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

3. Rory McCann €“ The Hound

If some Game Of Thrones fans had their way, the show would be nothing but The Hound insulting folk, ordering dinner and insulting folk while ordering dinner. And honestly, we can't blame them for that. While Rory McCann's portrayal of Sandor Clegane always skirts the fringes of best Thrones performance lists, season four saw the burnt-face one take centre stage, as well as the chicken that was so rightfully his. It just goes to further show one of the immutable rules of the show €“ if you want your character to take a level in awesome, you pair them with Arya. The younger Stark daughter's brash manner and strong morals provided the younger Clegane with the perfect foil, providing a show which specialises in knife-twisting with some much-needed black comedy. Whether it involved knocking out Tully farmers for their silver, threatening the King's men over food or arguing whether Syrio Forel could call himself a great swordsman if he was beaten unarmed by Meryn 'F**king' Trant, their double-act was a highlight over the ten-episode run, rife with quotes that would get you ejected bodily from polite company. It's a pity he's potentially dead (or at the very least out of action), and the show's going to have to work hard to make up for The Hound's absence. As at home doling out pithy one-liners as he was opening up about his tragic past and kicking lady warriors upside the crotch (ouch, by the way), McCann was able to keep Sandor sympathetic, feared and loved by fans in equal measure. It's an incredible balancing act to pull off, but the actor managed it with gusto.