Roger Ashton-Griffiths (born 19 January 1957) is an English character actor, screenwriter and film director. He is best known for his role as Mace Tyrell in the HBO fantasy series Game of Thrones.
Life and career
Born in Hertfordshire, Ashton-Griffiths attended Altrincham Grammar School for Boys in Manchester. He then read music at Lancaster University, where he was a member of Furness College, graduating in 1978. He began his career as a singer with the English National Opera at the London Coliseum between 1979 and 1981.
He has appeared in numerous high-profile films, including Terry Gilliam's Brazil (1985) and The Brothers Grimm (2005), Dreamchild (1985), Young Sherlock Holmes (1985), Gene Wilder's Haunted Honeymoon (1986), Roman Polanski's Pirates (1986), Peter Greenaway's The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989), Mountains of the Moon (1990), Chicago Joe and the Showgirl (1990), Shadowlands (1993), The Portrait of a Lady (1996), The Wind in the Willows (1996), A Knight's Tale (2001), Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York (2002), Woody Allen's You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (2010), Olivier Dahan's Grace of Monaco (2014), and Mike Leigh's Mr. Turner (2014).
He has also worked extensively in television, including Jack the Ripper, The Odyssey, Merlin, Margaret, The Tudors, Doctor Who, Coronation Street and Father Brown. He portrays Lord Mace Tyrell in Game of Thrones in Season 4, Season 5, and Season 6.
Ashton-Griffiths's debut novel The Case of Cat Adam was published in 2023.
Personal life Ashton-Griffiths is married to Sharmini Thillaimuthu, a senior studio director at the BBC, with whom he has two children. He lives in Suffolk, and has dual British and Canadian citizenship.
In 2003, Ashton-Griffiths attained an MA in fine art from the University of East London, and in 2016, he attained a PhD in creative writing from the University of East Anglia. In 2010, he was appointed a Fellow of Furness College, Lancaster.
Filmography Film YearTitleRoleNotes 1984The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood1st Coachman1985BrazilPriest1985DreamchildMr. Duckworth1985Young Sherlock HolmesInspector Lestrade1985PiratesMoonhead1985PlentyRadio Producer1986Haunted HoneymoonFrancis Jr.1987Empire StatePunter in Cafe1989The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover Turpin1989Seven MinutesWatchman1990Mountains of the Moon Lord Cowley1990Chicago Joe and the ShowgirlInspector Tarr1991King RalphRoyal Photographer1993ShadowlandsDr. Monk1994The Madness of King GeorgeMP1995RestorationMr. Bung1996The Portrait of a LadyBob Bantling1996JudeAuctioneer1996The Wind in the WillowsThe Prosecution Counsel1997Swept from the SeaCanon Van Stone1999You're DeadCliff Sniffton2001A Knight's TaleOld Bishop2001DeflationMeditating ManShort film; also writer and director2002Gangs of New YorkP. T. Barnum2002Nicholas NicklebyDoctor2003What a Girl WantsLord Orwood2004Devil's GateEagle2005The Brothers GrimmMayor2006Irish JamTom Flannery2008Mutant ChroniclesScience Monk2009Bright StarShopkeeper2009Samuel Johnson: The Dictionary ManSamuel Johnson2009TormentedMr Humpage2009Hell's PavementDaffyd Tudor2010You Will Meet a Tall Dark StrangerJonathan Wunch2011A Gun for GeorgeMr. MaddockShort film2013Summer in FebruaryJory2014Grace of MonacoAlfred Hitchcock2014Mr. TurnerHenry William Pickersgill2015The London FirmThe Contractor2015Dragonheart 3: The Sorcerer's CurseThe Potter2015The LobsterDoctor2017BreatheChaplain2017Crooked HouseGaitskill2017The Death of StalinMusician #12018Christopher RobinRalph Butterworth2020The ShowFirst Cabby/Bus Conductor2020My Dad's Christmas DateMr Thompson2021The ScoreFrank2022The Other MeStranger2023My Mother's WeddingBest Man2024Savage HouseDr Hemmings
