Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage celebrates his 56th birthday today but how much do you know about the actor?
Game of Thrones has turned many actors into household names over the years, and one of the first to experience this was Peter Dinklage.
While Peter was already known for his appearances in movies from Elf to Death at a Funeral, it was his portrayal of Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones from 2011-19 that catapulted him to international stardom. Peter won multiple awards for the role, including a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor a record four times, as well as a Golden Globe in 2011.
Since then, Peter has starred in a range of movies and TV series, including The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes in 2023 and Dexter: Resurrection in 2025.
But as he turns 56 today, how much do you know about Peter Dinklage? Here are some facts you might not know.
He dropped out of acting for a while
Peter had had an interest in acting from childhood – being the successful lead in a fifth-grade production helped to foster that – and he studied drama at college graduating in 1991.
However, success did not come quickly. After moving to New York City, Peter attempted to build a theater company with a friend, but the venture failed. To make ends meet he ended up working for a data processing company, staying for six years before attempting again to make acting a full-time career.
He steadfastly avoids stereotypical fantasy roles
Peter has achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism where the body is perfectly formed but the long bones in the arms and legs do not grow in the same way as those without the condition.
At the start of his career, he struggled to get roles as he refused to take any role where his dwarfism was treated as a joke or he was the object of spectacle. Likewise, he avoided roles in fantasy movies or TV shows where he would be a magical dwarf, elf or similar as he didn’t want to get typecast.
He was the only choice to play Tyrion Lannister
When it came to casting for roles in Game of Thrones, creator George RR Martin had only one person in mind to play Tyrion Lannister – Peter.
The character of Tyrion was renowned for his scheming and dastardliness, but Peter himself is said to be a very friendly and amiable person – so much so that co-stars such as Charles Dance and Lena Headey found it difficult to be mean to him when the scripts in the show demanded it.
He is a vegetarian
Peter has been a vegetarian since he was 16 and is a long-standing advocate for animal rights.
While sometimes acting roles have called for Peter to appear to be eating meat, he hasn’t been. For instance, in The Station Agent in 2003, the beef jerky he was seen to be eating was actually made out of tofu.
His brother is a noted violinist
Peter’s older brother, Jonathan, is a noted violinist. Peter has said that his passion for the instrument is the one thing that kept him from pursuing acting.
Jonathan however has forged a successful career in music, including being violinist and concertmaster for the musical Hamilton.
He has a large scar
If you look closely, you can see that Peter has a scar running from his neck to his eyebrow. He has had this since the 1990s after an accident he suffered while he was onstage.
At the time, Peter was in a punk-funk-rap band called Whizzy, and while they were playing at the legendary CBGB nightclub in New York City, he was accidentally kneed in the face. While he was bleeding from the injury, he nevertheless continued performing before seeking treatment later.
