Are you a fan of Game Of Thrones like millions others? All the characters you love, have a positive and negative shade to them. You love them at times, you even hate them at times, but no matter who lives or dies, you want to keep watching the TV Series that has broken all barriers of being the Best TV show ever and you waiting for the next episode. The performances make you so engrossed in the story that you often forget that there are real people hiding beneath Daenerys Targaryen, Jon Snow and Cersei Lannister. Often these actresses and actors have appeared in many other productions prior to their appearance on HBO’s most popular series. Check out the actors of the greatest show before they became a part of this historical phenomenon. Take a look at the list compiled by Bored Panda, and see if you can find your favorite GoT character before they arrived in Westeros. 1. Jason Momoa As Jason (In 2003’s Baywatch) And As Khal Drogo (In GoT) He Was Born in Hawaii but Raised in Iowa by His Single Mother Jason’s parents split when he was very young, and he moved with his mother to Madison County, IA. He Was on Baywatch Hawaii Jason starred on Baywatch: Hawaii from 1999 until 2001, right around the time he was working on his modeling career. Given how gorgeous he looks, it’s not surprising at all. 2. Emilia Clarke When She Was A Child And As Daenerys Targaryen After seeing the musical “Showboat” with her mother at the young age of three, Clarke decided she wanted to be an actress. Clarke studied theater at the Drama Centre London. Other notable members include Colin Firth and Pierce Brosnan. Clarke was working six different jobs before getting her big break on “Game of Thrones.” She was doing everything from bartending to working in a call center. 3. Peter Dinklage As Finbar Mcbride (In 2003’s The Station Agent) And As Tyrion Lannister (In GoT) He spent part of his early career living with rats. Good training for Game of Thrones? Maybe. But in his early days as a struggling actor, Dinklage was more interested in building a real career than taking parts that exploited him for his size, so he turned down quite a few roles. He and some friends shared an apartment in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, long before it became the expensive hipster neighborhood it is now. They lived under the bridge, which made the apartment shake like Alvy Singer’s in Woody Allen’s Annie Hall. They didn’t have heat, because the oven was filled with rats. Yes, rats. 4. Young Kit Harington And As Jon Snow (In GoT) He didn’t know his real name until he was 11. Kit chatted about his name with Interview in 2013, saying, “I was called Kit from day one, really. I only found out my name was Christopher when I was 11.” He’s not the only artist in his family. Kit’s mom is an artist who teaches creative writing, and she was once a playwright. Of his parents’ support, he told Interview, “When I started sharing a keen interest in drama and the theater, instead of steering me away from it, they encouraged me to see plays, and think about drama school.” 5. Iain Glenn As Carl Galton (In 1988’s The Fear) And As Ser Jorah Mormont (In GoT) Before Fame he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art prior to his debut, winning a Bancroft Gold Medal. He won an award at the Berlin International Film Festival for his work in Silent Scream. He starred alongside Meryl Streep in the film, The Iron Lady. 6. Gwendoline Christie As Lexi (In 2012’s Wizards Vs. Aliens) And As Brienne Of Tarth (In GoT) She was a semi-professional gymnast: She took up acting after an injury forced her to quit gymnastics. Things seem to have worked out OK for her! She’s 6’3”. You knew she was tall, but you probably didn’t know she was that tall! She doesn’t know how old she is. According to Gwendoline, neither she nor her mother have kept track of her age. 7. Charles Dance As David Carlton (In 2002’s Ali G Indahouse) And As Tywin Lannister (In GoT) He had a baby gap. Charles had a daughter in 2012, 27 years after the birth of his last child. We bet his previous kid thought that his role as baby in the House of Dance was secure… He has a royal seal of approval. In 2006, Charles earned his OBE, officially granting him the title “Officer of the Order of the British Empire.” It’s not quite “Hand of the King” status, but it’s a start. 