What Happened To The Cast Of Game Of Thrones?

It's been a while since "Game of Thrones" finished its divisive final season, and even longer since the on-screen deaths of some of the show's most beloved characters. While the HBO franchise has continued with "House of the Dragon," a prequel series exploring the Targaryen dynasty, many of the show's stars have scattered across the worlds of film and TV, and even beyond. 

While some "Game of Thrones" alumni have made notable appearances in some of the biggest movies and TV shows of the past few years, others have done a lot less mainstream work in the years since the finale aired. For some, "Game of Thrones" may have just been the start of their careers, whilst others merely added the show to a long and storied filmography. There are even some supporting characters on "Game of Thrones" who had their turns as leading men and women in their most recent projects.

In case you've been wondering where the iconic stars of "Game of Thrones" have been since the show aired (or, for some of them, since their characters' last appearance), look no further! To quote House Stark: The lone wolf may die, but the pack survives.

Spoilers for "Game of Thrones" and "A Song of Ice & Fire" ahead!

There's a reason fandoms often allude to Sean Bean frequently dying on-screen, and it might have something to do with "Game of Thrones." The English actor gained notoriety for roles in "GoldenEye" and "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," but Bean ended up being the first choice by the showrunners of "Game of Thrones" to lead their first season as Eddard "Ned" Stark. Unfortunately, as fans of "Game of Thrones" know, Ned doesn't live past the first season, yet the consequences of his death reverberate throughout the rest of the show, even though Bean never reprises his role. 

Since his run on "Game of Thrones" in 2011, Bean has been involved in over 15 television shows and over 20 feature films, including big-screen hits like "The Martian" and "Wolfwalkers" as well as small-screen successes like "Snowpiercer" (pictured above right) and "Time," winning his second BAFTA for the latter. Outside of film and TV, Bean also lent his voice as a narrator to the video game "Sid Meier's Civilization VI," as well as its DLC expansions. 

Perhaps no character on "Game of Thrones" was done dirtier than Daenerys Targaryen, who many fans thought would become an aggressive queen for aggressive times, instead of going mad and burning down King's Landing before being assassinated anticlimactically. While Emilia Clarke may always be called "Khaleesi" for the rest of her career, she's done a lot of great work both on and off screen since "Game of Thrones" ended, from rom-coms like "Last Christmas" (pictured above right) to even a stint in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with "Secret Invasion." 

In 2019, Clarke revealed that during the production of "Game of Thrones," she suffered several brain aneurysms that were nearly fatal. She has since started her own charity, SameYou, to help victims of brain injuries and raise awareness about the lack of rehabilitation resources. In response to her character's divisive fate in the "Game of Thrones" finale, fans donated over $100,000 to SameYou in Daenerys' honor. Outside of acting and philanthropic work, Clarke also co-wrote a comic book series, "M.O.M.: Mother of Madness," with Marguerite Bennett, in 2021.

Like many fans, Kit Harington struggled with the end of "Game of Thrones," spending time in rehab for stress and alcoholism, where he was diagnosed with ADHD. Despite how Harington really feels about "Game of Thrones" season 8, it's been a bit of an uphill climb for him ever since the show ended, but recent years have seen lots of wonderful things come his way. He's had two children with his wife Rose Leslie, whom he met on "Game of Thrones," and has done acclaimed theatrical work in London with "Henry V" and "Slave Play." 

As for film and TV, Harington had a minor role in Marvel's wildly ambitious "Eternals," and in 2024, he joined the cast of HBO's "Industry" (pictured above right) in a role that's quite a far cry from the heroic Jon Snow. Notably, fans of "Game of Thrones" had their ears perked up when it was rumored that Harington was developing a sequel series following Jon Snow with George R. R. Martin. Sadly, plans for the "Game of Thrones" spin-off were canceled. 

