4. Ian McNeice
Referring back to my previous comment on great actors taking small roles, veteran of stage and screen Ian McNeice was initially set to appear in Game of Thrones as Illyrio Mopatis, the wealthy merchant who seeks to help restore Visery Targaryn to the Iron Throne. Another graduate of HBO's Rome, McNeice's two-episode arc in the role was taken over by Roger Allam when he proved unavailable to reshoot the pilot - too busy appearing as Winston Churchill in Doctor Who Series Five. Roger Allam, if anything more illustrious than his predecessor, premiered the role of Javert in the musical Les Miserables, winning four Olivier Awards in his thirty-something years on the London stage, though somewhat less in-keeping with the description of the rotund Illyrio. It's a shame that most of the meaty roles seem to be resigned to the youth...