John Standing

Not only does British actor John Standing come from a family of acting royalty -- his grandfather and great-grandfather were both distinguished in the field -- he even descends from royalty itself. (He is a 4th baronet, an outdated noble title he chooses not to use). As with so many other English actors of his generation he has anchored a prolific screen career with decades of stage performances in everything from Shakespeare to Wilde to Noel Coward, in both London and New York.

He made his screen debut on television at the end of the 1950s, and had his first major part a decade later in the BBC mini-series "The First Churchills." By the mid-1960s Standing began appearing in American films, and while his parts have continued steadily for decades, he has primarily been cast in character roles, with a notable exception being his starring turn in auteur British director Peter Greenaway's 1999 comedy, "8 1⁄2 Women." Overall Standing's career has covered an amazing amount of ground, including roles in projects spanning from 1980's "The Elephant Man" to the 2006 sci-fi thriller "V for Vendetta." His TV roles have also continued apace, including a part in the HBO fantasy epic, "Game of Thrones" in 2011.