Whenever a character from our favorite shows or movies die, it sometimes feels as though the actors and actresses who portray them die as well. Which make ~the feelz~ when suddenly an actor pops up on the pilot episode of a TV show or in abrand new movie all the more intense. If there’s one show that knows how to kill off a character, it’s gotta be Game of Thrones.
With so many deaths in pretty much every episode, GOT never fails to take us on an emotional roller-coaster ride. We pretty much guarantee that some of your most loved, and most hated, characters have bitten the dust in the most unexpected ways. But have you been stuck wondering what the actors who played these characters have been doin’ since their characters kicked the bucket? Look no further, because we’ve tracked them down.
1. Hodor
It’s only right that we start off with one of the most heartbreaking deaths on the series. It was season 6 episode 5 when our beloved Hodor died while protecting Bran from a horde of White Walkers. It’s during this episode that we find out his disability resulted from Bran entering his own mind from the future and that ‘Hodor’ is his mind’s way of saying ‘Hold the door.’ Since his exit from the show, actor Kristian Nairn has picked up a few exciting projects. One including a campaign for SodaStream which aims to change the way people think about their carbon footprint in hopes to save the environment. Some have speculated that the actor may be returning to the show as a part of a crazy plot twist, but nothing has been confirmed yet — so we’ll just have to wait and see.
2. Stannis Baratheon
Tony award winning actor, Stephen Dillane played the third Baratheon in line for the Iron Throne on the Game of Thrones series. But his life was cut short when he failed to take over the North and was brutally killed in battle by Brienne of Tarth. If you are a Netflix binger like most of us are, maybe you recognized Dillane in the original series, The Crown? It’s a biographical drama about Elizabeth II and it’s frickin’ awesome. What can we say? The man loves a good costume.
3. Joffrey
As if the show doesn’t have enough weddings consisting of mass murder and death, the Purple wedding was one to remember. Only hours after Joffrey and Margaery Tyrell wed, the King is poisoned and ultimately meets his fate. We can’t say we were too bummed to see the evil and narcissistic Joffrey die, but it was a bit sad to see someone die at their own wedding… I guess.
Once his time on Game of Thrones ended, Irish actor Jack Gleeson told Entertainment Weekly that he planned on retiring from acting. If he never acts again (which, lets face it, he probably will eventually), he ended his 13-year acting career with a bang. In 2015, he starred in a puppetry show called Bears in Space and currently attends Trinity College in Dublin. He studies philosophy and theology.
4. Ned Stark
When Game of Thrones started, it was easy to point out that Ned Stark was going to be the protagonist of the show. But this quickly changed during episode 9 of the first season when Sean Bean‘s character got his head chopped off and shocked viewers around the world. Like… WHAT?!
Since his shocking demise, the actor’s been up to a few things, but mainly has taken on some smaller roles on television in shows such as ABC’s Missing and TNT’s spy drama Legends. As for film, he also had supporting roles in Jupiter Ascending (2015), The Martian (2015) and a new Canadian thriller titled Drone (2017).
5. Robert Baratheon
English actor Mark Addy starred as King Robert Baratheon, ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. But he only lasted one season before he was killed in a hunting accident. Since his time on Game of Thrones, Addy has continued acting on a number of TV series and mini-series. Some of these include Atlantis, New Blood, and Remember Me.
6. Ygritte
The beautiful and talented Rose Leslie stole the heart of Jon Snow, both on the show and IRL. It was clear that she became our favorite of the Wildlings, so when her death came in season four’s ninth episode, audiences everywhere were just as heartbroken as Jonny boy. Although their relationship ended on the show, Kit Harrington and Rose are still going strong in real life. Adorbz. What else does Leslie have going on in her life? She teamed up with Vin Diesel for the film, The Last Witch Hunter most recently.
7. Khal Drogo
GoT is known for killing off characters unexpectedly or way too soon. And if you’re anything like us, then the death of Khal Drogo (our sun and stars) took an emotional toll on you. But don’t worry, Jason Momoa‘s career has seriously taken off. He made a cameo appearance as Aquaman in the film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but we will be seeing him swim into theaters full-speed in November when he will reprise the role in The Justice League. Hell yes.
