Entertainment

6 'Game of Thrones' Stars Who Have Narrated Everything From Shows To Movies To Audiobooks

by Jordan Lauf
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

We know the Game of Thrones cast primarily for their roles as kings, queens, khaleesis, bastards, assassins, and Three-Eyed Ravens. But of course, GoT isn't the only thing these talented actors are doing. Many of the actors are featured in other TV shows, have starred in movies, and many Game of Thrones stars have narrated shows — more than you might think.

In fact, one Westerosi actually set the world record for most characters voiced by a single actor in an audiobook, according to EW. British actor Roy Dotrice, who passed away in October of this year at the age of 94, had a brief role on the series as pyromancer Wisdom Hallyne in Season 2. But Dotrice's more significant contributions to Game of Thrones were his audiobook narrations. He is the reader for all the books in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, and, according to EW, voiced 223 separate characters in the first book alone. The audiobook is 33 hours long, and his work granted Dotrice the world record.

But the cast's experience in narration isn't limited to audiobooks. Charles Dance, who played the formidable Lannister patriarch Tywin on the series, is the narrator of Nat Geo Wild's Savage Kingdom: Uprising, which premieres Nov. 24 at 9 p.m. ET. The series was actually inspired in part by Game of Thrones, as it creates a human narrative for the predators and prey of Botswana filmed for the show, per The New York Times. Dance's deep voice made him perfect as an imposing Hand of the King, and I'm sure it will also make for compelling narration.

Nat Geo Wild

Dance's onscreen son, Peter Dinklage (who plays the brilliant Tyrion Lannister) has also tried his hand at narration. He is the narrator of the 2005 Discovery documentary Ice Age Columbus: Who Were the First Americans? according to IMDb. The movie tracks the possible story of the first humans to journey to America during the Ice Age. Maybe they left because winter was coming... Dinklage also recently lent his voice to Saturday Night Live when he voiced the animated David S. Pumpkins special.

Iain Glen, who plays Jorah Mormont, also has extensive experience in narration. The Scottish actor provides the voice for the 2017 documentary The Tigers of Scotland, about the rare Scottish Wildcats, according to IMDb. He also has taken a more grim turn narration the TV series Autopsy: The Last Hours Of, where he has provided the voice for stories about the final hours of celebrities from Marilyn Monroe to Amy Winehouse.

And, everyone's favorite Kingslayer, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (who plays Jaime Lannister) has also narrated a documentary called The Carbon Crooks, according to IMDb.

The actor who plays Roose Bolton, Michael McElhatton, has also taken a few turns as a narrator before coming a Westerosi villain, according to IMDb. He has narrated two TV documentaries, one titled The Brides of Franc, and another called The Strange Case of the Irish Crown Jewels. The second movie is about the mystery of who stole the Irish crown jewels in 1907, according to The Daily Beast. Sounds like something diabolic a Bolton might do... and then skin you alive after.

It makes sense that so many Game of Thrones stars have lent their voices to documentary films, because their voices are part of what makes them compelling characters on the show. When you have the commanding voice of Charles Dance, it makes it easier to portray a ruthless patriarch bent on securing his family's power, even if it means killing his own son. Iain Glen's powerful voice makes his pleas for Khaleesi to just love him already even more heart wrenching (or totally creepy). And, Dinklage's spot-on tone makes his comic relief all the better to watch.

So if you're feeling totally overwhelmed by the fact that Game of Thrones won't be returning for at least another year, you can be comforted by listening to the audiobooks and documentaries that feature the voices of your favorite characters.