Where Do You Know Those Game of Thrones Stars From?

Ned—as his family and friends called him—was the patriarch of one of the houses central to the conflict in Game of Thrones. Seemingly the only man in a position of power to show heart and honor, Ned was the shining hope to reform the land and right the monarchy—until he was shockingly beheaded in the first season's penultimate episode.

This is hardly Bean's first foray into genre fare: He starred as Boromir, the man who tries to take the ring from Frodo the Hobbit, in Lord of the Rings. He's also been Greek god Zeus (Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief) and legendary king Odysseus (Troy), as well as a Bond villain (GoldenEye) and an IRA terrorist (Patriot Games).

Tyrion is the "imp" younger brother of the golden twins Cersei and Jaime. The Lannisters are the series' bad guys, and Tyrion is a compellingly complex antihero; conniving and randy, he's also clever and compassionate. Dinklage's portrayal earned him a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor.

Dinklage's breakout role was in the celebrated drama The Station Agent, but his very first role was in the cult indie favorite Living in Oblivion. He also starred in the alien-invasion TV series Threshold, the comedy Death at a Funeral, the plastic-surgery series Nip/Tuck, and Will Ferrell's sweet Christmas flick Elf.

Cersei is the ultimate ice queen—beautiful and cold. She despises her husband, King Robert Baratheon, but dotes on her children—who, we learn in one of the biggest shockers, are actually the product of her incestuous affair with her twin brother Jaime.

Headey played another tough cookie on the TV series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles; as the mother of the future savior of the human race, she tackled the iconic role played by Linda Hamilton on film. The British beauty also appeared as a queen in 300, Guinevere in the TV miniseries Merlin, and a housemaid in Remains of the Day.

Ned Stark's primary rival, Jaime is an arrogant, handsome, ruthless member of the Kingsguard—the group of warriors sworn to protect the royal family at all costs. He acquired the nickname "Kingslayer" after murdering his first charge, King Aerys, during Robert's rebellion for the throne. When Ned's young son Bran discovers Jaime and his twin sister, the queen, having sex, he throws him out a tower window. After a series of misadventures, Jaime's had to rethink his role in the kingdom, mainly because of that lost hand.

Although he appeared in hit movies including Black Hawk Down and Kingdom of Heaven, before Game of Thrones Coster-Waldau was best known for starring in the critical darling (and ratings disappointment) New Amsterdam, a genre mashup of cop procedural and time-travel sci-fi in which he played an immortal police officer seeking his one true love.

Khal Drogo is a tribal leader of the Dothraki, who live far away from the political intrigue of the Starks and Lannisters. Drogo was married to the late King Aerys' daughter Daenerys, and he promised to bring his hordes of warriors to King's Landing and deliver the Iron Throne to the son she was carrying. But both Drogo and their child died before he could make good on his promise.

The Honolulu native—who was raised in Iowa—starred in Baywatch before taking on the dreadlocked role of weapons specialist Ronon Dex in the sci-fi hit Stargate: Atlantis. He also starred in Conan the Barbarian.

The realm's Master of Coin, Petyr Baelish, is a power-hungry schemer who has a history with Ned Stark's wife, Catelyn; they grew up together and he wanted to marry her but was summarily rejected. It was his betrayal that led to the capture, imprisonment, and ultimate execution of Ned. Oh, and he also has eyes for Ned and Catelyn's daughter Sansa.

Gillen is best known for his role in another celebrated HBO series (one that some call the best series ever on TV), The Wire. As Tommy Carcetti, he was the scrappy, ambitious white idealist who got himself elected mayor in the predominantly black city of Baltimore. The Dublin, Ireland, native also starred in the original British version of Queer as Folk.