Game Of Thrones: Every Actor Who Played The Mountain (And Why They Changed)

"Game of Thrones" had an enormous cast and was filmed in locations all across Europe, from Iceland to Malta. It needed both to do justice to the world and characters described in author George R. R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire," but the complicated logistics almost meant that recasting of B-list and below characters was inevitable. 

For example: original Night King actor Richard Brake was replaced by Vladimir Furdik in season 6. Since the Night King's blue-skinned make-up remained the same, this recasting could escape notice. Other actor swaps on "Game of Thrones" were more obvious — like how Ser Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane was recast not just once but twice. 

In both the books and TV series, the Mountain earns his name from his enormous size. He's about eight feet tall and half as wide, and his sword dwarfs many of the men he cuts down with it. The Mountain's appearance rivals even the actual giants who live north of the Wall. Clegane is also a knight — but just because his armor shines, doesn't mean his soul does. No, Ser Gregor is one of the vilest villains in Westeros: an unapologetic murder and rapist who spares not even his kin from his sadism. He burnt his younger brother Sandor's face when they were children, and the scars of that incident define Sandor's character. "The Hound" hates his brother with fury burning as hot as the flames that once kissed him. 

Do any of the three Mountain actors in "Game of Thrones" do justice to how monstrously Ser Gregor is described in the books?

The first actor to play The Mountain in "Game of Thrones" was Conan Stevens, an Australian wrestler who is seven feet tall. Stevens originally auditioned to play Khal Drogo; he lost to Jason Momoa but his towering physique made him perfect for the Mountain instead. Another testament to Stevens' height: after "Game of Thrones," he went on to play Goliath in the 2013 History Channel miniseries "The Bible."

Stevens appeared only in two "Game of Thrones" episodes, both in the first season: episode 4, "Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things," and then the following episode, "The Wolf and the Lion." Stevens plays Gregor during the scenes where he takes part in a jousting tournament at Kings Landing, wearing a helmet shaped like a mountain. "The Wolf and the Lion" shows Gregor's brutality when he tries to kill Ser Loras Tyrell (Finn Jones) for defeating him. Sandor blocks the attack and duels his brother, but an order from King Robert Baratheon ends the fight before it can go too far.

Conan Stevens had the least screen time as the Mountain, as he left "Game of Thrones" after season 1. He wrote on his website at the time that HBO "decided to go in a different direction," but it's since been reported he had a scheduling conflict with filming "The Hobbit." Stevens was originally cast as the Orc chieftain Bolg in those films, but was replaced with a CGI-over'd Lawrence Makoare.

Despite this, I think Steven is the best physical casting for the Mountain. He's the only one of the three actors who convinces you that he's the older brother of Sandor Clegane actor Rory McCann. (They're almost the same age in real life, both born in 1969 — McCann was born a few months earlier in April, then Stevens in November.)

In "Game of Thrones" season 2, The Mountain is played by Welsh actor Ian Whyte. He's slightly younger than Stevens (born in 1971) and is also seven feet tall. Before he became an actor, Whyte was a professional basketball player. In 2012, the same year he appeared in "Game of Thrones," Whyte also played the enormous alien the Engineer in Ridley Scott's science-fiction film "Prometheus" ... but you probably don't recognize him under all the make-up.

The Mountain's role in season 2 is larger than season 1. We see how he conducts himself in actual war, not a tourney, and it's terrifying. He and other Lannister bannermen occupy the cursed castle Harrenhal, enslaving and torturing the smallfolk. The lost Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) winds up as one of their captives, though they're unaware of her true identity. 

"Game of Thrones" season 2 also shows how Tywin Lannister (Charles Dance) holds the Mountain's leash. Tywin's indulgence of Ser Gregor puts to bed any argument that he isn't evil (if his abuse of his son Tyrion didn't already). Read the chapter "Arya VI" from "A Clash of Kings," where the Mountain and other Lannister men pillage the Riverlands of Westeros while marching their slaves to Harrenhal. Then, tell me the man who ordered and/or allowed these atrocities is not evil: 

"The Mountain would come into the storehouse after he had broken his fast and pick one of the prisoners for questioning. The village folk would never look at him. Maybe they thought that if they did not notice him, he would not notice them . . . but he saw them anyway and picked whom he liked. There was no place to hide, no tricks to play, no way to be safe. One girl shared a soldier's bed three nights running; the Mountain picked her on the fourth day, and the soldier said nothing." 

Apparently, this brutality was too much for even Ian Whyte himself. Digital Spy reported that he exited the role because he struggled "to distance himself emotionally from [The Mountain's] horrific violence." Ultimately, he played the Mountain in only three "Game of Thrones" episodes, all during season 2: "Garden of Bones," "A Man Without Honor," and "The Prince of Winterfell." 

Ian Whyte is often the most forgotten of the three Gregor Cleganes, and the general consensus among fans is that he didn't have quite the right physique. He's tall enough, yes, but also quite lean (again, he was a basketball player). The Mountain is supposed to be as wide as, well, a mountain.

Conan Stevens had written that he'd be willing to come back for "Game of Thrones" season 3, but the creators instead went for another recast. From season 4 until the end, Gregor Clegane would be played by Icelandic strongman Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson. It was his first acting role, but casting a non-actor here was understandable. There simply aren't that many men alive who look like Gregor Clegane.

Björnsson is the shortest of three Gregors (measuring a mere 6'9"), but unlike Whyte, he has the right amount of muscle. The main problem is his age; Björnsson was born in 1988, and was only 26 years old when his debut as the Mountain premiered in 2014. Björnsson does not look like Rory McCann's older brother; he's two decades younger than him and kind of baby faced. However, Björnsson spent the most time playing the Mountain and got to film the character's most famous scenes.

As in the original book "A Storm of Swords," Gregor brutally kills Dornish Prince Oberyn Martell (Pedro Pascal) during season 4 episode "The Mountain and the Viper." The Mountain crumbles after the battle thanks to Martell's poison-tipped spear, but he's reanimated as a hulking zombie by the sinister Maester Qyburn (Anton Lesser). In the series' eight and final season, McCann and Björnsson acted out the fan-prophesied event "Cleganebowl," where the brothers finally duel properly and kill each other. Such a confrontation may or may not come to pass in the books if/when George R. R. Martin finishes them.

Since Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson spent the longest time playing the Mountain, and got the most focus while doing so, he's generally regarded as the definite actor for the character. Sometimes, the third time really is the charm.