Lena Headey played one of the most despicable characters in television history on "Game of Thrones," giving us the sinister (and extremely GIF-able) Cersei Lannister. Many saw Cersei as a ruthless and effective queen of the Seven Kingdoms, but that could possibly just be attributed to Headey's performance, having cut her teeth with roles in "300" and "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles." However, given that the actress looks a lot different without Cersei's gowns and trademark blond hair, you may have failed to recognize her in some other projects.

Among Headey's most notable appearances include the 2019 pro wrestling biopic "Fighting with My Family," the AMC sci-fi drama "Beacon 23" (shown above right), and even lending her voice talents to animated shows like "Infinity Train" and "Masters of the Universe: Revelation." In 2022, it was also announced that Headey was making her directorial debut with "Violet," a psychological thriller based on a novel by SJI Holliday. 

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau's success on "Game of Thrones" was a long time coming, after finding success in his native country of Denmark with the 1994 film "Nightwatch" as well as a brief stint on American television with "New Amsterdam." His role as Jaime Lannister saw fans surprisingly rooting for his character's redemption, even though rewatching "Game of Thrones" once you know how it ends spoils his hard-won journey. Nevertheless, the years since "Thrones" ended have seen Coster-Waldau pick up a lot more roles that are as morally gray as the incestuous knight. 

Sandwiched in-between appearances in action thrillers like "The Silencing" and "God is a Bullet" (seen above right) is "Against the Ice," Coster-Waldau's screenwriting debut in a beautiful slow burn set in a frozen wasteland. On TV, Coster-Waldau stays booked and busy, including a return to the "Game of Thrones" aesthetic on the BBC's "King and Conqueror," where he's signed on to play William the Conqueror. His philanthropic efforts throughout his time on "Game of Thrones" have also continued past the show's finale, including a trip to Rwanda in 2019 to study the impact of climate change. 

It's been quite a wild ride for Sophie Turner ever since "Game of Thrones" ended, albeit maybe not as much as the one Sansa went on throughout the show. Turner married singer Joe Jonas in 2019, just before the series finale of "Thrones" aired, but months later, she starred in Fox's box office bomb "Dark Phoenix" as Jean Grey. Turner and Jonas had two children, while she took a step back from acting to focus on her mental health. In 2023, fans were shocked to learn Turner and Jonas were divorcing, which led to a messy few months of tabloid drama. 

However, things are really starting to look up for Sophie Turner after this past year. She received critical acclaim for her role as real-life jewel thief Joan Hannington in ITV's "Joan" (pictured above right) and will even be taking on the role of Lara Croft in Phoebe Waller-Bridge's "Tomb Raider" TV series on Amazon. Turner's even planning to reunite with Kit Harington in a gothic horror film called "The Dreadful." As for her love life, Turner seems very happy with her new beau, English aristocrat Peregrine Pearson. 

Obviously "Game of Thrones" was stacked with incredible acting talent, but it was Peter Dinklage who walked away with four Emmys for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. Dinklage had a fine career prior to playing Tyrion Lannister, with roles including "Elf," "Penelope," and "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian." However, his defining role of Tyrion led him to lots of other high-profile roles throughout his time on "Thrones," including "X-Men: Days of Future Past" and "Avengers: Infinity War." 

Since putting down the goblet, Dinklage has remained a high-profile star. He most recently appeared in blockbusters "Wicked" and "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes," though his best role post-Tyrion is easily "Cyrano" (seen above right). After playing the titular character on stage in a 2018 musical written by his wife, Dinklage reprised the role in its 2021 film, which proved his potential as a romantic revelation. It's a good thing Dinklage changed his mind after being initially opposed to acting on "Game of Thrones," which would've resulted in a very different present-day for the actor. 

Maisie Williams was only 14 when she debuted on "Game of Thrones" as Arya, the tomboyish Stark daughter who ends up on a cold-blooded path of revenge after her father's execution. Despite being so young when she started acting, Williams' dedication to the "Game of Thrones" books proved she was going to be one of the next best things in Hollywood. See her recurring role on "Doctor Who" as Ashildr in 2015, a clear sign of her prowess beyond Westeros.

