1. Charles Dance Tywin Lannister
Nobody owned season three like Charles Dance. He bestrode the whole production like a perma-furious colossus and took down all comers, whether they were mortal enemies, political vipers or even his own family. It's obvious that Charles Dance is an excellent actor weve known that through all of Thrones seasons, but it was only this year that he got a chance to really show us how ferocious Tywin is. Granted, his scenes with Arya last year were air-punchingly awesome, but they were too brief for my liking and in season one he was more a boogeyman than anything else. Now Tywin was in the capital, we could really see how formidable he was. When given these opportunities, Dance didnt disappoint. Wed gone through two seasons with the script establishing how many of the Kings Landing characters were kings of their own world. But while Littlefinger (who sparred with Tywin in season two), Varys, Cersei and Tyrion are all great game-players, even they were swept off the board by the sheer intensity of Tywin Lannister. Hes the closest thing Game of Thrones has to a primary antagonist, and Dance handled that burden with aplomb. But it cant all be shouting in council chambers where theres shade, there must also be light or the character comes across as a one-note caricature. This was the case with Tywin yes, we saw he could be a callously cruel monster, but hes nuanced too. Dance put this across excellently witness the scene
when he admits he came very close to drowning Tyrion. His voice actually cracks, and you feel for this awful human being. Thats a sign of how good an actor Dance is, and he's dominated Thrones this year. Agree or disagree? Feel free to comment!