Pour one out for Game of Thrones, because winter has finally come for the most popular
TV show in recent history.
But before you start crying over the fate of your beloved characters, remember that
for the show's actors, there's life after death.
Here's a look at what the stars behind these dead Game of Thrones characters look like
today.
Ros went from being a Northern prostitute to Littlefinger's trusted assistant at one
of his King's Landing brothels, but her increased station came with a price—Littlefinger discovered
that she was spying on him for Varys, so he gave her to Joffrey.
It all ended quite brutally for Ros, who was bound to Joffrey's bed frame and killed with
several crossbow bolts in season three.
Since her gruesome Thrones demise, actress Esmé Bianco has appeared in the TV movies
A Christmas Mystery and Ominous, as well as the television series The Magicians.
Her recent film projects include Hypnotized, about people trapped under hypnosis when their
hypnotist falls into a coma, and the found-footage vampire thriller Living Among Us.
The "Red Viper" Oberyn Martell traveled to King's Landing in hopes of finding answers
regarding the death of his sister Elia.
Oberyn got more than he bargained for when he volunteered to fight for Tyrion during
a trial by combat against Gregor in season four; he got the answer he wanted, but Gregor
smashed his face like a grape not long after.
Since Thrones, actor Pedro Pascal has starred in Graceland, Narcos, The Great Wall, and
Kingsman: The Golden Circle.
His star power is only continuing to rise as he prepares to take the title role in the
Disney+ Star Wars series The Mandalorian and an as-yet unidentified part in Wonder Woman
1984.
The "kissed-by-fire" wildling Ygritte, played by Rose Leslie, entered into a passionate
romance with Jon Snow, but it wasn't meant to be.
Jon abandoned her and was later forced to watch her struck down in the season four battle
between their forces.
She was ultimately killed by someone else's arrow, but her death weighed heavy on Jon.
You know nothing, Jon Snow."
Leslie has kept busy since leaving Game of Thrones, continuing her role in Downton Abbey
and starring in The Last Witch Hunter.
Leslie and Thrones co-star Kit Harington also became romantically involved after she left
the series, culminating in their summer 2018 wedding.
Her recent projects include a main role in the CBS legal drama The Good Fight.
Barristan Selmy made his way across the sea to join Daenerys Targaryen as one of her closest
advisors.
During their time in Meereen, the elusive Sons of the Harpy lay an ambush for the Unsullied
in season five, killing many before Ser Barristan arrived.
He took out nearly a dozen enemies single-handedly saving grey Worm, but died in the effort.
Despite being upset about Barristan's early demise, star Ian McElhinney has moved on with
his career, appearing in Derry Girls, Rebellion, and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
He can currently be seen as scientist Val-El on Syfy's Superman series Krypton.
Stannis' daughter Shireen had royal blood — which is why Melisandre insisted on bringing
the child with them when Stannis' army marched to Winterfell.
Unfortunately, Shireen didn't live to see the end of that march; she was sacrificed
by the Red Priestess in season five, when Melisandre convinced Stannis and his wife
to let her burn Shireen at the stake for a blessing from the Lord of Light.
After her character's horrible fate on Game of Thrones, young actress Kerry Ingram moved
on to other television roles.
She's appeared in the shows Wolf Hall, Doctors, and Barbarians Rising, and can currently be
seen in the Netflix original series Free Rein.
Stannis sacrificed his daughter to gain the blessing of the Lord of Light, but blessings
weren't exactly what he received in return: his wife took her own life, half of his army
deserted him, and all of his horses were stolen.
The remnants of his forces were easily swept away by the Bolton army, and the defeated
Stannis was killed by Brienne during the season five finale.
Since Game of Thrones, actor Stephen Dillane has appeared on the television show The Tunnel
and in films like Mary Shelley.
And he also made an appearance on this hit Netflix biographical series The Crown as well.
As the youngest Stark child, Rickon didn't get a lot of screen time before he and Osha
separated from Bran's group in season three.
They reappeared in season six as captives of Ramsay Bolton, and during the Battle of
the Bastards, Ramsay set Rickon free, telling him to run to Jon Snow before firing on the
boy.
He nearly made it, but one of Ramsay's arrows struck, killing Rickon.
Art Parkinson has scored several roles since leaving Thrones, including his 2016 stint
voicing the title role in the animated film Kubo and the Two Strings and an appearance
in the movie Zoo.
He can currently be seen on the U.K. police procedural series The Bay.
Beginning in season three, Ramsay Bolton shocked Game of Thrones fans with his cruelty on a
regular basis—and eventually, as viewers knew it would, it all caught up with him.
Following Ramsay's defeat at the Battle of the Bastards in season six, it looked like
Jon Snow might beat him to death—but he held off, giving the honors to his sister
Sansa, who made use of the loyal dogs Ramsay had been starving for seven days.
Given the chance to take a bite of their master's bloody face, they tucked right in.
Iwan Rheon's stock has soared since Thrones; he's appeared in several shows, including
as Maximus in the Marvel series Inhumans.
In 2019, he appeared in Netflix's Mötley Crüe biopic The Dirt as guitarist Mick Mars.
The politically savvy and whip-smart Margaery Tyrell nearly managed to resolve her family's
issues with the Faith.
Unfortunately, no one heeded her warnings about the lengths Cersei would go in order
to "protect" her son.
"Cersei understands the consequences of her absence, and yet she is absent anyway, which
means she does not intend to suffer those consequences.
