Cardinal Thomas Wolsey

Wolsey enters as the king's most powerful minister, Lord Chancellor of England, a butcher's son who has risen through sheer ability into the Church's scarlet robes. He manages Henry's wars, his finances, his temper, and his ambitions, moving through court with the settled confidence of a man who believes he is indispensable.

Sam Neill plays Wolsey as intelligence made almost tired by its own competence — a man who has spent so long being the smartest one in the room that he's stopped bothering to hide it. The show gives him real statecraft to perform, and Neill lets you watch the gears turn beneath the composure.