Character
High Sparrow
High Sparrow in Game of Thrones (2011), played by Jonathan Pryce.
He arrives barefoot in King's Landing, a humble septon leading a ragged flock of the poor and devout. Soft-spoken and unassuming, he preaches simplicity and faith over privilege, washing the feet of beggars while the great houses squabble above him. Nobody in power thinks to take him seriously — a mistake, given how quickly his following grows.
Pryce plays him without a trace of villainous flourish, just patient, gentle certainty, which is precisely what makes him unsettling. The show gives him real ideological conviction rather than simple hunger for power, so his scenes with queens and kings become genuine battles of philosophy. He's frightening because he might actually believe it.
The High Sparrow was the leader of the religious sect known as the Sparrows and the newly appointed High Septon. Under his tenure, the Faith Militant was reestablished, and amasses considerable influence over the Iron Throne during the reign of King Tommen I. His real name is unknown. The High Sparrow was immensely serious, threatening, and only occasionally tender.
Played by
Appears in
Game of Thrones2011