Rome actor Ciaran Hinds cast as major player in HBO’s Game of Thrones season 3

Ciaran Hinds, who played a hell of a Ceasar in HBO’s hit series Rome, has been cast as The King Beyond The Wall, Mance Rayder in the cable network’s award-winning series Game of Thrones.  Hinds is one of those actors you see in everything, but often never learn his name.  He’s got great presence and can act his ass off, so it’s no surprise that he’s been cast in the role, which is a very significant one in the A Song of Ice and Fire series.

Mance Rayder has been referenced in the HBO series numerous times, but never seen.  Fans of the books will know him well, but for those who don’t, here’s a description:

Mance was a wildling child taken by the Night’s Watch and raised as one of them. He was a loyal member of the Night’s Watch for most of his life until he suffered an injury while ranging, and was healed by a wildling woman. While he recuperated, she mended his torn cloak with swatches of red fabric. Upon returning to the Wall, the Night’s Watch commanders required him to replace his mended cloak with one of uniform black. This infringement of freedom caused him to abandon the Night’s Watch and live with the wildlings in the way he wished, eventually becoming their leader.

Hinds will fill this role well, which was also offered to Dominic West (another HBO alum from The Wire), who declined the role.  You may remember Hinds from his roles in MUNICH, JOHN CARTER, and TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY. 

HBO’s Game of Thrones season 3 is currently filming and will premiere March 31, 2013.