Peter Dinklage

Peter Dinklage, man, what a legend. Born in Morristown, New Jersey, to a teacher mom and a dad who worked insurance, he’s got roots in German, Irish, and English heritage. He kicked off his acting journey after snagging a drama degree from Bennington College in ’91 and just started owning the stage. Seriously, his theater credits are wild—Shakespeare’s “Richard III,” Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya,” plus heavy hitters like “Imperfect Love” and Turgenev’s “A Month in the Country.” But it was the indie film “Living in Oblivion” (1995) where people really started to notice him, especially for calling out the nonsense actors with dwarfism face in Hollywood. Fast forward to “The Station Agent” (2003), and boom—critics fell over themselves praising his performance, and he even picked up a couple of big nominations. After that, his filmography just exploded: “Elf,” “Death at a Funeral” (in both the UK and US versions, because why not?), “Penelope,” “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian,” and “X-Men: Days of Future Past.” TV-wise, Dinklage was in a bunch of shows, but nothing compares to him as Tyrion Lannister in “Game of Thrones.” He straight-up dominated that role—snagged four Emmys and a Golden Globe. People talk about his wit and charisma in that show for a reason. Oh, and don’t forget his voice work—he was Captain Gutt in “Ice Age 4” and the Mighty Eagle in “Angry Birds.” He’s basically a chameleon, popping up in everything from “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” to “I Think We’re Alone Now.”