Williams' acting career post-"Game of Thrones" has been busy, recently transforming into Catherine Dior in Apple TV+'s "A New Look" (as shown above right), but she did lend her voice as Arya for the crossover fighting video game "MultiVersus." George R. R. Martin has also, interestingly enough, teased a future project in the works with Williams, but aside from any film or TV work, Williams also launched the Frank Film Club podcast in 2021 and has pursued social media development with the social media app Daisie. 

Alfie Allen is easily one of the most underrated actors to emerge from Westeros. His character of Theon Greyjoy began as the cocky steward to the Starks in the early seasons of "Game of Thrones," but after betraying the family and getting captured by the Boltons, Theon went on a horrific journey being tortured by Iwan Rheon's Ramsay and struggling to regain his family's trust after escaping captivity. Fortunately, Allen has yet to take on a role that's as grueling as Theon was for eight seasons. 

Fans of Allen may have recognized him as Freddy Finkle in Taika Waititi's Oscar-nominated comedy "Jojo Rabbit" (as shown above right), but audiences may have also seen him take on a leading role in 2024's "McVeigh," a crime drama following the man behind the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. He's also reuniting with Jack Gleeson, a.k.a. King Joffrey, on the drama series "Safe Harbor," which is set to be released by ITV. In 2022, Allen also made his Broadway debut in Martin McDonagh's "Hangmen," opposite David Threlfall. 

Those who read George R. R. Martin's "Game of Thrones" books knew it was gonna be difficult to cast Brienne of Tarth. Fortunately, HBO got lucky with Gwendoline Christie, whose roles in film and TV were scarce prior to the second season of "Thrones." It didn't take long for Brienne to win over fans, and seemingly the entertainment industry, with Christie booking major roles in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," and even more in the years since.

Christie has made major appearances in both Netflix's "The Sandman" as well as "Wednesday," and in 2024 she even took over from Sean Bean as the narrator of "Sid Meier's Civilization VII." Christie did make a promise to herself that she wouldn't take on any roles involving fighting after spending 7 seasons as Brienne, but she broke her personal rule for "Severance" (pictured above right), in which she had a recurring role in the second season as Lorne, an employee in Lumon's Mammalians Nurturable department. 

Rory McCann doesn't look that much different than The Hound, but it's still surprising how many iconic roles he had prior to "Game of Thrones," like Lurch from "Hot Fuzz." Sandor Clegane redefined the actor's career, and his pride in it is clear, judging by his tendency to sometimes wear The Hound's helmet and terrify people with it. Although the penultimate episode of "Game of Thrones" gave his character a proper send-off, McCann's stayed close to action in recent roles. 

For instance, he essentially reprised his role as the Hound in 2019's "Jumanji: The Next Level," playing the barbaric Jurgen the Brutal. He even picked up the sword again for a minor role in Ridley Scott's "Gladiator II." On TV, McCann has lent his voice to "The Legend of Vox Machina" as well as "Transformers: EarthSpark," and played the main antagonist in Paramount+'s "Sonic the Hedgehog" spin-off series "Knuckles" (pictured above right). He's also replacing the late Ray Stevenson as Baylan Skoll in season two of Disney+'s "Ahsoka." 

Carice van Houten was already a proven star in the Netherlands before "Game of Thrones," with acclaimed performances in "Black Book," "The Happy Housewife," and "Black Butterflies." However, it was her role as Melisandre, the enigmatic red priestess, that gave her long-overdue international fame. Despite putting in great work over seven seasons, van Houten gained attention after it ended for self-submitting herself at the Emmys, scoring a nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series. 

Though it's hard to top a role like Melisandre, van Houten has remained incredibly active in both film and TV, including the directorial debut of her "Black Book" co-star Halina Reijn, "Instinct" (pictured above right), playing a prison therapist who begins to fall for a homicidal patient. She also starred in a Starz remake of "Dangerous Liaisons," which was canceled after one season. Beyond her acting work, van Houten has remained incredibly active in protesting climate change, raising awareness for violence against women, and supporting Palestinian relief efforts. 