8. Lena Headey As Young Mary (In 1992’s Waterland) And As Cersei Lannister (In GoT) She Had Boiled A Goldfish. Kid can’t take proper care of themselves nor their pets. The notion was enforced when Headey revealed that as a child she had two hamsters and some goldfish. She decided to give her goldfish a big Jacuzzi for fun and ended up boiling up one, alive. She must have been horrified. Her Tattoo Dilemma While filming for “The Jungle Book,” she picked up yoga (as she was already involved with boxing) She also picked up Jason Flemyng from the set. They were together for nine years, during which time Headey tattooed his name on her right arm in Thai. Following their break up (they are still being good friends) she had the tattoo covered up. 9. Sophie Turner When She Was A Child And As Sansa Stark (In GoT) She was signed up to the Playbox Theatre Company when she was just three years old. Her amateur-level performances paved the way for her to the role of playing a powerful Lord’s young daughter on HBO’s fantasy series Game of Thrones. 10. Young Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson And As The Mountain (In GoT) Björnsson is 6 feet 9 inches tall and weighs 403 pounds, making him one of the show’s largest cast members. After injuring his knee in basketball, Björnsson started competing in strongman competitions. He’s won Iceland’s Strongest Man competition and came in sixth in the 2011 World’s Strongest Man contest. 11. Carice Van Houten As Suzy (In 1999’s Suzy Q) And As Melisandre (In GoT) She’s A Pop-Rock Singer Now, it may seem weird that the ever-so-serious Melisandre of Asshai would even be a fan of pop-rock (or music of any kind for that matter), but it’s true – Carice is a singer for the genre, and a very good one at that. She Received Death Threats After Shireen Baratheon’s Death Poor Carice was the victim of insane online bullying after her character, Melisandre, orchestrated the horrific death of fan-favourite Shireen Baratheon, in the last season of Game of Thrones. 12. Natalie Dormer As Victoria (In 2005’s Casanova) And As Margaery Tyrell (In GoT) At school, Natalie Dormer was head girl, a first class student, vice-captain of the school netball team, and traveled the world with her school’s public speaking team. 14. Six months after graduating from Webber Douglas, Dormer won the role of Victoria in Casanova. This was her film debut and it was released in 2005. The director, Lasse Hallström, was so impressed with Natalie Dormer’s comedic timing that he had the script writer expand her part. 13. Diana Rigg As Emma Peel (In 1961’s The Avengers) And As Olenna Tyrrel (In GoT) Throughout the 60s, 70s and 80s Rigg’s theatrical, film, and television career was wide ranging. Among her accolades, she won a BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress in 1989 for the BBC miniseries Mother Love and an Emmy for her role as Mrs. Danvers on the television adaptation, Rebecca, in 1997. Rigg was made a Dame Commander of the British Empire in 1994. 14. Aidan Gillen As Frank (In 2000’s The Low Down) And As Petyr Baelish (In GoT) He acted in a production of A Midsummer’s Night Dream when he was a teenager. He had a brief role in The Dark Knight Rises. He also acted in the TV drama, The Wire, with Dominic West. 15. Sean Bean As Horace Clark (In A 1984 Episode Of The Bill) And As Ned Stark (In GoT) As a child, Bean smashed a glass door during an argument, which left a piece of glass embedded in his leg that briefly impeded his walking and left a large scar. This prevented him from pursuing his dream of playing football professionally. After a job at a supermarket and another for the local council, he started working for his father’s firm with a day release at Rotherham College of Arts and Technology to take a welding course. 16. Young Kristofer Hivju And As Tormund Giantsbane (In GoT) As his grandmother and parents were both actors, his school gave him the lead role in Hamlet when he was 16 without an audition. He began acting at Oslo’s National Theatre when he was 19. Shaved his trademark beard for a role in M. Night Shyamalan’s After Earth (2013). 17. Ross Mullan As Puppeteer (In 2007’s Bear Behaving Badly) And As White Walker (In GoT) 18. Tom Wlaschiha (In 2008’s Spoons) And As Jaqen H’gar (In GoT) 19. Maisie Williams When She Was A Child And As Arya Stark (In GoT) 20. Rose Leslie As Gwen Dawson (in 2010’s Downton Abbey) And As Ygritte (in Got) 21. Thomas Brodie-Sangster As Sam (In 2003’s Love Actually) And As Jojen Reed (In GoT) 22. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau As Martin (In 1997’s Nightwatch) And As Jaime Lannister (In GoT) 23. Michelle Fairley As Teresa Doyle (In 1990’s Hidden Agenda) And As Catelyn Stark (In GoT) 24. Young Iwan Rheon And As Ramsay Bolton (In GoT) 25. Liam Cunningham As The Onion Knight (In 1995’s First Knight) And As Ser Davos (In GoT) 26. Max Von Sydow As Antonius Block (In 1957’s The Seventh Seal) And As Three-Eyed Raven (In GoT) 27. Richard Brake As Pierce Tencil (In 1996’s Subterfuge) And As Night’s King (In GoT)