas Love/Hate and Charlie. He also voiced Paul Serene in the video game Quantum Break and its accompanying TV series.

Quote: "In drama you can either pretend everything is OK, or you can show the world as it really is in the hope that it gets better."

Trivia: He has narrated a number of audiobooks, including Roddy Doyle's Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha.

Conleth Hill (Actor) .. Varys

Born: November 24, 1964 in Ballycastle, Northern Ireland

Sibel Kekilli (Actor) .. Shae

Sophie Turner (Actor) .. Sansa Stark

Born: February 21, 1996 in Northampton

Best Known For: Playing Sansa Stark in Game of Thrones.

Early-life: Born on February 21, 1996, in Northampton, Sophie moved to Chesterton, Warwickshire when she was two years old. She has two older brothers and had a twin who died before birth. Since Sophie was three, she has been a member of the Playbox Theatre Company.

Career: Turner's first professional acting role was as Sansa Stark in the fantasy TV series Game of Thrones. She has played the character since 2011. Turner made her feature film debut in Another Me (2013) and also starred in TV film The Thirteenth Tale (2013). She starred in the comedy film Barely Lethal (2015) and played telepathic mutant Jean Grey in X-Men: Apocalypse (2016).

Quote: "I don't think that the status of a show, big or small, should affect a person's performance."

Trivia: She is a natural blonde but dyes her hair auburn for her character in Game of Thrones.

Natalie Dormer (Actor) .. Margaery Tyrell

Gwendoline Christie (Actor) .. Brienne of Tarth

Jerome Flynn (Actor) .. Bronn

Born: March 16, 1963 in Bromley

Best Known For: Soldier Soldier and Game of Thrones.

Early-life: Jerome Patrick Flynn was born in Bromley on March 16, 1963 to actor Eric Flynn and drama teacher Fern Flynn. Jerome's first taste of acting was in school plays. He went on to study acting at the Central School of Speech and Drama.

Career: Flynn spent the 1980s playing small parts in a number of TV shows, including The Monocled Mutineer, the pilot of London's Burning, Flying Lady, Bergerac, Casualty and Boon. His big break came in 1991 when he began playing Paddy Garvey in popular ITV drama Soldier Soldier. After performing Unchained Melody in the series with co-star Robson Green, the pair were persuaded by Simon Cowell to release it as a single. It stayed at the top of the charts for seven weeks and sold more than 1.9 million copies. As Robson & Green, the duo released two chart-topping albums. At the height of his fame, Flynn disappeared from the spotlight and it would be almost a decade before he returned to the public eye. In 2003, he won rave reviews for his one-man show about Tommy Cooper. More recently, he has played Bronn in HBO drama Game of Thrones and Detective Sergeant Bennet Drake in BBC drama Ripper Street.

Quote: On his short-lived singing career: "It was surreal and fun and we just about got out in time."

Trivia: Flynn is a vegetarian.

Maisie Williams (Actor) .. Arya Stark

Rory McCann (Actor) .. Sandor Clegane

Stephen Dillane (Actor) .. Stannis Baratheon

Carice van Houten (Actor) .. Melisandre

Liam Cunningham (Actor) .. Davos Seaworth

Born: June 02, 1961 in Dublin

Best Known For: Being a famous face you can never quite place.

Early-life: The Dublin native was born in 1961. He was raised in the Northwall, a working class area of Dublin with three sisters and a brother. He was raised in a Roman Catholic household. Cunningham dropped out of high school at 15 to pursue a career as an Electrician. In the 1980s he moved to Zimbabwe for three years where he maintained electrical equipment at a safari park and trained native electricians before returning home and deciding to give acting a try at a local drama school.

Career: Cunningham's debut film role came in Into the West. His on-screen acting continued with minor roles in War of the Buttons, A Little Princess, Cracker-Best Boys and First Knight. Cunningham's breakout role came in Jude, playing Phillotson. He continued with small character roles in Police 2020, Falling for a Dancer, the superb BBC drama Shooting the Past, When the Sky Falls and Revelation. Cunningham came to international prominence with his role as Captain Ryan in the critically acclaimed independent horror film, Dog Soldiers. Since then, Cunningham has starred in numerous high budget British and American films including The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse, The Wind That Shakes the Barley, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, Hunger, Clash of the Titans and Centurion.

Quote: "The only thing I was interested in was motor sport and movies and good drama. I couldn't afford to be buying racing cars or bikes, so I thought I'd have a go at the acting."

Trivia: He auditioned to play The Eighth Doctor on 'Doctor Who'

Joe Dempsie (Actor) .. Gendry

Emilia Clarke (Actor) .. Daenerys Targaryen

Born: October 23, 1986 in London

Best Known For: Playing Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones.

Early-life: Emilia was born in London on October 23, 1986. She became interested in acting at the age of three after seeing the musical Show Boat. She went on to graduate from Drama Centre London in 2009.

Career: In 2009, she made her TV debut in an episode of Doctors, and a year later, she starred in TV movie Triassic Attack. Her big break came in 2010 when she was cast as Daenerys Targaryen in HBO drama Game of Thrones. In 2013, she received an Emmy nomination for her role in the medieval fantasy series. She made her Broadway debut in 2013, playing Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Quote: "I'm just a girl who loves mascara."

Trivia: Clarke is known for her platinum blonde look on Game of Thrones but she is a natural brunette in real life.

Iain Glen (Actor) .. Ser Jorah Mormont

Kit Harington (Actor) .. Jon Snow

Rose Leslie (Actor) .. Ygritte

Born: February 09, 1987 in Aberdeen

Best Known For: Game of Thrones and Downton Abbey.

Early-life: Rose Eleanor Arbuthnot-Leslie was born in Aberdeen on February 9, 1987 to parents of Scottish nobility. She was raised at Lickleyhead Castle in Aberdeenshire. Rose went on to attend a public school in England and it was here that she developed a passion for acting. She went on to study at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. She made her TV acting debut in the 2007 documentary Locked Up Abroad, and won a Scottish Bafta Award for her performance in the 2009 TV movie New Town.

Career: Leslie's breakthrough role came as housemaid Gwen Dawson in ITV drama Downton Abbey. Since then, she has starred in HBO drama Game of Thrones, Channel 4 drama Utopia and ITV drama The Great Fire. More recently, she has starred in Luther. Her film credits include Now Is Good (2012) and The Last Witch Hunter (2015). In 2010, she starred in Bedlam at the Globe Theatre.

Quote: "I believe that we're not alone. How can we be alone in an infinite universe?"

Trivia: Leslie is fluent in French.

Isaac Hempstead Wright (Actor) .. Bran Stark

Thomas Brodie-Sangster (Actor) .. Jojen Reed

Alfie Allen (Actor) .. Theon Greyjoy

Iwan Rheon (Actor) .. Ramsay Snow

Born: May 13, 1985 in Carmarthen

Michael McElhatton (Actor) .. Roose Bolton

Pedro Pascal (Actor) .. Oberyn Martell

Alex Graves (Director)

Game of Thrones: The Lion and the Rose

02:30 am - 03:35 am, Today on Sky Atlantic +1 (208)

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The Lion and the Rose
Season 4, Episode 2

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