Liam Cunningham had the distinct privilege on "Game of Thrones" of playing Davos Seaworth, the only decent man in Westeros. Initially a disciple of Stannis Baratheon, then the right-hand man to Jon Snow, it's a role that seemed a perfect fit for Cunningham, even though he had a strong career prior to "Game of Thrones." Among his most notable roles included Ken Loach's "The Wind That Shakes the Barley," "Black Butterflies" (with "Thrones" co-star Carice van Houten), and Steven Spielberg's "War Horse." 

While "Game of Thrones" redefined Cunningham's career, the actor's been quite selective about the roles he's taken on since Davos. Among the most relevant have included "The Last Voyage of the Demeter" (as shown above right), based on a single chapter of Bram Stoker's "Dracula," and a reunion with "Game of Thrones" showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss for Netflix's "3 Body Problem," a sci-fi series based on novels by Liu Cixin (that, thankfully, have been completed before the show was picked up). 

Nathalie Emmanuel is one of the few stars of "Game of Thrones" who quite easily transitioned to blockbusters before the show had even finished airing. On "Game of Thrones," she played Missandei, the slave-turned-handmaiden to Daenerys Targaryen who nurses a romance with the eunuch soldier Grey Worm. However, she also appeared in the last two films of "The Maze Runner" film trilogy, as well as every "Fast & Furious" movie from "Fast 7" and onward. 

Since the end of "Game of Thrones," Emmanuel has turned from Daenerys' sidekick to a leading lady in her own right. This past year, she appeared in Francis Ford Coppola's big, beautiful mess of a passion project "Megalopolis" (pictured above right) as Julia, the love interest to Adam Driver's Cesar Catilina, who delivers the now-iconic line reading of "Entitles me?" Like Liam Cunningham, starred in a "Dracula" interpretation of her own with 2022's "The Invitation." Since 2020, she's also been on the main cast of Kevin Hart's hybrid-TV series/movie "Die Hart," showing off her comedic chops. 

Grey Worm is one of the more soft-spoken characters on "Game of Thrones," as a result of his slave upbringing. Nevertheless, he evolves into one of the show's most fascinating characters, between his romance with Missandei, leadership of the Unsullied army, and unfailing loyalty to Daenerys Targaryen. His character may be quite emotionless and intense at times, but his actor, Jacob Anderson, is anything but when it comes to his music career.

Since the early 2010s, Anderson has pursued music under the moniker Raleigh Ritchie, having released two albums, "You're A Man Now, Boy" and "Andy." However, Anderson hasn't left TV behind. He graduated from "Game of Thrones" to AMC's modernized "Interview with the Vampire" series as Louis de Pointe du Lac, where he's given a mesmerizing and compelling performance for two seasons now. If that doesn't sound busy enough, Anderson even had the time to squeeze in a recurring role in season 13 of "Doctor Who."

If you're like us, you still feel a pang of sadness in your heart whenever you think of Margaery Tyrell. Perhaps it was Natalie Dormer's charismatic performance, but Margaery quickly proved herself one of the smartest characters on "Game of Thrones" before meeting her untimely demise at the end of season 6. Nevertheless, even she thought her "Game of Thrones" death was a golden ticket to a much more exciting career outside of Westeros. 

Prior to Margaery, Dormer gained recognition for mainstream performances in Showtime's "The Tudors," "Captain America: The First Avenger," and "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay." Since her "Game of Thrones" death, however, Dormer has done quite a few horror and thriller films, like "In Darkness" and "The Wasp," as well as playing Audrey Evans in "Audrey's Children," chronicling the life of the innovative philanthropist. On television, she followed up her tenure on "Thrones" with a main role on "Penny Dreadful: City of Angels."

