Game of Thrones: The 10 Best Iain Glen Roles Other Than Jorah Mormont (& Their IMDb Scores)

Iain Glen has been working regularly as an actor since 1986. While most people currently know Glen as the lovelorn golden knight and former Lord of Bear Island, Jorah Mormont, from Game of Thrones, the actor still has quite the back catalogue of impressive work both on the big and small screen.

In 1990 he won the Silver Bear for Best Actor at the Berlin International Film Festival for his starring role in Silent Scream, and the rest, as they say is history. Glen also has quite the track record on stage and, did you know he could sing? He was nominated for an Olivier award for best actor in a musical, for his part in Martin Guerre.

10 Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (1990) – 7.5

Glen won the Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival in the same year that he played Hamlet in the film version of Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are dead, based on Tom Stoppard’s play of the same name. Glen would play Hamlet in Hamlet the following year on stage at the Bristol Old Vic.

Rosencrantz was played by Gary Oldman and Guildenstern by Tim Roth. Glen is especially well remembered for the scene where Hamlet imitates a chicken.

9 Jack Taylor (2010- ) – 7.6

Perhaps Glen’s best known television character, aside from Ser Jorah himself, is that of Irish Private Investigator, Jack Taylor, a series based on the Ken Bruen novels. Beginning in 2010, Glen has played Jack Taylor in three seasons  featuring three feature length episodes each, the most recent premiering in 2016.

The hard drinking down on his luck former garda (national police officer) who, like Jorah himself, doesn’t have much luck in love, is a great opportunity for Glen to show off more of a character’s rough edges.

8 Prisoners’ Wives (2012-2013) – 7.7

Fans who only know Glen as Ser Jorah may have trouble imagining him as a villain, but Glen’s filmography certainly features quite a few baddies, including Dr. Isaacs in the Resident Evil franchise and Manfred Powell in the first Tomb Raider adaptation, but his more well reviewed bad guy was Paul Miller on the BBC show Prisoners’ Wives.

Over two seasons Paul’s family is forced to visit him in prison after his criminal career comes to an abrupt end. Even inside Paul has influence and charm, and it’s fascinating to watch unfold on screen.

7 Titans (2018- )- 7.8

While he has yet to don the cape and cowl, Glen did premiere in the role of Batman’s alter ego, Bruce Wayne, in the most recent season of DC’s Titans. Batman has appeared briefly in the shadows, though Glen has yet to wear the costume.

As the well connected billionaire with not one, but two Robins under his influence and protection, the Titans version of Bruce plays more of a godfather role for the newest generation of superheroes despite the issues surrounding his parenting of his first ward, Dick Grayson. Grayson and Wayne’s personal heart-to-heart conversations were some of the strongest scenes in all of season two.

6 Ripper Street (2012-2016) – 8.1

The TV series Ripper Street aired over five seasons and starred a team of inspectors who were working to maintain law and order in the city being terrorized by Jack the Ripper. While Game of Thrones’ own Jermoe Flynn (Bronn) starred in the whole series, Iain Glen made his mark in a single episode in 2013.

Titled “The Weight of One Man’s Heart”  Glen took on the part of Madoc Faulkner, an old military buddy of Flynn’s character, who gets to play an evil, but well spoken, Robin Hood type he meets his demise before the day is out.

5 Strike Back (2010-2020) – 8.2

Like Ripper Street, another guest starring role of Glen’s stands out in two episodes of Strike Back from 2010. Glen appears as Gerald Crawford, a former Officer in the Royal Marines who has become an arms dealer, in “Project Dawn” Part 5 and Part 6.

The heart of the role comes from Crawford’s need to rescue his daughter, Clare Somersby, a refugee doctor in the Sudan who could very well be killed by some of the weapons her father has sold across the region.

4 The Hollow Crown (2012) – 8.3

Like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern before it, Glen shines in a specially adapted Shakespeare production as Warwick in The Hollow Crown’s “Henry IV Part 2.” Warwick is a noblemen and one of the ailing King Henry IV’s allies and advisors.

The Hollow Crown adapted the History plays of Shakespeare over two seasons beginning in 2012. It worked through Richard II, Henry IV Part 1 and 2, and Henry V. It was nominated for six BAFTA Awards.

3 The Fear (1998) – 8.4

The Fear was a television show that ran for one season, and offered Glen his first starring role on TV. As he would later in Game of Thrones, and in Ripper Street, Glen worked alongside Jerome Flynn in the show.

The story followed Carl Galton (Glen) and his ambitious leadership of a gang in the hopes of building a criminal empire in north London. Obviously this ambition comes at great personal cost.

2 Glasgow Kiss (2000) – 8.5

Glasgow Kiss aired its single season in 2000 and is still beloved to Glen fans for the fact that his character, Stuart Morrison, both lives through the finale of the show, as well as gets the girl.

The program follows the life of new widower Stuart as he tries to keep up with his job as a sports reporter at the local Newspaper (which may be closing at any moment) and take care of his son. The program offers some lighter fare than some of Glen’s other projects, but that makes it all the more appealing.

1 Downton Abbey (2010-2015) – 8.7

Though hardly as well loved as Ser Jorah Mormont, Glen’s portrayal of Sir Richard Carlisle, a possible match for Lady Mary, on the second season of Downton Abbey, is quite the role.

The brusk self made newspaper man doesn’t exactly fit in the the Crowley crowd and comes off as a bit of a villain during his time on the show, but that means he leaves his mark even after only a single season at Downton. He is probably best remembered for getting into a fist fight with Matthew Crawley at the end of his stay on the show.

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