10 Games Of Thrones Actors You Recognise But Can't Place

7. Carice von Houten - Melisandre

The Dutch native has an unenviable role on Game of Thrones -- she plays the consistently unlikable Melisandre, a woman who worships the Lord of Light, seduces Stannis Baratheon, and has weird shadow babies that kill princes. She's a plotter, and like many of the other plotters on the show, it's irritating that their wiles keep them alive while good men (namely almost the entire Stark clan) are slaughtered like naive little lambs. Interestingly enough, she was originally approached to play the role of Cersei Lannister, but had to refuse due to scheduling conflicts. Carice van Houten has had a pretty impressive career in the Netherlands, but until recently, her international work was limited. The one film that you might recognize her from is Valkyrie, the controversial drama about a German count (played by Tom Cruise, in one of the more bizarre casting choices ever) who plotted to assassinate Hitler. She played Nina von Stauffenberg, the lead character's wife, and was handpicked by Cruise for the role after he saw her work in Black Book, a Dutch production also about World War II resistance fighters.