Charles Dance

Charles Dance, or Walter Charles Dance, is an esteemed English actor recognized for his portrayals of strict, authoritarian characters and villains. Initiative into the world of acting took place on stage with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), eventually leading to his cinematic and television features. His services to drama landed him the status of an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in 2006. He took his first step into feature films with the James Bond film 'For Your Eyes Only' in 1981, followed by appearances in critically-acclaimed period films such as Michael Collins, Gosford Park, The Imitation Game, Mank, and The King's Man. His TV roles include Guy Perron in The Jewel in the Crown, Mr. Tulkinghorn in Bleak House, and more popularly, Tywin Lannister in Game of Thrones and Lord Mountbatten in the seasons 3 and 4 of The Crown, which earned him a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series. Apart from acting, Dance made his directorial film debut with the drama 'Ladies in Lavender' in 2004, for which he was the writer and executive producer as well.

In his early life, Dance was born in Redditch, Worcestershire, in 1946 to Eleanor Marion, a cook, and Walter Dance, an electrical engineer and sergeant in the 2nd Regular Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers. He grew up in Plymouth and attended the Widey Technical School for Boys, later taking up graphic design and photography at the Arts University Plymouth and Leicester College of Arts. His journey with the RSC accompanied him through multiple productions and earned him a Critics' Circle Best Actor award for his portrayal of C. S. Lewis in William Nicholson's Shadowlands. His political views lean left-of-centre, and he supported the UK remaining in the European Union in the 2016 EU referendum. Personal life saw his marriage to Joanna Haythorn in 1970 and together they had a son named Oliver and a daughter named Rebecca. Dance later dated Eleanor Boorman from 2008 to 2012, and they had a daughter named Rose.