It’s a temporary farewell to Westeros as House of the Dragon aired its Season 2 finale on Aug. 4, and Season 3 isn’t expected to begin production until early 2025. But that doesn’t mean that the HBO show’s cast won’t remain top of mind.
Whether you were Team Black or Team Green, there are some faces in the hit series that you have likely come to love (and hate). And while some of the actors behind those faces landed their first major role with the Game of Thrones prequel, others had pretty long-running careers before taking on the now-iconic parts.
House of the Dragon stars Emma D’Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Matt Smith, Fabien Frankel, Rhys Ifans, Eve Best and more took on roles in everything from Doctor Who to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Spider-Man: No Way Home to The Crown before making their way to Westeros.
Below, The Hollywood Reporter breaks down where fans have seen the actors behind Rhaenyra Targaryen, Alicent Hightower, Daemon Targaryen, Sir Criston Cole, Otto Hightower and Rhaenys Targaryen, among others.
Emma D'Arcy
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Emma D’Arcy, who uses the they/them pronouns, portrays the adult version of Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen in House of the Dragon. Their acting career began in 2015, with a role in a short film called United Strong Alone, followed by a lead part in 2018 series Wanderlust, alongside Toni Collette, Steven Mackintosh and Zawe Ashton. The actor is also known for roles in The Talent, Mothering Sunday and Misbehaviour.
Olivia Cooke
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Olivia Cooke takes on the role of Alicent Hightower in the Game of Thrones prequel series. Alicent is the mother of King Aegon II Targaryen and Aemond Targaryen. Prior to House of the Dragon, she starred in movies like Sound of Metal, Ready Player One, Slow Horses and Life Itself. Cooke also had parts in TV series Modern Love, Bates Motel and Vanity Fair.
Matt Smith
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Unlike some of his co-stars, Matt Smith had already had a fairly lengthy career when he landed the part of Prince Daemon Targaryen. His breakthrough role came when he was cast as The Doctor on Doctor Who from 2010 to 2014. Following that, he portrayed Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, in The Crown from 2016 to 2017. Recently, he’s taken on roles in The Last Night in Soho, Morbius and The Forgiven.
Fabien Frankel
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Fabien Frankel had appeared in only five other projects when he was cast as Ser Criston Cole in House of the Dragon. He had a recurring part in The Serpent, in which he played Dominique Renelleau. Frankel also had roles in Last Christmas, NYPD Blue, An Uncandid Portrait and Venice at Dawn. Up next, he has The Actor and Task.
Rhys Ifans
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Rhys Ifans has been acting since the early 1990s when he had a brief recurring role in Spatz. Over the last few decades, the actor has appeared in Notting Hill, The Replacements, Nanny McPhee Returns, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, The Five-Year Engagement, Alice Through the Looking Glass, Snowden and The King’s Man. He also portrayed The Lizard/Dr. Curt Connors in The Amazing Spider-Man and reprised the role in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Eve Best
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The actress, who portrays Princess Rhaenys Targaryen in House of the Dragon, has been acting since 2000, when she made an appearance on The Bill. In the last 10 years or so, her career has really begun to take off. Her first long-term recurring role was on Nurse Jackie, in which she took on the role of Dr. Eleanor O’Hara. She followed that with stints on Lucky Man, Fate: The Winx Saga and The Crown, before becoming Rhaenys in the Game of Thrones spinoff.
Steve Toussaint
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Steve Toussaint, who stars as Lord Corlys Velaryon in House of the Dragon, began acting in 1994 with a recurring part on The Knock. Since then, he had roles on series like Murder in Mind, Murphy’s Law, New Tricks, Skins, Doctor Who and Small Axe, among others, and starred in Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. He also appeared in The Bill, like his co-star and onscreen wife, Best, as well as It’s a Sin, Rain Dogs, Before We Die and Gassed Up.
Ewan Mitchell
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Perhaps Ewan Mitchell’s most well-known role outside of House of the Dragon is Michael Gavey in Emerald Fennell’s 2023 film, Saltburn, starring opposite of Barry Keoghan and Jacob Elordi. His first role was less than 10 years ago in a short called Stereotype. He landed recurring roles in The Halcyon, Trigger Point, The Last Kingdom and World on Fire.
Harry Collett
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Like some of his younger co-stars, House of the Dragon is arguably Harry Collett’s biggest role. Prior to the Game of Thrones prequel, he appeared in an Idina Menzel music video, Dunkirk, 2020’s Dolittle and Galvant. However, he did have a recurring part in Casualty before taking on the role of Prince Jacaerys “Jace” Velaryon.
Matthew Needham
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Like Collett, Matthew Needham also had a recurring role in Casualty, Britain’s long-running medical drama. The actor, who portrays Lord Larys Strong, guest-starred in shows like Sherlock, Monroe, The Hollow Crown, Endeavor, Doctors, Chernobyl, Sanditon, Doctor Who and Great Expectations. He also took on the role of Lucien Bonaparte in Ridley Scott’s 2023 Napoleon.