Television YearTitleRoleNotes 1982The Young OnesOrgoEpisode: "Boring"1983The Nation's HealthUnknown characterEpisode: "Acute"1984The Secret ServantIvan2 episodes1986ProspectsEddie2 episodes1986C.A.T.S. EyesHumbartEpisode: "Freezeheat"1987Hardwicke HouseP.E. TeacherEpisode: "First Day of Term"1988CrossbowTown CrierEpisode: "The Citadel"1988Jack the RipperRodman2 episodes1989Shadow of the NooseWilliam ThompsonEpisode: "Gun in Hand"1989The BillD.I. LarberEpisode: "Time Out"1990Grange HillWalt4 episodes1991LovejoyAntique Shop OwnerEpisode: "Montezuma's Revenge"1992The Young Indiana Jones ChroniclesSinister GermanEpisode: "Austria, March 1917"1992The Life and Times of Henry PrattLen Arrowsmith2 episodes1993HeidiChurchmanMiniseries1993The Darling Buds of MayMr. Ramsbottom2 episodes1994Martin ChuzzlewitGeorge Chuzzlewit2 episodes1994The Wimbledon PoisonerVicar2 episodes1995Go NowWalsh Television film1995The PlantGeoff the Producer Television film1996Tales from the CryptValdemar Tymrak Episode: "Report from the Grave"1996The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll FlandersGent at Mint 1997The OdysseyPolites 2 episodes1997IvanhoePrior Aymer 4 episodes1997CadfaelThomas of Bristol Episode: "St. Peter's Fair" 1998MerlinSir BorisMiniseries1998The Children of the New ForestMiller SpriggeMiniseries1998Vanity FairKing George IV1 episode2000Lady Audley's SecretDr. Alwyn MosgraveTelevision film2001As IfShower ManEpisode: "Alex's POV"2001The Wonderful World of DisneyFriar TuckEpisode: "Princess of Thieves"2001MicawberMr. PeckEpisode: "Micawber Learns the Truth"2004Keen EddieGlass Eye GordonEpisode: "Citizen Cecil"2005EmpirePanza4 episodes2006TorchwoodMr GaretEpisode: "Random Shoes"2007Roman MysteriesTascius PomponianusEpisode: "The Secrets of Vesuvius"2007A Very British Sex Scandal"Khaki" RobertsTelevision film2007Heroes and VillainsGeneral DoppetEpisode: "Napoleon"2008The PassionSyrian Prefect2 episodes2008Terry Pratchett's The Colour of MagicLumuel Panter2009MargaretJohn SergeantTelevision film2009Henry VIII: The Mind of a TyrantCardinal Wolsey3 episodes2009The TudorsSir John Hutton2 episodes2010Accidental FarmerBillTelevision film2011Little CrackersFirst MagistrateEpisode: "Alan Davies' Little Cracker: The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Daytime"2013NTSF:SD:SUV::RobinsonEpisode: "U-KO'ed"2014The MusketeersElderly PriestEpisode: "Friends and Enemies"2014This is JinsyHead of DecencyEpisode: "Penny's Pendant"2014Doctor WhoQuayleEpisode: "Robot of Sherwood"2014–15Coronation StreetNeurosurgeon7 episodes2014–16Game of ThronesMace Tyrell13 episodes2015DoctorsDr. Philip PlumridgeEpisode: "Are You Kidding Me?"2016Father BrownCardinal BonipogioEpisode: "The Daughter of Autolycus"2016Marley's GhostsMr. BusbyEpisode: "Carly"2017TabooAbraham ApplebyEpisode: "Episode 1"2017QuacksBishop of Lambeth2 episodes2018Lucky ManArthur McCarthy1 episode
References
External links
Roger Ashton-Griffiths at Curtis Brown Roger Ashton-Griffiths at Johnson and Alcock Alumni of the Lancaster University