Profile photo of Charles Dance

Charles Dance

Walter Charles Dance OBE (born 10 October 1946) is an English actor, screenwriter, and director. He typically plays strict, authoritarian characters or villains. He is best known for his roles as Tywin Lannister in Game of Thrones, Kitchener in The King's Man, Martin Benson in Amazon Prime's The Widow, Lord Mountbatten in Netflix's The Crown (for which he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series), Thomas in Underworld: Awakening and Underworld: Blood Wars, Harold Fillmore in Ghostbusters (2016), Mr. Bennet in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Frankenstein in Victor Frankenstein, Master Vampire in Dracula Untold, Conrad Knox in the Cinemax series Strike Back, Raymond Stockbridge in Gosford Park, one-eyed hitman Benedict in Last Action Hero, Clemens in Alien³, Sardo Numpsa in The Golden Child, and Guy Perron in The Jewel in the Crown. He started his career on stage with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) before appearing in film and television. For his services to drama, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in 2006. He made his directorial film debut with the drama film Ladies in Lavender (2004), which he also wrote and executive produced.

Filmography

2026
The Big Fat Quiz of Telly

as Self - Guest

Movie
2025
Wildcat

as Frasier Mahoney

Movie
2025
Frankenstein

as Leopold Frankenstein

Movie
2021
The King's Man

as Kitchener

Movie
2019
Godzilla: King of the Monsters

as Alan Jonah

Movie
2018
Johnny English Strikes Again

as Agent Seven

Movie
2016
Underworld: Blood Wars

as Thomas

Movie
2016
Ghostbusters

as Harold Fillmore

Movie
2016
Me Before You

as Stephen Traynor

Movie
2014
The Imitation Game

as Commander Denniston

Movie
2014
Dracula Untold

as Master Vampire

Movie
1993
Last Action Hero

as Benedict

Movie
1992
Alien³

as Clemens

Movie
1981
For Your Eyes Only

as Claus

Movie
2024
The Day of the Jackal

as Timothy Winthrop

TV Show
2011
Game of Thrones

as Tywin Lannister

TV Show