Peter Dinklage’s Journey to Becoming a Successful Actor, Devoted Husband, and Dad Shows That Anything Is Possible

While we all know him as Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones, Peter Dinklage’s impressive career began with a rough start. From being unable to find roles to stereotypes, the actor has fought against odds to get where he is. His life story is an example of how being persistent and staying true to your beliefs can lead a person to success.

We at Bright Side find Peter Dinklage’s life and how he managed to achieve his dreams an extremely inspirational story to share.

1. He experienced hardships from a very young age.

Peter Dinklage was born in 1969 in New Jersey and knew at a very young age that he wanted to act. While his brother Jonathan had the musical chops, Peter found his calling in theater and started taking part in school plays like The Velveteen Rabbit. He later followed his passion and graduated from Bennington College with a drama degree.

The actor experienced hardships from the very beginning, having been born with a genetic condition called achondroplasia, which is a form of dwarfism. This created many challenges for him while growing up, but he eventually came to accept his condition and realized “that it’s not your problem. It’s theirs.”

2. His acting career had a rocky start.

During the early stages of his career, Dinklage suffered a lot and found it hard to support himself and make ends meet. Since there weren’t many acting opportunities for people with his condition, he ended up doing odd jobs. The actor stated that during this time he suffered from depression, but continued to try despite everything.

3. The actor persisted despite prejudice.

Peter received many opportunities in his early career, but he refused most of them since they were offensive. For Dinklage, it was crucial that he could get roles any other actor could get as well. Even though this meant he had to struggle to find such opportunities, the actor stuck to his principles.

4. Finally getting a breakthrough

His first major breakthrough came with Living in Oblivion, in which he played an actor with dwarfism. However, his first big role would be in the 2003 film The Station Agent, which would bring Peter into the spotlight. What made Dinklage choose the role was that it wasn’t written specifically for someone with dwarfism, but for a person who “had romantic feelings. He’s got anger, and he’s got flaws.”

5. Fighting against the stereotypes

The biggest issue Peter faced throughout his career was finding roles where his dwarfism wasn’t the sole focus. He has stated that “roles written for someone my size is a little flat”, and knew he would get cast only in roles of elves and dwarves. He even ate potato chips for dinner for many years instead of playing an elf for a Macy’s commercial.

6. His life changed with Game of Thrones.

After many years of struggling, Peter’s big break finally came with Game of Thrones. For the creators of the show, there were basically no other options other than Dinklage for the role of Tyrion Lannister. At first, the actor was hesitant, worried that it would be an offensive caricature. But eventually, he accepted, and the role changed his life.

7. His family is his biggest support.

Peter Dinklage married his partner, Erica Schmidt, in 2005, and they now have two children together. While the actor largely keeps his life away from the public eye, his wife is a playwright and director, and the two have worked together on some projects as well.

8. Continuing against all odds

Peter’s story is a great example of how hardships and troubles can sometimes mold a person into a strong individual. By persisting no matter what hurdles life threw at him, and fighting against stereotypes, Dinklage managed to achieve fame and success, and is an example we can all be inspired by.

Is there an example from your life where you had to struggle against something? What lesson did you learn from that experience?