Iain Glen had a long career before "Game of Thrones," having starred in "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider," "Resident Evil: Apocalypse," and "The Iron Lady." However, he spent a long time in Westeros as Jorah Mormont, debuted in the first episode as a prominent advisor of Daenerys Targaryen, and lasted all the way until the final season. Even in the years since "Game of Thrones" ended, Glen hasn't slowed down, with his supernatural thriller series, "The Rig," landing on Prime Video's Top 10 chart earlier this year after premiering its second season.

Additionally, Glen entered a long pantheon of Batman actors with HBO Max's "Titans," appearing in a recurring role as Bruce Wayne himself. He also took on another legacy role in 2022 with the film "The Lost Girls," based on a "Peter Pan"-inspired novel by Laurie Fox, in which he plays the Hook to Louis Partridge's Peter Pan. He's also had another recurring role on a recent hit on Apple TV+: "Silo" (pictured above right), starring Rebecca Ferguson, playing her character's estranged father.

If only "Game of Thrones" included Lady Stoneheart, maybe Michelle Fairley wouldn't have left as early as she did. For the first three seasons, Fairley played Catelyn Stark, the proud but flawed wife of Ned Stark who comes into conflict with her son while supporting his claim to the Iron Throne after her husband's death. As a victim of the Red Wedding, Fairley has had a long time since the end of her run on "Game of Thrones" to stay busy in Hollywood.

Among Fairley's most memorable post-"Game of Thrones" roles include a recurring one on "Suits," a lead role on "Gangs of London" (shown above right), and the mother of King George III in "Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story." She even won an award at the Chicago International Film Festival for her 2021 drama "Nobody Has To Know," in which she plays the caretaker of a man with stroke-induced amnesia who convinces him they were in love before his illness. She also co-starred alongside Cillian Murphy in 2024's "Small Things Like These." 

For those who hadn't read the "A Song of Ice & Fire" books, you might've expected Richard Madden's Robb Stark to have a decent shot at the Iron Throne. Sadly, the Red Wedding happened, and Robb's misguided marriage to Talisa Maegyr (Oona Chaplin) led him to a tragic demise at the hands of his supposed allies. Surprisingly, Richard Madden was thankful to leave "Game of Thrones" after three seasons, feeling ready to move on to other projects, which he certainly did. 

Madden has, maybe more so than most other "Game of Thrones" alumni, been in some pretty big blockbusters in the years since Robb Stark's death, including Disney's live-action "Cinderella" as Prince Kit, opposite Lily James' titular princess. In 2018, while "Game of Thrones" was filming its final season, Madden was winning awards and acclaim for "Bodyguard," and in 2019, he made appearances in "Rocketman" and "1917," two highly acclaimed films from that year. Of course, there was also his brief reunion with Kit Harington as one of the best characters in "Eternals," Ikaris (pictured above right).

Speaking of tragic deaths on "Game of Thrones," there wasn't a single dry eye as Jon Snow held Ygritte in his arms as she died. Thankfully, the love story between Jon and Ygritte has a happier ending in real life, as actress Rose Leslie and Kit Harington wed in 2018 and have since had two children together. Although she refuses to say her iconic Ygritte line to her husband, you truly know nothing if you've missed her post-"Game of Thrones" career.

Leslie's TV career has continued steadily, even amidst her big life changes. Her biggest roles include a main cast stint in series 4 of "Luther," a lead role on "The Good Fight," and even a return to HBO as the titular role on "The Time Traveler's Wife" (pictured above right). In case you've forgotten, she was also part of the ensemble in 2022's "Death on the Nile," though thankfully unlike Gal Gadot, she doesn't have any painful line readings, so maybe that one's better to just forget about. 

Anyone who watched "Game of Thrones" should've been clamoring to cast John Bradley, who was a series standout as Samwell Tarly, Jon Snow's best friend in The Night's Watch. Surprisingly, Bradley struggled to find acting roles after "Game of Thrones" ended, partly because he felt typecasted. Just before the show ended, his biggest film role was "Patient Zero" in 2018, co-starring fellow "Thrones" alum Natalie Dormer and future "House of the Dragon" lead Matt Smith. 

