The Night King is Vladimir Furdik
If you haven’t seen any of season 8’s episode, be warned, there are major spoilers in this text.
He is now one of the greatest villains in TV history, but who is
the real face behind the dreaded (and recently deceased) Night King in
Game of Thrones?
The Night King is none other than Vladimír Furdík, a Slovak actor,
who has played this role since the series’ sixth season when he took
over for Richard Brake.
However, his origins in both the HBO hit show and prior films aren’t acting roles, but rather stunt roles.
Furdík, 48, has a long history of being a stuntman in films. He has
appeared in movies such as Sherlock Holmes, Skyfall, Spartacus, and
Thor: The Dark World strictly as a stunt double, at times not even being
credited for his role.
In 2015, he transitioned to the small screen when he landed his first Game of Thrones gig.
The actor started off as a stunt double and a stunt supervisor,
specifically in season 5’s epic “Hardhome” episode, as he explained in
an interview with Entertainment Weekly in March.
“When we did season 5, I was the White Walker who fought Jon
Snow — the first time Jon Snow killed a White Walker, that was me,” he
explained to EW. “After that, [showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss]
asked if I’d play the Night King for seasons 6 through 8. I never asked
why. Maybe they were happy with what I did in season 5.”
Furdík, upon taking up this role, was involved in the series much
more frequently, especially the show’s most recent episode, which saw
the end of the Night King’s reign of terror at the hands of Arya Stark
(Maisie Williams).
However, much of the character’s backstory still remains a mystery,
and with just three episodes left in the series, it’s unclear how much
fans will learn about him. Either way, he has done a terrifyingly-good
job so far in Game of Thrones.
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Source: TheGuardian