Game Of Thrones Season 4: 10 Actors Who Knocked It Out The Park

10. Jack Gleeson €“ Joffrey Baratheon

Jack Gleeson had a mission this season, and his mission was simple: the young Irishman knew he was only going to be around for two more episodes, so had to saturate those appearances with as much sneering villainy as humanly possible. And honestly, the first episode didn't help him €“ with Thrones' habit of checking in on everyone in the season opener, we barely got to see the blond-haired douchetrumpet. Sure, there was a five-minute scene when he chewed out his uncle-father while dressed as 1970s wallpaper, but little else. So it fell to The Lion And The Rose to show us exactly why we loved to hate Joffrey Baratheon, and Gleeson didn't disappoint. Utterly repellent from start to finish, he offered a masterclass in Caligula-esque sadism, being horribly unpleasant to all and sundry while keep a face oh-so-deserving of a slap throughout. The guy nailed it, and the sheer outpouring of joy that followed his purple-faced demise stands as testimony to just how brilliant his performance has been throughout the series. Obviously it's great to see the character go, but whoever's going to take up the mantle of douchemaster-in-chief is going to have a hell of a job on their hands. You've really got to hand it to the now-retired actor €“ Gleeson presented us with a thirty-minute microcosm of just how abhorrent Joffrey was, before spectacularly carking it come episode close. All in all, you couldn't have asked him to do a better job.