Thankfully, things have started to work out for Bradley in the past few years. 2022 alone saw him in two big theatrical releases: "Moonfall," a Roland Emmerich sci-fi disaster movie, and "Marry Me," in which he stars alongside Jennifer Lopez. Any fears Bradley must've had about not being accepted in Hollywood after "Game of Thrones" was likely alleviated when his former bosses, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, cast him in a lead role in Netflix's "3 Body Problem" (shown above right), reuniting him with Davos actor Liam Cunningham. 

It's rare for actors on "Game of Thrones" to have already had experience with cult successes before starring on the show, but Hannah Murray is an exception. Before she played the wildling Gilly on "Thrones," Murray starred on "Skins," a popular teen drama that became a great source of fresh talent, and also included her future "Thrones" co-star Joe Dempsie. However, Murray hasn't done much acting since "Game of Thrones" ended, but it's not for any of the reasons other actors on this list have struggled.

In 2026, Murray is set to publish her autobiography, "The Make-Believe," in which she is to detail her experience seeking psychiatric help after joining a "wellness" cult in 2017. Murray's only acting jobs post-"Game of Thrones" finale thus far include the 2020 Roku miniseries "The Expecting" (pictured above right) and a voiceover role in the video game "Shady Part of Me." Given the rollercoaster of a few years Murray must've had, focusing on telling her story has understandably taken precedence over more acting. 

In its later seasons, "Game of Thrones" was at times a very funny show, and it's mostly thanks to characters like Tormund. Kristofer Hivju improvised one hilarious Tormund scene that went viral, turning his character from an unpredictable Wildling ally of Jon Snow to a constant source of comic relief. That reputation has followed him beyond the end of the series.

In 2020, Hivju starred in "Downhill," the American remake of the Swedish comedy "Force Majeure," which Hivju had also appeared in in 2014. More recently, Hivju played a minor role in Elizabeth Banks' horror comedy "Cocaine Bear" (pictured above right), as well as playing Krampus in last year's "Red One," which may not have been a huge box office hit, but found modest success on streaming. You may have also seen Hivju in a series of commercials for the lawn care brand Scotts, as the grumpy Scott the Scotsman, flexing his comedic chops from playing Tormund. 

For actors like Indira Varma, "Game of Thrones" was yet another big franchise to be a part of. She joined "Thrones" in 2014 as Ellaria Sand, the consort of Pedro Pascal's Oberyn Martell who exacts revenge against the Lannisters for her lover's death in trial-by-combat. However, Ellaria is far from the most impressive role Varma has been cast in, as in 2023, she joined "Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One" as the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, a role she's set to reprise later in 2025. 

Varma also appeared in the titular role in the film "The Trouble with Jessica," but TV is really where the franchises start stacking up for her. In the years since the final season of "Game of Thrones" (of which Varma was absent), she's had major roles on "Carnival Row," "The Legend of Vox Machina," and "Obi-Wan Kenobi." Later this year, she's joining the voice cast of "Creature Commandos," playing the Bride of Frankenstein. 

The "Game of Thrones" books don't have nearly as much Tywin Lannister in them as the show did, but when you're casting a legendary actor like Charles Dance in the role, you better get your money's worth. The actor had a storied career in Shakespearean drama and critically acclaimed films, but he also had a premature exit thanks to the show's worst father-son relationship. Dance's career has continued strong, hitting the big screen in "Godzilla: King of the Monsters," "Mank," and Guillermo del Toro's upcoming "Frankenstein." 

On TV, Dance followed up "Game of Thrones" with an Emmy-nominated turn on "The Crown" (pictured above right) as Louis, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, in which he got to reunite with his "Thrones" co-star Tobias Menzies, who won an Emmy for his role as Prince Philip. Despite his integral role on "Game of Thrones," the actor also expressed his disappointment with how the creators chose to end the series, meaning he shares the same feeling as many fans of the iconic HBO series.