Why Ser Torrhen Manderly From House Of The Dragon Looks So Familiar

Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) isn't managing King's Landing well by the end of "House of the Dragon" Season 3. She might have wrestled back control of the city, but the smallfolk's perception of her is anything but positive if all that graffiti is anything to go by. Thankfully, she has a few trusted advisers to keep her on the straight and narrow, like her new Master of Coin: Ser Torrhen Manderly.

Of course, a kingdom can't be run on loyalty to the crown alone, as Rhaenyra discovers that the greens have fled with all the gold. Manderly becomes her answer to managing what's left of the crown's finances as a way of shifting that responsibility to someone else — all so she can focus on revenge, power, and that all-important prophecy. But if Manderly looks familiar, that's because he's played by actor and comedian, Dan Fogler.

It's no surprise that the show has been recruiting more and more talented stars to Westeros since it has become one of the best shows streaming on HBO Max. Fogler is one of the newcomers to Season 3, alongside James Norton as Ser Ormund Hightower and Tommy Flanagan as Ser Roderick Dustin. Most audiences will recognize Fogler for playing Jacob Kowalski in the "Harry Potter" prequel movies, "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," opposite Eddie Redmayne. But the star also has a handful of truly impressive TV shows in his resume.

Aside from movies like "Balls of Fury" and "Fanboys," Dan Fogler has done some of his greatest work on the small screen, including in the first season of NBC's "Hannibal" — one of the best serial killer TV shows ever made. The series approached Thomas Harris' books with intelligence and nuance, instead of just splashy gore — although there was plenty of that, too. Fogler played one of Hannibal Lecter's (Mads Mikkelsen) psychiatric patients, Franklyn Froideveaux.

He was obsessed with Lecter, and actually just wanted to be his friend — Fogler perfectly balances a line between making the character both pathetic and pitiful. He was much more likeable when he joined "The Walking Dead" Season 9 as Luke Abrams. He's the light-hearted survivor who even comes up with the plan to dispatch the Whisperers' herd. He's a musician, and suggests using music to lure the zombies off a cliff — which works after several brutal encounters with the Whisperers during Seasons 9 and 10.

Fogler also starred in "The Offer," an underrated miniseries for Paramount+ about the making of "The Godfather." In it, he had the challenge of playing real life director Francis Ford Coppola. Critics weren't keen on the show, but it earned a 95% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes with many commenters praising the casting and performances. Given how crucial Fogler's role is to the story, his work definitely paid off.

Considering "House of the Dragon" quickly became one of HBO's flagship dramas after "Game of Thrones" ended, it's easy to imagine that every actor worth their salt was, and is, vying for a role in the show. But Dan Fogler landed the role of Ser Torrhen Manderly out of sheer coincidence. Fogler and Ryan Condal actually share a connection in real life: Their children go to school together.

"I've been living here for a while since 'Fantastic Beasts,' and I got my kids into school with Ryan the showrunner! What a coinkydink. So, when we were dropping our kids off, I would say, 'Hey, what are you working on? What's going on?'" he recalled to Deadline. "Someone — either me or my wife — was like, 'Yeah, it'd be great to do a run on your show at some point!' I think that kind of put a seed in Ryan's head and he found something for me, and here I am." Manderly managed to keep in Rhaenyra Targaryen's good graces during Season 3, so it seems likely that Fogler will return to Westeros in the future unless he's unceremoniously killed off-screen.