GAME of Thrones star Charles Dance has a Worcestershire connection that some fans may not know about.
The acclaimed actor, famous for portraying the formidable Tywin Lannister in the hit fantasy series, was born in Worcestershire on October 10, 1946.
Many people are more aware of another Game of Thrones connection – Kit Harington who played Jon Snow in the fantasy series. Although Kit Harington’s roots in Worcestershire are exceptionally strong, he was born on Boxing Day on in Acton, west London, rather than Worcestershire.
CONNECTIONS: Kit Harington has deep connections to Worcestershire but was born outside the county (Image: PA)
Walter Charles Dance was born in the Redditch/Rednal area of the county to Walter Dance, an electrical engineer, and Eleanor Marion Dance, who worked as a cook.
His time in Worcestershire appears to have been relatively short, however, with the future actor growing up in Plymouth and attending Widey Technical School for Boys.
Charles Dance went on to establish a hugely successful acting career spanning more than five decades.
After working on stage and joining the Royal Shakespeare Company in the 1970s, he achieved a major television breakthrough playing Guy Perron in The Jewel in the Crown in 1984.
His numerous film appearances have included For Your Eyes Only, Alien 3, Gosford Park, The Imitation Game and The King’s Man.
ROOTS: Game of Thrones star Charles Dance was born in Worcestershire but did not spend much time in the county (Image: Jeff Moore (Press Association))
But for a more recent generation of viewers, he is perhaps best known as the intimidating Tywin Lannister in Game of Thrones.
He appeared in the hugely successful television series between 2011 and 2015.
Charles Dance also portrayed Lord Mountbatten in the third and fourth series of The Crown, earning a Primetime Emmy nomination for the performance.
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His contribution to acting was recognised in 2006 when he was appointed an OBE for services to drama.
CONNECTIONS: Kit Harington has deep connections to Worcestershire but was born outside the county (Image: PA)
Despite growing up elsewhere, his birth means Worcestershire can claim a connection to one of Britain’s most recognisable screen actors.
Worcestershire has produced an impressive array of famous faces, from chart-topping musicians and Hollywood actors to celebrated composers, politicians and pioneering scientists.
Among the best-known people born in Worcestershire is Harry Styles, born in Bromsgrove.
The county can also claim composer Edward Elgar, poet A E Housman, former prime minister Stanley Baldwin, Nobel Prize-winning scientist John Vane and postal reformer Sir Rowland Hill among its famous sons and daughters.
Kit Harington moved to Worcestershire with his family when he was 11 and lived in the area until he was 18. He has described Worcestershire as his home. He attended The Chantry School in Martley, where he developed an interest in acting and appeared in school productions. He also played scrum-half for the school rugby team and attended Worcester Sixth Form College.
