10 Game Of Thrones Scene Stealers

Six seconds. Two lines (both the same phrase). That’s all David Rintoul is given to show us his interpretation of the infamous Aerys Targaryen, the “Mad King” mentioned in almost every episode of Game of Thrones. Aerys appears fleetingly in Bran’s visions of the past during the opening moments of the sixth season episode, “Blood of My Blood”. He shouts “Burn them all” twice and is then stabbed in the back by a young Jaime Lannister.

For the brief moments he appears, Aerys Targaryen is an unforgettably unhinged and deranged man. The Mad King casts a dark shadow over the whole show as the chief antagonist in so many of the characters' pasts. Physically, Rintoul bears almost no relation to the character as described in the books: A filthy man with grotesquely long fingernails and an unwashed beard. But television is a visual medium and George R.R. Martin's description would have seemed over-the-top on screen. Instead, the show runners simply cast an old pro and let him do the heavy lifting. Rintoul's bellowing delivery is deeply unsettling and makes a strong impression.

We met him in the flesh for only a few, fleeting moments but Aerys Targaryen did not disappoint.