Everyone from entire metal bands to professional athletes to Ed Sheeran have popped up in the fight for the Iron Throne. How many of these cameos did you manage to spot?
Snow Patrol
Snow Patrolmay sound like a group of Night’s Watchmen on the lookout for frozen wights, but as fans know it’s actually an Irish indie rock band. However, lead singerGary Lightbodydid get to visit the world of Westeros during his cameo as a Bolton soldier.
He appeared in Season Three’s third episode,“Walk of Punishment,”singing, “The Bear and The Maiden Fair.” The song is about a bear licking honey off a “maiden fair,” which takes on a sinister tone considering the disturbing things to follow in the episode.
Richard E. Grant
Richard E. Grantis a Swazi-English actor and screenwriter. He’s known for his roles inBram Stoker’s Dracula, Downton Abbey,andDoctor Who.Also, he was inHudson Hawk.Grant cameos as an actor/playwright, portraying the arrogant Izembaro in Season Six.
He plays Tywin Lannister in a play within the show, so let’s see if we can get this right: Richard E. Grant is an actor and writer who plays an actor and writer who plays Tywin Lannister in a play within a show. Wow, this show has multiple layers… no wonder there’s an “Onion Knight."
Kevin Eldon
Kevin Eldonis an English comedian and actor, and has played roles inHot Fuzz,andThe IT Crowd.He’s actually played a couple of characters inGame of Thrones:as Camello, a member of Izembardo’s comedic theater troupe in Season Six. He plays a cartoonish version of Ned Stark, much to Arya’s dismay.
He also plays a Gold Cloak in Season Seven, who gets bribed to allow Davos (Liam Cunningham) and Gendry (Joe Dempsie) to escape with Tyrion (Peter Dinklage). However, after seeing Tyrion, they grow too suspicious, and they meet their demise at the business end of Gendry’s sword.
Neil Fingleton
Neil Fingletonwas an English actor and basketball player, with the title of tallest man in the European Union at seven-foot-seven. He played Mag Mar Tun Doh Weg, the king of the giants, and member of the Free Folk army. His steed is a mammoth, and he and Dongo are the last of the giants.
Unfortunately, they both meet their end in the episode “The Watchers on the Wall,” but their memorable appearances were both truly epic additions to the ever-growing mythos ofGame of Thrones.Tragically, Fingleton passed away in 2017 of heart failure.
Ian McShane
Ian McShane is an English actor who has appeared inDeadwood, American Horror Story, Ray Donovan, American Gods,and the films,Kung Fu-PandaandJohn Wick.He’ll reprise his role of Al Swearengen in the 2019DeadwoodHBO movie, of which he’s also an executive producer. McShane played Septon Ray onGame of Thrones,a member of the Faith of Seven.
He nurses The Hound (Rory McCann) back to health (or back to life?) after finding the latter with a broken leg and being eaten by bugs. Ray has a strong influence on The Hound, enough so that following Ray’s murder, The Hound goes on a vengeance-fueled axe-rage.
Mastodonis an American heavy metal who are featured in the most perfectly metal roles. They’re first seen as background wildlings in the episode “Hardhome,” as recently-turned wights. They reprise their roles in Season Seven, once again being featured as frozen, shambling wights.
There’s even a kickass behind-the-scene photo ofBrent Hinds, face covered in blood, posing with a White Walker making devil horns. Already equipped with full bushy beards, we can’t think of anyone more suited to the role of crazed reanimated wildlings.
Rob McElhenney
There were a couple of familiar faces in the Season Eight premiere, for the more observant viewers.Rob McElhenneyis an actor most well-known for portraying Mac inIt’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.He’s also a creator, writer, and producers of the show. His razor-sharp wit and quiver full of barbs were not enough to save him inGame of Thrones,however, as he played one of the Ironborn guards holding Yara (Gemma Whelan) hostage.
He gets just enough time to look a bit surprised as an arrow sprouts out of his eye-socket, courtesy of Theon (Alfie Allen). Unfortunately, Mac fromIt’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ssafety mantra of “guard your eyes,” did not end up saving his character inGame of Thrones.This short cameo was easily missed, and as McElhenney wryly stated on social media, “Don’t blink.”
Of Monsters and Men
Of Monsters and Menare best known for hitting the top of the charts with both their 2011 debut album My Head Is an Animal and their single “Little Talks.” The Icelandic folk-rock band appeared in the sixth season as stage-bards in the play, “The Bloody Hand.” The scene is watched in horror/disgust by Arya (Maisie Williams) as they lampoon her dead family, portraying the events between Ned Stark and the Lannisters in cartoonish fashion.
Fortunately, they don’t seem to befall any horrible fate, unlike some of the musical cameos to come. One of their albums is titledMy Head is an Animal, which is veryGame of Thrones-esque, especially considering Robb Stark’s blood-curdling fate.
British rock groupBastillemakes a sneaky appearance in the Season Seven finale “The Dragon and the Wolf”. More specifically, the band’s keyboardistKyle Simmonspops up as a shambling White Walker following the nefarious Night King beyond the wall and into Westeros.
It actually makes a lot of sense casting a guy from a band called Bastille to play an undead soldier. The undead are basically rebelling against both the living and the concept of death, which is kind of like a class struggle. And the storming of the Bastille was a major event in the French Revolution. There are layers here, man.
One theme ofGame of Thronescameos is that they play to their respective celebrities’ strengths. Such is the case withWill Champion, the drummer forColdplay.He appeared in Season Three’s“The Rains of Castamere,”and played, well, a drummer.
But not just any old drummer: he’s a secret assassin, who takes part in the ultimate betrayal in the Red Wedding. You could say he slayed his drum solo… as well as a bunch of Starks.
