Honestly, if you were watching "The Broken Man" when it first aired back in 2016, you probably dropped your remote during that cold open. We usually get the sweeping map of Westeros immediately, right? Not this time. Instead, we got a peaceful, sun-drenched construction site. No music. Just the rhythmic thud of an axe.
And then we saw him.
The game of thrones season 6 episode 7 actors list is a weirdly specific but fascinating group because this single episode managed to bring back a dead man, introduce a future superstar, and give a legendary British actor just enough screen time to break everyone’s hearts. It’s one of the most character-dense hours in the show's entire run.
Rory McCann and the Return of the Hound
For two years, fans theorized that Sandor Clegane wasn't actually dead. Brienne of Tarth had left him in a pretty sorry state at the end of season 4, but unless you see a head on a spike in this show, you don't believe it. Rory McCann returning as the Hound was the worst-kept secret in Belfast, but the way he came back was pure poetry.
He wasn't snarling or wearing that heavy dog-head helm. He was hauling logs. McCann played this version of Sandor with a strange, quiet vulnerability that we hadn't seen before. He looked older, tired, and—dare I say it—kinda peaceful. It’s a testament to McCann’s acting that he could make a man who once murdered a butcher's boy look like a sympathetic monk-in-training.
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Ian McShane: One Episode to Rule Them All
You don't hire Ian McShane unless you want someone to deliver a monologue that stays in people's heads for a decade. He played Brother Ray, a character who was basically a remix of the books’ Septon Meribald and the Elder Brother.
Ray was a reformed killer who found a different path. McShane’s gravelly voice was perfect for a man explaining that "it’s never too late to come back." He was only on screen for about ten minutes total before being hung by the Brotherhood Without Banners, but his impact on Sandor’s arc was massive. He gave the Hound a reason to believe that a "broken man" could still be a good man.
Interestingly, McShane actually got into a bit of trouble with the fans before the episode aired by calling the show "tits and dragons" and accidentally spoiling his own return. Typical Al Swearengen behavior, really.
The Debut of the Giant Slayer: Bella Ramsey
If you want to talk about game of thrones season 6 episode 7 actors who stole the entire show, you have to talk about Bella Ramsey. Long before they were fighting cordyceps in The Last of Us, Ramsey was a ten-year-old taking down Jon Snow and Sansa Stark with nothing but words.
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As Lyanna Mormont, the Lady of Bear Island, Ramsey had exactly one scene in this episode. That was supposed to be it. Seriously—the showrunners, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, have said in interviews that she was originally a one-off character. But she was so terrifyingly good that they kept writing her back into the script.
When she looks at Jon Snow and tells him, "My island is small, but every one of us should have the strength of ten mainlanders," you believe her. She managed to make Kit Harington and Liam Cunningham look like nervous schoolchildren.
The Siege of Riverrun and the Tully Reunion
While the North was busy being scolded by a child, the Riverlands saw the return of some heavy hitters. Clive Russell came back as the Blackfish, Brynden Tully. He’s one of those actors who just looks like he stepped out of a history book. He played the Blackfish with a stubborn, old-school grit that made Jaime Lannister look like a pampered brat.
Speaking of Jaime, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau had a great dynamic here with Gwendoline Christie (Brienne). Their reunion at the siege camp is one of those moments where the actors do more with their eyes than the script does with the dialogue. You can see the mutual respect—and that weird, complicated affection—bubbling under the surface of their duty.
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We also saw the return of Tobias Menzies as the perpetually miserable Edmure Tully. Menzies is a master at playing "pathetic but noble," and seeing him used as a literal pawn on a gallows was a grim reminder of how much the Red Wedding still haunted the Tully family.
The Villains of the Week
Every good episode needs someone you want to see get hit with an axe. In this case, it was the rogue members of the Brotherhood Without Banners. Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson played Lem Lemoncloak, and he did a great job of being immediately loathsome. He’s an Icelandic actor who has since popped up in Succession and Vikings: Valhalla, but for GoT fans, he’ll always be the guy who killed Brother Ray and set the Hound back on the warpath.
A Quick Breakdown of Key Cast in "The Broken Man"
- Sandor Clegane: Rory McCann (Return)
- Brother Ray: Ian McShane (Guest Appearance)
- Lyanna Mormont: Bella Ramsey (Debut)
- Brynden Tully: Clive Russell
- Edmure Tully: Tobias Menzies
- Olenna Tyrell: Diana Rigg (Masterclass in insults)
- The Waif: Faye Marsay (Chasing Arya through Braavos)
Why This Cast Mattered for the End Game
Looking back, this episode wasn't just about filler. It was the moment the "little people" of Westeros finally got a voice through Brother Ray. It was also the moment House Stark started to rebuild its soul through Lyanna Mormont. Without the specific chemistry between these game of thrones season 6 episode 7 actors, the transition from the mid-series slump into the explosive finale of season 6 wouldn't have worked.
If you’re planning a rewatch, pay attention to the lighting in the Bear Island scenes versus the Riverlands. The production design earned an Emmy nomination for this episode, and the actors really lean into those distinct environments.
Next Steps for Fans:
If you want to see more of these actors in their element, go watch Ian McShane in Deadwood or Bella Ramsey in the 2022 film Catherine Called Birdy. It’s wild to see how much they’ve grown since that one Sunday night in June 2016. You could also check out the behind-the-scenes "Inside the Episode" featurette on Max to see how they filmed the Hound’s big wood-chopping reveal.