Who is Ser Gwayne Hightower and who plays him in House of the Dragon?
The Greens' roster grows with a new member of House Hightower.
New faces are joining the ranks of the Blacks and the Greens in House of the Dragon season 2.
As the Dance of Dragons civil war continues in earnest between members of House Targaryen, King Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney) will need all the help he can to take on his fearsome and righteous half-sister Queen Rhaenyra I Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy).
One person who is recruited to the cause of the Greens is a member of House Hightower itself.
So, just who is Ser Gwayne Hightower in the House of the Dragon cast and who plays him? Here is everything you need to know.
Who is Ser Gwayne Hightower in House of the Dragon?
Ser Gwayne Hightower is the brother of Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) and the son of Ser Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans).
An arrogant knight from Oldtown in The Reach, Ser Gwayne joins in the military efforts of the Greens in the civil war.
Introduced in season 2 episode 3 The Burning Mill, Ser Gwayne is drafted in by the Hightowers to join Ser Criston Cole in his war in the Crownlands and Riverlands against the Blacks, to the chagrin of Ser Criston.
Ser Gwayne appears to be close to his sister Alicent, making things more awkward as Ser Criston is now Alicent's lover as well as her protector.
Who plays Ser Gwayne Hightower in House of the Dragon?
British actor Freddie Fox plays Ser Gwayne Hightower in House of the Dragon.
A member of the Fox acting dynasty, Freddie has appeared in various stage works, along with the television series Worried About the Boy, Cucumber, Banana and White House Farm.
On the big screen, Fox has appeared in the films The Three Musketeers (2011), The Riot Club, Pride, Victor Frankenstein, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, Black '47, and Fanny Lye Deliver'd.
*Spoiler warning for the book Fire & Blood and potential spoiler warning for House of the Dragon.*
What happens to Ser Gwayne Hightower in the book Fire & Blood?
In the book Fire and Blood, Ser Gwayne Hightower had lived most of his life at the Red Keep with his father Ser Otto Hightower, sister Alicent and mother.
In a tourney to celebrate King Viserys I Targaryen and Alicent's fifth wedding anniversary, Ser Gwayne was unhorsed by Ser Criston Cole.
At the outbreak of the Dance of Dragons, Ser Gwayne is named second-in-command of the City Watch to keep an eye on their loyalty to King Aegon II Targaryen.
In the book, Ser Gwayne was present at the outset of the succession crisis, when Grand Maester Orwyle visited Dragonstone to present terms to Rhaenyra Targaryen. In the show, this was portrayed in the season 1 finale when Ser Otto visited Dragonstone instead.
Read more:
- How to watch House of the Dragon – where can you stream?
- House of the Dragon planned to last three or four seasons
- When is House of the Dragon set? Game of Thrones timeline explained
- Where was House of the Dragon filmed?
- What is Dark Sister in House of the Dragon?
- Your guide to the dragons of House of the Dragon
- Game of Thrones books in order: A Song of Ice and Fire and more
House of the Dragon season 2 airs on Sky Atlantic and NOW in the UK from 17th June – find out more about how to sign up for Sky TV.
Check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
Lewis Knight is the Trends Editor for Radio Times, covering trending titles from TV, Film and more. He previously worked at The Mirror in TV, Film, and Showbiz coverage alongside work on SEO. Alongside his past work in advertising, he possesses a BSc in Psychology and an MA in Film Studies.
