"House of the Dragon" is full of new faces, and not all of them used to belong to "The Doctor."
Here's where else you've seen the talented cast.
Someone must always sit on the Iron Throne, and at the start of "House of the Dragon,"
that responsibility falls to King Viserys Targaryen, played by veteran actor Paddy Considine.
King Viserys is described in HBO's official promotions for the series as a "good man,"
setting him miles apart from the "Game of Thrones" character who later bears his name.
Outside of Westeros, Considine has had a long and varied career in both film and television.
A versatile and lauded performer, he's equally well known for indie films like "Dead Man's
Shoes" and "In America" and big-budget blockbusters like "The Bourne Ultimatum."
"I can't think.
I can't laugh.
I can't cry.
I can't feel!"
He's also collaborated with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost on "Hot Fuzz" and "The World's End."
Considine's other major TV roles include Claude Bolton in the Stephen King adaptation "The
Outsider," and the despicable Father John Hughes in the British crime saga "Peaky Blinders."
Though the Targaryens are at the center of "House of the Dragon," they're far from the
only great house in Westeros with a stake in the game.
One of the other major players is House Hightower — a family that doesn't play an especially
major role in "Game of Thrones," but which has a long and storied history on the continent.
One of the main characters in "House of the Dragon" is Alicent Hightower, daughter of
Ser Otto Hightower, the Hand of the King.
Teenage Alicent is played by newcomer Emily Carey.
Alicent Hightower is brought to life as an adult by English actor Olivia Cooke, a young
star who's nonetheless accrued a lot of notable credits in her career.
"Ruben?
You hurt yourself?
You hurt me.
I'll hurt myself too.
I'll hurt myself too."
Cooke first rose to prominence starring in a couple of BBC miniseries, including "The
Secret of Crickley Hall" — alongside "Game of Thrones" star Maisie Williams.
She's also plied her trade in the Alfred Hitchcock-inspired series "Bates Motel" and the ITV historical
drama "Vanity Fair."
On the big screen, Cooke has appeared in films like "Sound of Metal" and Steven Spielberg's "Ready Player One."
What would "A Song of Ice and Fire" be without a few cool, enigmatic rogue warrior types?
That's the archetype that Lord Corlys Velaryon falls into in "House of the Dragon," though
you'd be wrong to write him off as simply a trope.
Viewed in his day as the best sea captain in all of Westeros, Corlys hails from a family
nearly as prestigious as House Targaryen.
A key part of the royal court and a respected ruler in his own right, the Sea Snake isn't
a man to be trifled with.
"Four ships have now been lost!
The last one was flying my banner."
You might not immediately recognize the name Steve Toussaint — but you've almost certainly
seen him in something.
The Hollywood veteran has had a long career, with credits that range from genre fare like
"Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" to serious dramas on the stage and screen.
Toussaint is most prolific on television, though, with roles in "The Knock," "Inspector
Lewis," and Netflix's "Pine Gap."
At the center of the drama in "House of the Dragon" is Prince Daemon Targaryen, played
by British star Matt Smith.
The younger brother of King Viserys and uncle to Princess Rhaenyra, Daemon is a dragonrider,
warrior, and all-around major player in the politics of the continent.
A complicated figure to say the least, he played a major role in the Dance of the Dragons
and the preceding political turmoil, in part because of his own desire for power.
Most fans of sci-fi and fantasy television will instantly recognize Smith as the Eleventh
Doctor in "Doctor Who," a role he played for three seasons from 2010 to 2013 and for which
he gained widespread acclaim.
"How very skinny.
That is proper skinny.
I've never seen him from the outside."
Fans of historical dramas may know Smith better for his role as Prince Philip in Netflix's
"The Crown" — a performance that earned him a Primetime Emmy nomination in 2018.
On the big screen, Smith is known for roles like Jack in Edgar Wright's "Last Night in
Soho," Alex in "Terminator Genisys," and the villainous Milo in "Morbius."
The main action of "House of the Dragon" precedes and involves the Dance of the Dragons, a civil
war of sorts fought between different Targaryen claimants to the Iron Throne.
One of those claimants is Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, played as an adult by Emma D'Arcy .
An actor equally at home on the stage and the screen, D'Arcy started out in various
live theater productions in the U.K. before landing some TV and film roles.
D'Arcy appeared in the 2020 British comedy "Misbehaviour," the BBC drama "Baptiste" and
the ITV comedy drama "Wild Bill," just to name a few roles.
The role of Rhaenyra in "House of the Dragon" is undoubtedly D'Arcy's highest-profile role
to date — one shared by Australian newcomer Milly Alcock, who plays the Princess as a 15-year-old
Every "Game of Thrones" fan knows what an important (and often dangerous) position the
Hand of the King is in Westeros.
