Charles Dance
Walter Charles Dance OBE (born 10 October 1946) is an English actor, screenwriter, and director. He typically plays strict, authoritarian characters or villains. He is best known for his roles as Tywin Lannister in Game of Thrones, Kitchener in The King's Man, Martin Benson in Amazon Prime's The Widow, Lord Mountbatten in Netflix's The Crown (for which he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series), Thomas in Underworld: Awakening and Underworld: Blood Wars, Harold Fillmore in Ghostbusters (2016), Mr. Bennet in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Frankenstein in Victor Frankenstein, Master Vampire in Dracula Untold, Conrad Knox in the Cinemax series Strike Back, Raymond Stockbridge in Gosford Park, one-eyed hitman Benedict in Last Action Hero, Clemens in Alien³, Sardo Numpsa in The Golden Child, and Guy Perron in The Jewel in the Crown. He started his career on stage with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) before appearing in film and television. For his services to drama, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in 2006. He made his directorial film debut with the drama film Ladies in Lavender (2004), which he also wrote and executive produced.
Known For
Credits
- 2025 · World of Westeros Ambient Video as Tywin Lannister
- 2024 · Renaissance: The Blood and the Beauty as Old Michaelangelo
- 2024 · Rumours as Edison Wolcott
- 2022 · The Hanging Sun as Jacob
- 2021 · The Magic of the Movies: Behind the Scenes of David Fincher's Mank as Self
- 2020 · The Singapore Grip as Mr Webb
- 2019 · Master Moley by Royal Invitation as Mr. James Moley (voice)
- 2019 · Fanny Lye Deliver'd as John Lye
- 2018 · Happy New Year, Colin Burstead as Uncle Bertie
- 2018 · The Muppets Take The O2 as Self
- 2016 · Despite the Falling Snow as Old Alexander Ivanov
- 2015 · Instruments of Darkness as Duncan
- 2015 · Game of Thrones The IMAX Experience as Tywin Lannister
- 2013 · Patrick as Doctor Roget
- 2013 · Justin and the Knights of Valour as Legantir (voice)
- 2012 · St George's Day as Trenchard
- 2011 · Rosamunde Pilcher's Shades of Love as Edmund Aird
- 2011 · There Be Dragons as Solono
- 2010 · Drama Trails as
- 2007 · The Contractor as DCS Andrew Windsor
- 2007 · The 50 Greatest Television Dramas as Self
- 2007 · Intervention as Private Investigator
- 2005 · Last Rights as Richard Wheeler
- 2004 · Saint John Bosco Mission to Love as Marchese Clementi
- 2003 · Wreckage and Rage: Making 'Alien³' as Self (archive footage)
- 2002 · The Making of Gosford Park as Self (uncredited)
- 2001 · Dark Blue World as Wing Commander Bentley
- 2001 · The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby as Ralph Nickleby
- 1998 · What Rats Won't Do as Gerald Burton Jr
- 1997 · The Blood Oranges as Cyril
- 1997 · In the Presence of Mine Enemies as Captain Richter
- 1996 · Michael Collins as Soames
- 1996 · Undertow as Lyle Yates
- 1993 · Century as Professor Mandry
- 1990 · The Phantom of the Opera as Erik/The Phantom
- 1989 · Goldeneye as Ian Fleming
- 1988 · First Born as Edward Forester
- 1988 · Pascali's Island as Anthony Bowles
- 1987 · Good Morning, Babylon as D.W. Griffith
- 1986 · The McGuffin as Paul Hatcher
- 1985 · Plenty as Raymond Brock
- 1984 · Rainy Day Women as John Truman
- 1974 · The Inheritors as Simon Leadbetter
- Future · Viy 3: Travel to India as
- Future · Ladies First as
- Future · The Liar as Tickford
- 2026 · The Big Fat Quiz of Telly as Self - Guest
- 2025 · Wildcat as Frasier Mahoney
- 2025 · Frankenstein as Leopold Frankenstein
- 2025 · Creditors as Gustaf
- 2024 · Samaná Sunrise as Noah Blum
- 2024 · The Day of the Jackal as Timothy Winthrop
- 2024 · Hammer: Heroes, Legends and Monsters as Narrator
- 2024 · The Big Fat Quiz of Telly as Self
- 2024 · The First Omen as Father Harris
- 2024 · Testament: The Story of Moses as Self - Narrator (voice)
- 2023 · Savage Waters as
- 2023 · Rabbit Hole as Dr. Ben Wilson
- 2022 · Portrait of the Queen as
- 2022 · This England as Max Hastings
- 2022 · The Serpent Queen as Clement VII
- 2022 · The Sandman as Roderick Burgess
- 2022 · Lancaster as Narrator (voice)
- 2022 · Against the Ice as Minister Neergaard
- 2021 · The King's Man as Kitchener
- 2021 · Moley as Mr. Moley (voice)
- 2021 · The Book Of Vision as Dr. Johan Anmuth
- 2020 · Mank as William Randolph Hearst
- 2020 · Rise of Empires: Ottoman as Self - Narrator (voice)
- 2019 · Iron Mask as Lord Dudley
- 2019 · Godzilla: King of the Monsters as Alan Jonah
- 2019 · The Widow as Martin Benson
- 2018 · The Little Drummer Girl as Commander Picton
- 2018 · Johnny English Strikes Again as Agent Seven
- 2018 · Hang Ups as Jeremy Pitt
