The 10 Best Performances In Game Of Thrones, Ranked

Game of Thrones is filled with some fantastic performances, but these 10, and in particular the last one, stand out above the rest. George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series is filled with dozens of named characters, as would be expected for a story that crosses continents and takes place over years.

HBO's Game of Thrones doesn't include all of them, but it includes many of them, and the show has had a remarkable track record of casting fantastic actors to play heroes, villains, and the morally grey. With several Golden Globe and Emmy nominations and a few wins for one actor, the cast has always been a strength of the series.

From British theater legends to up-and-comers appearing in their first major roles, Game of Thrones brings together an ensemble of talented actors who brought to life the world of Westeros, even when it felt like the storytelling was starting to stumble. These are the best performances, ranked.

10 Ian McShane As Brother Ray

Brother Ray, played by Ian McShane, only appears in one episode of Game of Thrones, the seventh episode of season 6, "The Broken Man". In the episode, the Hound (Rory McCann) is revealed to have survived his fight with Brienne (Gwendoline Christie) and is now living in a pacifist commune led by septon Ray.

Unlike the other religious folk we see in season 6, the High Sparrow and his followers, Ray preaches a religion of forgiveness, peace, and justice. It's a wonderful performance from McShane, who comes in swaggering but gentle, and feels like some kind of spirit given form. It's McShane's acting that makes his fate so hard to swallow.

9 Tobias Menzies As Edmure Tully

Edmure Tully is a bit of a joke for a lot of Game of Thrones, but Tobias Menzies manages to make him intriguing despite being the whipping boy for Robb Stark (Richard Madden) at the beginning of the show, and then, for some reason, for Sansa (Sophie Turner) at the end of the show.

All Menzies needs is one dramatic scene to show why he's one of our most talented actors on TV right now. Once again, "The Broken Man" provides. That's what happens when you let Mark Mylod direct. Edmure's defeated rage at Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) is gripping and reveals more layers to the character than anything of what we were shown before.

8 Ellie Kendrick As Meera Reed

Meera Reed (Ellie Kendrick) is a quietly critical character in Game of Thrones. Though she only shows up in season 3 and departs in season 7, and though she mostly serves as Bran's (Isaac Hempstead Wright) courier, her character is asked to do some considerable emotional and dramatic lifting.

Reed's arguments with Osha (Natalia Tena) are natural and tense, her conversations with her brother Jojen (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) are loving and worried, and her relationship with Bran is overly concerned but also appropriately nervous. Karl Tanner's (Burn Gorman) attack and Bran sending Meera away are disturbing moments, and Kendrick makes you feel them.

7 Charles Dance As Tywin Lannister

Charles Dance has a filmography older than much of the cast in Game of Thrones, and he brings his experience and talent to a character like Tywin Lannister, making the show's early villain difficult to root against. Ruthless, efficient, and hyper-intelligent, Dance keeps Tywin tightly grounded and in control.

The brief moments where he lets his guard down, like when he speaks with Arya (Maisie Williams) about his legacy in worried tones, argues with Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) at his son's wedding, and tries to save his own life while on the privvy, show Dance's ability to bring more than just poise to a character who is written somewhat one-note.

6 Sean Bean As Eddard "Ned" Stark

Ned Stark may just be one of Sean Bean's best television roles. This was the actor who sold people on the show when it was mostly known only by fans of Martin's work. Ned is effectively the lead in season 1, which is why his demise at the end of the season comes as such a brutal shock.

Bean plays a much more stripped-down character than he normally does, and it works well. He does away with his usual charm and brings a coldness and cynicism to the character that helps us understand why Ned's so uncomfortable in any place but the North. It's a commanding performance that sets the tone of the series.

5 Rory McCann As Sandor "The Hound" Clegane

The Hound is one of the most well-developed characters in Game of Thrones, and his sad, moving arc is pitched perfectly with Rory McCann in the role. A huge figure with a cruel, burned face, Sandor Clegane immediately appears as a monstrous character, but that belies a deep sadness.

McCann's asides as the Hound, when he warns Tyrion or Sansa about getting on Joffrey's (Jack Gleeson) bad side, feel like a sibling desperately whispering to be careful around an angry parent. McCann's line-reading when he tells Arya about what happened to his face is desperately sad, and his defeat is told all in McCann's physical performance.

4 Pedro Pascal As Oberyn Martell

Pedro Pascal came into Game of Thrones and our lives like a lightning bolt. A super-strong, super-smart, super-romantic character with a nickname of the "Red Viper" could have easily gone sideways, but Pascal gives him the humanity that he's since been able to imbue in every role he's taken on.

Oberyn could have been a cartoon, but Pascal makes him relatable. You can sense his bubbling anger, and you can also sense that he's lost part of his mind to his quest for vengeance. Every scene he's in is a rewatchable one, and his addition to the cast in season 4 is a jolt of electricity for Game of Thrones​​​​​​.

3 Lena Headey As Cersei Lannister

Cersei Lannister is one of the most wicked characters in Game of Thrones, and a last-minute attempt to make us feel bad for her does nothing to cover for the violence and cruelty she's inflicted throughout the series. All this evil makes her a delight to watch, and Lena Headey is clearly having a blast playing such a despicable character.

Headey is fearless in the role of Cersei. She can spit venom with the best of them and dress down anyone and everyone, but she's also not afraid to play small and weak, and it's that willingness to be truly wretched that makes Cersei such a memorable character. Headey simply does whatever is best for the character.

2 Alfie Allen As Theon Greyjoy

Alfie Allen's performance as Theon Greyjoy has him going from a snobbish young prince to a cowering, tortured prisoner to a haunted but determined man across the eight seasons of the show. When other pieces of Game of Thrones start to fall apart, you can count on Allen and Theon to remind you why you're watching.

There are many layers to Allen's performance, and while a lot has been said for his wild-eyed, mad-dog performance as Reek, what's even more impressive is what comes after. Allen gets you to believe in Theon again. He makes the character more confident little by little until it seems perfectly reasonable that he'd try to solo a magical ice king.

1 Peter Dinklage As Tyrion Lannister

For his performance as Tyrion Lannister, Peter Dinklage earned a Supporting Actor Emmy nomination every season, winning four times, for seasons 1, 5, 7, and 8. He also won a Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe in 2012. Hands down, Dinklage gives the best performance in Game of Thrones.

Game of Thrones could have been a story entirely about Tyrion. He's the emotional core of much of the show, and Dinklage gives everything to show why the character should be. How he modulates his voice, how he contorts his face in pain and rage, how he gently touches someone's arm are all acting choices that completely make Tyrion.