Crossword Dictionary

Peter Dinklage

Peter Dinklage, (born June 11, 1969, Morristown, New Jersey, U.S.), American actor who was perhaps best known for his role as Tyrion Lannister, a humane and clever dwarf with a penchant for debauchery, on the HBO television show Game of Thrones (2011–19).

Dinklage was born with achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism caused by an abnormality in the bone-producing cells of the growth plates of long bones such as the femur and the humerus. Possessing an infectious charm, he began acting at an early age, and he attended Bennington College in Vermont. After graduating in 1991, Dinklage and a Bennington classmate moved to Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighbourhood and founded a theatre group modelled on Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre Company.

The project failed to take off, however, and Dinklage appeared in Off-Broadway productions while working at a variety of day jobs to support himself. He refused to accept parts that typecast him because of his height, and in his first big-screen role, the independent film Living in Oblivion (1995), Dinklage delivers a scathing indictment of Hollywood’s treatment of dwarfs.

His profile dramatically increased after the success of the television fantasy epic Game of Thrones, which debuted in 2011. The series, adapted from George R.R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire novels, depicted a world of graphic sex and violence, in which magic became increasingly prevalent as the story progressed. Within that atmosphere, the political machinations of a handful of characters shaped the fates of entire continents. And though Dinklage as the perceptive and acerbic Tyrion was perhaps the least-likely grandmaster at that game, he excelled at injecting wry humour into the often grim high-stakes setting of Game of Thrones. His nuanced performance garnered accolades from both viewers and critics, and he won a handful of Emmy Awards for best supporting actor.