- 2018 · Spitfire as Narrator (voice)
- 2018 · The Woman in White as Frederick Fairlie
- 2018 · Euphoria as Mr. Daren
- 2017 · Wimbledon Official Film 2017 as Narrator (voice)
- 2017 · That Good Night as The Visitor
- 2016 · Savage Kingdom as Self - Narrator (voice)
- 2016 · Underworld: Blood Wars as Thomas
- 2016 · The Crown as Lord Mountbatten
- 2016 · Ghostbusters as Harold Fillmore
- 2016 · Me Before You as Stephen Traynor
- 2016 · Pride and Prejudice and Zombies as Mr. Bennet
- 2015 · And Then There Were None as Justice Lawrence Wargrave
- 2015 · Childhood's End as Karellen
- 2015 · Victor Frankenstein as Frankenstein
- 2015 · Deadline Gallipoli as Sir Ian Hamilton
- 2015 · Woman in Gold as Sherman
- 2015 · Child 44 as Major Grachev
- 2015 · Admiral as King Charles II
- 2014 · The Imitation Game as Commander Denniston
- 2014 · The Great Fire as Lord Denton
- 2014 · Dracula Untold as Master Vampire
- 2014 · Retrospective as Jonathan Hoyle
- 2014 · Forbidden Empire as Lord Dudley
- 2013 · The Science of Doctor Who as Self
- 2013 · Speeches That Shook the World as Self
- 2013 · Father's Day as Don
- 2013 · The Relics of Buddha as Narrator (voice)
- 2012 · Secret State as John Hodder
- 2012 · The Door as Thomas Arlington
- 2012 · The Mapmaker as Rowan
- 2012 · Midnight's Children as William Methwold
- 2012 · Underworld: Awakening as Thomas
- 2011 · Neverland as Dr. Fludd
- 2011 · Celebrity Antiques Road Trip as Self - Participant
- 2011 · Game of Thrones as Tywin Lannister
- 2011 · Your Highness as King Tallious
- 2011 · Ironclad as Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury
- 2010 · The Commuter as The Traffic Warden
- 2010 · Paris Connections as Aleksandr Borinski
- 2010 · Going Postal as Lord Vetinari
- 2010 · The Clerk's Tale as Ralph
- 2010 · Strike Back as Conrad Knox
- 2009 · Trinity as Dr. Edmund Maltravers
- 2008 · Merlin as Aredian
- 2008 · Dickens' Secret Lover as Self - Narrator (voice)
- 2007 · Consenting Adults as Jack Wolfenden
- 2007 · Would I Lie to You? as Self
- 2007 · Fallen Angel as David Byfield
- 2006 · Jam and Jerusalem as Self
- 2006 · Twice Upon a Time as Battar Master of Ceremonies
- 2006 · Starter for 10 as Michael Harbinson
- 2006 · The One Show as Self
- 2006 · Scoop as Mr. Malcolm
- 2005 · Bleak House as Mr. Tulkinghorn
- 2005 · To the Ends of the Earth as Sir Henry Somerset
- 2005 · Titanic: Birth of a Legend as Narrator (voice)
- 2005 · Fingersmith as Mr. Chistopher Lilly
- 2004 · Agatha Christie's Marple as Septimus Bligh
- 2004 · Who Do You Think You Are? as Self
- 2003 · Henry VIII as Edward Stafford
- 2003 · Swimming Pool as John Bosload
- 2002 · Black and White as Roderic Chamberlain
- 2002 · Foyle's War as Guy Spencer
- 2002 · Top Gear as Self
- 2002 · Dan Dare: Pilot of the Future as Colonel Simon Lasker (voice)
- 2002 · Ali G Indahouse as Deputy Prime Minister David Carlton
- 2001 · Gosford Park as Raymond Stockbridge
- 2001 · Alien Evolution as Self / Clemens
- 2001 · Jurij as
- 2000 · Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) as
- 2000 · Murder Rooms: The Dark Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes as Sir Henry Carlyle
- 1999 · Chrono-Perambulator as James 'Dougie' Douglas
- 1999 · Don't Go Breaking My Heart as Frank
- 1998 · Hilary and Jackie as Derek Du Pré
- 1997 · Trial & Retribution as
- 1997 · Rebecca as Maxim de Winter
- 1996 · Space Truckers as Nabel / Macanudo
- 1995 · The Surgeon as Dr. Ed Mittlesbay
- 1994 · Shortcut to Paradise as Quinn
- 1994 · Room 101 as Self
- 1994 · China Moon as Rupert Munro
- 1994 · Kabloonak as Robert Flaherty
- 1993 · Last Action Hero as Benedict
- 1992 · Alien³ as Clemens
- 1992 · La valle di pietra as Surveyor
- 1988 · First Born as Edward Forester
- 1988 · Out of the Shadows as Michael Hayden
- 1987 · White Mischief as Josslyn Hay
- 1987 · Hidden City as James Richards
- 1987 · Out on a Limb as Gerry Stamford
- 1986 · The Golden Child as Sardo Numspa
- 1986 · The Flying Doctors as Minister
- 1985 · Time for Murder as James Latimer
- 1985 · Screen Two as Paul Hatcher
- 1984 · The Secret Servant as SAS Major Harry Maxim
- 1984 · The Jewel in the Crown as Guy Perron
- 1983 · Natural World as
- 1982 · Little Eyolf as Borghejm
- 1981 · For Your Eyes Only as Claus
- 1980 · Fatal Spring as Siegfried Sassoon
- 1980 · Dreams of Leaving as Colin
- 1979 · Tales of the Unexpected as Robert Smythe
- 1978 · An Audience with... as Self
- 1977 · The Professionals as Parker
- 1977 · Raffles as
- 1974 · Father Brown as
- 1974 · Playhouse as Siegfried Sassoon
- 1970 · Play for Today as
- 1965 · BBC Play of the Month as Borghejm
- Future · A Patriot as Dr. Hastings