Charles Dance
With a voice like chilled steel and a commanding presence, he became the definitive screen aristocrat and villain for a generation.
Born 1946 (age 80)·British actor·Birthday: October 10·Baby Boomers
Biography
Charles Dance, born in 1946, possesses an aura of natural authority that has defined his five-decade career. He began not as an actor but as a graphic designer and newspaper reporter before training at the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. His early years were spent mastering Shakespeare on stage with the Royal Shakespeare Company, building a foundation of classical technique. Television brought him wider fame, particularly with his breakout role as the cold, calculating Guy Perron in The Jewel in the Crown. Film then cemented his image as the quintessential, often villainous, figure of power, from his scene-stealing turn as the villain in The Golden Child to his defining performance as the ruthless Tywin Lannister in Game of Thrones. Dance has never been confined by type, however, moving seamlessly between blockbuster villains, historical figures like Lord Mountbatten, and even occasional comedic roles, all delivered with his signature imposing gravitas.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Charles was born in 1946, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Charles Was Born
The biggest hits of 1946
#1 Movie
The Best Years of Our Lives
Best Picture
The Best Years of Our Lives
Charles's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1946Born
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1951Started school
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1959Became a teenager
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1962Could drive
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1964Could vote
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1967Turned 21
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1976Turned 30
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1986Turned 40
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 50
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 60
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 70
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 80
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Gained international recognition for his portrayal of the formidable Tywin Lannister in the global phenomenon Game of Thrones.
- Earned a BAFTA TV Award nomination for his leading role in the critically acclaimed miniseries The Jewel in the Crown.
- Played memorable antagonist roles in major films including Alien 3, The Last Action Hero, and Gosford Park.
- Was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2006 for his services to drama.
Did You Know?
He wrote and directed the 2004 film Ladies in Lavender, starring Judi Dench and Maggie Smith.
Before acting, he worked as a dresser at the Plymouth Theatre and as a graphic designer for the West Sussex County Times.
He provided the voice for the mysterious Emperor Emhyr var Emreis in the video game The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
He is an accomplished fisherman and has written articles on the subject for various publications.
“I'm often cast as people who wear beautifully cut suits and look as if they own the world. I don't know why that is.”