Depending on the current monarch of the land, the Hand may wind up being the true ruler
behind the scenes.
Like his father before him, King Viserys Targaryen relies on Otto Hightower as his Hand, played
in "House of the Dragon" by Rhys Ifans.
A longstanding member of the royal court and a man of nearly impeccable reputation, Otto
is also the father of Alicent Hightower — a role that ends up pulling him even further
into the messy family politics of the Targaryens.
A Welsh actor and longtime star of the screen, Ifans is probably best known for his roles
in "Notting Hill" …
"C'mon.
Open up.
This is me...
Spiky."
… the "Harry Potter" franchise, and as Dr. Curt Connors (aka the Lizard) in "The Amazing Spider-Man."
Ifans has also had a number of prominent television roles, including playing Sherlock Holmes'
older brother Mycroft in the CBS crime procedural "Elementary."
Dragonrider, overlooked heir, and wife to the Sea Snake Corlys Velaryon, Princess Rhaenys
Targaryen occupies a unique role in the royal court of Westeros.
Rhaenys carries the less-than-proud nickname of the Queen who Never Was — a reference
to her being passed up as successor to King Jaehaerys I in favor of her cousin Viserys.
Being denied the Iron Throne does little to curb Princess Rhaenys' influence and drive,
however, and she forms a fearsome couple with her seafaring husband.
Rhaenys is played by TV stalwart Eve Best in "House of the Dragon."
Best is probably most recognizable for her longstanding role as Dr. Eleanor O'Hara in
"Nurse Jackie," and for her supporting performance as Wallis Simpson in "The King's Speech."
More recently, she's appeared in the BBC miniseries "The Honorable Woman," and Netflix's teen
fantasy show "Fate: The Winx Saga."
Initially an outsider in the court of King Viserys Targaryen, Mysaria isn't even a native of Westeros.
And yet, she eventually rises to become what HBO calls "the most trusted — and most unlikely
— ally of Prince Daemon Targaryen."
Mysaria is brought to life by Sonoya Mizuno, an actor arguably known best for her many
collaborations with sci-fi auteur Alex Garland.
Mizuno has featured in several of Garland's projects, including "Ex Machina" and the cosmic
horror masterpiece "Annihilation."
Her other film credits include "Crazy Rich Asians," "Beauty and the Beast," and "La La Land."
Neither a Lord nor a ruler, Ser Criston Cole might seem at first like the odd man out in
the main cast of "House of the Dragon."
Being common-born, he's not exactly overflowing with riches or power, but he manages to defeat
Daemon Targaryen in combat in the premiere episode, and make a strong impression on Princess Rhaenyra.
Just as Criston Cole is a bit of an unknown quantity in "House of the Dragon," so too
is actor Fabien Frankel, the least established star in the main cast.
A graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic
Art, Frankel got his big break in the BBC One miniseries "The Serpent," which tells
the terrifying real-life story of a French serial killer.
He also appeared in the 2019 romantic comedy "Last Christmas," alongside "Game of Thrones"
star Emilia Clarke.
Where would a king of Westeros be without his Kingsguard?
The white-cloaked guardians of the royal family have always played a key role in "A Song of
Ice and Fire," and that tradition continues in "House of the Dragon."
As Lord Commander of the Kingsguard during the reign of King Viserys Targaryen, Ser Harrold
Westerling has a lot on his plate.
"House of the Dragon" sets him in a tumultuous time for the family he's sworn to protect,
but he carries himself with dignity and professionalism nonetheless.
Fans of the fantasy genre should be well acquainted with Graham McTavish, the actor responsible
for embodying Ser Harrold in "House of the Dragon."
He appears in all three of Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit" films, as well as the Starz time-travel
fantasy epic "Outlander."
"It's fiction.
Outlander's fiction."
Just as comfortable in a voice booth, McTavish has lent his vocal talents to a number of
video games and animated series and films, including Dracula in Netflix's critically-acclaimed
"Castlevania" series.
That all barely even scratches the surface of McTavish's career, which also includes
credits like the Saint of Killers in "Preacher," among many other smaller roles.
While the family may not be too important during the events of "Game of Thrones," one
particular member of House Beesbury — Lord Lyman — plays a key role in "House of the Dragon."
As an ally of the Hightowers and the Master of Coin on King Viserys' Small Council, this
otherwise unassuming man holds a substantial amount of influence in the realm at the start
of the show.
Who better to portray an unassuming bee lord than experienced character actor Bill Paterson?
The Scot is best known in recent times for playing Phoebe Waller-Bridge's father in "Fleabag."
Of every star on this list, Paterson may have the longest resume, as his on-screen career
stretches all the way back to the early 1970s.
As such, he's been a mainstay of British TV for decades, including a brief feature on
"Doctor Who" in 2010 alongside his "House of the Dragon" co-star Matt Smith.