You probably know him as the guy who makes your skin crawl.
When Matthew Needham limps onto the screen as Larys Strong in House of the Dragon, you can practically feel the temperature in the room drop. It is a specific kind of magnetism. He doesn’t need to shout to be the most dangerous person in the Red Keep. Honestly, it’s a bit of a tragedy that most people only know him for that one foot-obsessed manipulator.
The truth is, Needham has been one of the hardest-working actors in the UK for nearly two decades. He is a shape-shifter. If you’ve only seen him in Westeros, you’re missing out on a filmography that spans from gritty medical dramas to Oscar-winning shorts.
From Casualty to the Small Council: The TV Evolution
Most actors start small, but Needham’s "small" was a 61-episode run on the long-standing British medical drama Casualty.
Back in 2007, he played Toby De Silva. He wasn't a master manipulator then; he was just a junior doctor struggling under the weight of his parents' expectations. It’s funny looking back at those episodes now. You see a much younger, 6-foot-3 actor finding his feet. It’s a world away from the dark, whispered conspiracies of King’s Landing, yet that foundational work in a fast-paced soap is likely where he honed that "restrained" quality people love so much today.
But he didn't stay in the hospital for long.
If you blink, you’ll miss him in some of the most prestigious shows of the last decade. He popped up in Sherlock as "Bezza." He had a stint in the period drama Sanditon as Mr. Crowe. He even played a character named Dmitri in the harrowing Chernobyl. He’s everywhere once you start looking.
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- Doctor Who: He played "Old Swarm" in the Flux miniseries.
- The Hollow Crown: He appeared alongside some of the greatest Shakespearean actors of our time.
- Great Expectations: He took on the role of Mr. Drummle in the 2023 BBC/FX adaptation.
The guy just doesn't stop working.
Matthew Needham Movies and TV Shows: The Big Screen Breakthrough
While TV made him a household face, the movies are where he proves he can handle the weight of a massive production.
A lot of people don't realize that Needham was actually the lead in an Oscar winner. In 2015, he starred in a short film called Stutterer. He plays Greenwood Carsen, a man with a severe stutter trying to navigate a first date. It’s a quiet, incredibly vulnerable performance. It won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film, and if you haven't seen it, go find it. It will completely change how you view "Larys."
Then came the big leagues. Ridley Scott’s Napoleon (2023).
Needham plays Lucien Bonaparte, Napoleon’s brother. Interestingly, he wasn't even supposed to play that part. He was originally cast as a different character for a single scene, but that scene got cut. Instead of being sent home, he got a call asking if he wanted to play the Emperor's brother. Talk about a glow-up. He held his own against Joaquin Phoenix, which is no small feat.
Looking forward, the momentum isn't slowing down. 2026 is looking huge. He’s been cast in Blade Runner 2099, the upcoming Amazon series produced by Ridley Scott. We don't know who he's playing yet, but given his track record, it’s probably someone we’ll love to hate. Or hate to love.
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The Stage Is Where the Magic Happens
You can’t really talk about Matthew Needham without mentioning the theater. He’s a "stage-first" actor, trained at LAMDA, and a veteran of the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Globe.
Have you ever seen him do Shakespeare? It’s intense. He played Saturninus in Titus Andronicus at the Globe, a role that was actually filmed and released. It is a masterclass in playing a petulant, dangerous ruler. If you want to see the DNA of Larys Strong, that’s where you’ll find it.
He also led the 2019 production of Torch Song at the Turbine Theatre. He played Arnold Beckoff, a gay drag queen in 1970s New York. It was a massive, three-hour role that required him to be funny, heartbroken, and fierce all at once. Critics raved about it. They called it "raw" and "magnetic."
It’s that theater background that makes his screen work so precise. He knows how to use his body. He knows how to use silence. In House of the Dragon, he and Olivia Cooke (Alicent Hightower) often talk about how their scenes are more about what isn't said. That’s a skill you only get from hundreds of nights on a stage.
What Most People Get Wrong About His Roles
The biggest misconception is that Needham is just a "villain actor."
Sure, he plays the creepy guy well. Larys is arguably the most loathsome character on TV right now, especially after that infamous scene with the boots. But if you look at his work in Stutterer or Summer and Smoke on stage, there’s a deep well of empathy there.
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He doesn't view Larys as a villain. He views him as a survivor. In interviews, he often points out that in a world where everyone is a literal dragon-riding warrior, a man with a disability has to find other ways to exert power. He plays the "Lord Confessor" with a sense of internal logic that makes the character far more interesting than a simple cartoon baddie.
Basically, he’s a character actor with the face of a leading man and the soul of a theater geek.
Why You Should Keep Watching
If you’re a fan of House of the Dragon, you already know he’s going to be central to the "Dance of the Dragons" as the series continues. But don't stop there.
- Watch Stutterer (2015): It’s only 12 minutes long. It will break your heart.
- Find the Globe’s Titus Andronicus: See him play a different kind of tyrant.
- Look for The Generators (2024): A more recent project that shows his range.
- Wait for Blade Runner 2099: This could be his biggest role yet outside of Westeros.
Needham is one of those rare actors who can disappear into a role so completely that you forget it’s him. Whether he’s a doctor in a British ER, a stuttering typographer, or a scheming lord in a fantasy world, he brings a level of intelligence to the work that is rare.
Stop thinking of him as "that guy from the foot scene." Start thinking of him as one of the most versatile actors of his generation. The 2026 season and his upcoming film slate suggest he's only just getting started.
Next Steps: To get a full sense of his range, track down his performance in Endeavour (Season 4, Episode 2, "Canticle"). It’s a guest spot, but it perfectly showcases his ability to play a complex, morally ambiguous character in a grounded setting.