1. Sean Bean
Sean Bean is a walking, talking northern stereotype made flesh, and possibly the best one imaginable. His casting as Ned Stark was absolutely perfect; the honour, bravery, the constant use of "bastard" that made us all fondly think of Sharpe, the, um, inevitable death. Sean Bean is every northern stereotype rolled into one double-hard bastard. Ned Stark; the honourable family man, the pessimistic leader, the teacher, the fair punisher, the listener, the loyal husband who messed up once and can never let him forget the time his honour was besmirched Who else could they have got to play Stark other than the man who led the 'chosen men' from the 95th rifles in the Napoleonic Wars, who tried to gain strength for his failing city of Gondor, only to take three arrows to the chest in defence of two hobbits, the man who conned James Bond? Sean Bean is so hard, he got STABBED in a pub, got some air and went back into the pub to continue drinking. He's so northern that he's appeared in aCatherine Cookson drama. He's so damned historic that he doesn't look right in jeans and a t-shirt. He has the beloved northern sense of humour, the ability to laugh at himself and not even take the serious things too seriously. Ned Stark was the pinnacle of Game of Thrones' northernness and Sean Bean is the pinnacle of ours. Of all the stereotypes they got absolutely right, Sean Bean is definitely number one.