8. Oberyn Martell
Season four of Game of Thrones seemed to be the season we said goodbye to many characters, including Oberyn Martell. It is hard to forget when Pedro Pascal‘s character had his skull crushed by The Mountain while competing in a trial by combat. But his real head is still in tact and acting. Since his HBO death, Pedro can be found on Netflix’s crime epic Narcos, a show about the great drug lord Pablo Escobar that took TV fans by storm.
9. Robb Stark
Perhaps one of the most handsome characters that the show took from us was Robb Stark. He may not have been your favorite Stark, but his death at the Red Wedding was still disappointing to us all. Because of Richard Madden‘s dashing good looks, he was an obvious choice when cast as the role of Prince Kit in Disney’s big-budget live-action Cinderella in 2015.
He recently starred on the pilot episode of a new British TV drama called Oasis and our fingers are crossed it gets picked up so we can see more of Robb — I mean, Richard.
10. Catelyn Stark
It’s fair to say that Stark fam has had a rough go at it. It was Michelle Fairley‘s character that was probably one of the most loved and powerful matriarchs in the history of the show, but she, too, came to a tragic end. (Dare I say, “typical Game of Thrones“?)
After the loss of Catelyn’s husband, it was her job to lead the entire Stark clan. Fairley’s time on the HBO hit came to an abrupt halt toward the close of season 3 at the dreaded and infamous Red Wedding. However, playing a powerful woman did not stop at GOT for Michelle. The actress can also be spotted on 24: Live Another Day.
11. Viserys Targaryen
Perhaps one of the least disappointing (yet fully the most terrifying) deaths on the series came early season one when the narcissistic and (straight up annoying) Viserys Targaryen was killed by Khal Drogo.
But for Harry Lloyd (who, fun fact: is actually a decedent of Charles Dickens BTW), his career did not end there. Since the actor’s time on the show, Lloyd has starred in films such as The Iron Lady, The Theory of Everything and Wolf Hall.
12. Talisa Stark
Another death at the Red Wedding? As if there were not enough already! Talisa Stark, the wife of Robb Stark and soon-to-be mother of their first child, was stabbed to death by the Freys in a move that critics dubbed sexist since that did not happen in the books. Actress Oona Chaplin has been seen in projects such as The Longest Ride and alongside Tom Hardy in the HBO show Taboo.
13. Tywin Lannister
Before he was Tywin Lannister, Charles Dance was known for his role as Benedict in The Last Action Hero. But since Tywin’s own son shot him while he was on the toilet at the end of Season 4, Dance has taken on some smaller roles in Dracula Untold, Victor Frankenstein, and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (a classic! LOL). He can also be seen in The Imitation Game and the Woman in Gold. Doing it up big, it seems!
14. Tommen Baratheon
He might have not been the best king, but young King Tommen’s death was definitely one of the saddest. It was the moment when Tommen realized that his mother had murdered his wife and hundreds more that he chose to end his life by jumping to own death. The 19-year-old English actor, Dean-Charles Chapman can be seen as Billy Cooper on the upcoming TV series Will. He also has two films releasing soon, The Commuter and Breathe. We’re stoked!
15. Margaery Tyrell
There was just something about Margery’s character that we fell in love with. Perhaps it was her beauty, her kindness, or her slightly manipulative ways, tbh, that just had us completely obsessed. We weren’t prepared to lose her (along with many others) at the end of season six. But English actress, Natalie Dormer has been involved in a number of projects since her reign on Game of Thrones including the recently picked-up mini series on Amazon called Picnic at Hanging Rock. We’re so excited.
16. Mag the Mighty
Although he never said much, it’d be hard to forget the death of Mag the Mighty toward the end of season four on Game of Thrones. Actor Neil Fingleton is not only known for his role as the GOT giant, but he was also declared Britain’s tallest man back in 2007. His career didn’t end with the HBO series, he later landed a part alongside Mila Kunis and other Game of Thrones alum, Sean Bean in the film Jupiter Ascending.