Which “Game of Thrones” Actor Made the Most Money (It’s Not Daenerys and Not Even Jon Snow)

Game of Thrones became such an iconic show that even though it’s already finished, people are still talking about it. The finale was really divisive and controversial, and you probably know that some fans were actually so unsatisfied with season 8 that they created a petition to reshoot the final season and the author of the books, George Martin, promised that the end of the book saga would be different from the show. But one thing we can still talk about are the financials of the show.

Bright Side wondered how much money the actors earned during their work on Game of Thrones and who earned the most after the partnership with the HBO channel. And at the end of the article, there is an interesting bonus for you.

15. Nathalie Emmanuel (Missandei) — $1 million

Nathalie Emmanuel’s character, Missandei, made her first appearance in season 3 and almost instantly earned love from some adoring fans. Over the course of 5 seasons, she evolved from a slave into Daenerys’s right hand. From what we know, Nathalie earned $100,000 per episode. This is very good money for an actress who is not playing a main role.

14. Alfie Allen (Theon Greyjoy) — $100,000 per episode

Theon Greyjoy’s character has been on the show since the first season. During season 8, he changed a lot and moved from a category C actor to a category B actor. In the final season, actor Alfie Allen received about $100,000 per episode.

13. Conleth Hill (Varys) — $100,000 per episode

Varys is another character that has been a part of the show since season 1. British actor Conleth Hill’s earnings were about $100,000 per episode in seasons 7-8. Conleth Hill earned around $2 million for the entire show.

12. Gwendoline Christie (Brienne of Tarth) — $100,000 per episode

Brienne of Tarth, the first Lord Commander of the Kingsguard and the first Lady Knight appeared in season 2. According to Celebrity Net Worth, English actress Gwendoline Christie who portrayed Brienne of Tarth used to make $100,000 per episode.

11. Iain Glen (Jorah Mormont) — $100,000 per episode

Jorah Mormont, a knight who was banished from Westeros, appeared back in season 1. But he was always a supporting character. Scottish actor Iain Glen managed to earn around $100,000 per episode for his role in the series.

10. Isaac Hempstead Wright (Bran Stark) — $175,000 per episode

Isaac Hempstead Wright was only 10 years old when he joined the show as Bran Stark. Now, he is 23 years old, and Game of Thrones brought him around $175,000 per episode.

9. Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark) — $175,000 — $210,000 per episode

Sansa Stark is one of the key characters of the show and a fan-favorite. Not very long ago, actress Sophie Turner earned $175 thousand per episode, but in the final season, her earnings increased to about $210 thousand per episode. Turner recently told Harper’s Bazaar that her earnings were way lower than Kit Harrington’s, but she was totally okay with that since he had way more screen time and a lot of nighttime work.

8. Maisie Williams (Arya Stark) — $150,000 — $210,000 per episode

Maisie Williams also came to the set as a teenager. For 8 seasons, her earnings grew from $150,000 per episode to $210,000 per episode. In this interview, Maisie said that in the very beginning of Game of Thrones, all she wanted from the show was to make enough money for a new laptop.

7. Natalie Dormer (Margaery Tyrell) — $100,000 per episode

Margaery Tyrell was a supporting character on the show, but this didn’t stop her from becoming a fan-favorite and earning a lot of money. She appeared in season 2 and she was one of the most interesting characters until she died in season 6. Natalie Dormer was making $100,000 per episode.

6. Rory McCann (Sandor Clegane) — $100,000 per episode

Sandor Clegane, also known as The Hound, appeared in season 1. The character went through a lot of changes and by the end of the show, he was more or less a positive character. The show earned Scottish actor Rory McCann around $100,000 per episode.

5. Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister) — $500,000 per episode

Lena Headey is in the top 5 main Game of Thrones characters and she is an A-list actress. Her character Cersei Lannister is probably the main villain of the show. According to some sources, the actress used to make $500,000 per episode.

4. Kit Harington (Jon Snow) — $500,000 per episode

Jon Snow became one of the main characters of the show and he has millions of fans. But it hasn’t always been like that. Before 2013, Kit Harrington’s character was not the most popular and the actor didn’t start making good money until season 5 — which was about $500,000 per episode.

3. Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen) — $500,000 per episode

Daenerys Targaryen, Khaleesi, the Mother of Dragons and Breaker of Chains, is the central character of Game of Thrones. We could say that Emilia Clarke’s career started with this show. Just like Kit Harrington, the actress was receiving $500,000 per episode. In the final season, Clarke received more than $1 million per episode, just like all of the other key actors. Last year, Emilia Clarke told Vanity Fair that she was paid as much as her friends.

2. Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister) — $500,000 per episode

Peter Dinklage who portrayed Tyrion Lannister was quite a popular actor even before Game of Thrones started. He would make $500,000 per episode like the other big stars of the show. And then during the last season, his salary rose to $1.2 million per episode.

1. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister) — $720,000 per episode

Jaime Lannister is another key character that fans have loved since season 1. The earnings of Danish actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in this role grew several times and by the final season, he was making $1.2 million per episode. Coster-Waldau is considered to be one of the richest actors in Game of Thrones.

Bonus

Even though Sean Bean’s character Ned Stark was killed in the very first season of Game of Thrones, he is one of the richest actors on the show. Today, Sean Bean has a net worth of $20 million. We don’t know how much money he received for the season, but the thing is the actor was quite popular before the show even started. For example, he had a part in The Lord of the Rings. Also, the role of Ned Stark made him even more popular and Sean Bean got many other offers afterward. After Game of Thrones, he did big projects like Medici: Masters of Florence and The Oath.

By the way, the show earned a lot of money not only for the actors but also for everyone who worked on it. For example, the HBO channel earned $3.1 billion just from user subscriptions, and book author George Martin earned about $65 million.

Who is your favorite Game of Thrones character?