Character
Samwell Tarly
Samwell Tarly in Game of Thrones (2011), played by John Bradley.
Samwell Tarly arrives at the Wall a disgraced lordling, fat and frightened, hopeless with a sword and mocked by nearly everyone in black. He hates violence, loves books, and just wants to survive the day without being hit. He is not built for the Night's Watch, and he knows it.
John Bradley plays cowardice without making it contemptible, so every small act of nerve lands like something enormous. The show trusts a fat, bookish boy to matter as much as any warrior, and Bradley's stammering warmth makes Sam the character you root for hardest precisely because he never stops being afraid.
Samwell, born Samwell Tarly, and often called Sam, is Jon Snow's closest friend, the eldest son of Lord Randyll Tarly and Lady Melessa Tarly of Horn Hill, and the older brother of Dickon and Talla Tarly. Eventually he becomes the new Grand Maester.
Played by
Appears in
Game of Thrones2011