The trial can wait.
We all need to leave."
In a pivotal scene from the season six finale, Margaery and much of her family — along
with the High Sparrow — were consumed alive by Wildfire after Cersei put her plan in motion.
Recently, actress Natalie Dormer lent her voice to the 2017 game Mass Effect: Andromeda
and appeared in the miniseries Picnic at Hanging Rock and the films In Darkness and Patient
Zero.
Next, she'll be seen in the Penny Dreadful spin-off City of Angels and heard in The Dark
Crystal: Age of Resistance, Netflix's prequel to Jim Henson's fantasy classic.
Tommen Baratheon became an unlikely king when he succeeded to the throne after Joffrey died
at the "Purple Wedding."
After witnessing his mother blow up the Sept of Baelor — killing his wife and all others
inside — Tommen jumped from a balcony in the Red Keep during the season six finale.
Since departing Game of Thrones, young star Dean Charles Chapman has booked roles in the
films Breathe and The Commuter, as well as a regular role on AMC's Into the Badlands.
Dame Diana Rigg was already an acting legend thanks to roles in films like On Her Majesty's
Secret Service and TV series like The Avengers when she arrived on Game of Thrones, but she
quickly carved out yet another legendary role for herself as the witty and dangerous Queen
of Thorns, Lady Olenna Tyrell.
When she finally met her end in the season 7 episode "The Queen's Justice," she was the
last remaining major player in her house and she'd already done plenty of damage to the
Lannisters.
As Jaime Lannister forced her to drink poison rather than be tortured, she dealt one last
blow and admitted she was the one who poisoned his son Joffrey at his own wedding.
"Tell Cersei.
I want her to know it was me."
Since exiting Thrones, Rigg has continued to act, most recently as the Duchess of Buccleuch
in the hit TV series Victoria.
Aidan Gillen's Littlefinger remained among Game of Thrones' longest-serving and most
frustratingly capable survivors right up until the end of season 7, when one of the great
schemers in Westeros finally met his end.
He seized power in the Eyrie, won favor with Sansa Stark, and then very nearly managed
to turn the Stark children against each other when they were all finally reunited at Winterfell.
Then, at long last, Arya and Sansa revealed that they had Littlefinger right where they
wanted him, and Arya executed him with his own dagger.
It was one of the show's most satisfying deaths, and the end of one of the show's most persistent
villains.
"Thank you for all your lessons, Lord Baelish.
I will never forget them."
Gillen's been in high demand ever since his work in the days of The Wire, and that hasn't
changed since he left Thrones.
As he was ending his time on that series, he joined the acclaimed series Peaky Blinders,
played a role in Bohemian Rhapsody, and continued his work in The Maze Runner franchise.
In January 2019 his new series Project Blue Book, about the U.S. government's hunt for
UFOs, premiered on the History Channel.
Nymeria Sand was one of the three Sand Snakes who helped Ellaria Sand seize and hold power
in Dorne after the death of her father, Oberyn Martell.
Unfortunately for her, she and her sister Obara were abruptly killed at the violent
hands of Euron Greyjoy.
The last time we see Nymeria, she's strung up by her own whip on the bow of Euron's ship.
Star Jessica Henwick has only become more prominent since her character's death, though.
In 2017, as her time on Thrones was ending, she started playing martial artist and teacher
Colleen Wing on the Netflix series Iron Fist.
She also appeared as Colleen in a cameo appearance in the second season of Luke Cage, and played
a major role in the crossover event The Defenders.
Her next major franchise project is a role in Godzilla vs. Kong, scheduled to be released
in 2020.
Benjen Stark has one of the more interesting arcs in the course of Game of Thrones' run.
After appearing early in the first season and welcoming his nephew Jon to the Night's
Watch, Benjen ventures out beyond the Wall and isn't heard from again until season 6,
when he reveals to his nephew Bran and Meera Reed that he's now undead, having been stabbed
by the White Walkers and then brought back from the brink by the Children of the Forest.
He was never fully converted into a wight, which means he can fight for the living, but
he's too far gone to cross back over the Wall and pass through its many enchantments, so
he does what he can from the far North.
In season 7, that includes sacrificing himself to the wights to save Jon, ending his watch
once and for all.
Outside of Game of Thrones, actor Joseph Mawle's career continues to gain traction.
He was cast as Odysseus in in the 2018 TV series Troy: Fall of a City; he can also be
seen as George Orwell in the biographical drama Mr. Jones, and alongside Richard Gere
in the British drama series MotherFatherSon.
The middle seasons of Game of Thrones told, among other things, the story of the North's
disintegration into chaos, as the largest of the seven kingdoms shifted from steadfast
bastion of honor and durability to a Bolton-led mess.
When Jon and Sansa finally started putting the North back together under Stark banners,
they met Lyanna Mormont, the pint-sized Lady of Bear Island, who ultimately proved to be
one of the most effective and unflinching leaders the show has ever seen.
In her final days, Lyanna refused to hide from the fight against the dead, opting to
lead her men rather than take shelter from the battle, and she went down like a boss,
stabbing an undead giant in the eye as he crushed her.
Game of Thrones was the world's introduction to young Bella Ramsey, and her acting career
has steadily gained momentum ever since her debut on the show in 2016.
Her other credits now include the title roles in the TV series Hilda and The Worst Witch,
and this year she'll also co-star in two period drama films, the Judy Garland biopic Judy
and the World War II drama Resistance.
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