Mark Addy

Introduced to American audiences as one of the amateur male strippers of "The Full Monty" (1997), Mark Addy made a cottage industry of playing men of unlimited ambition and unfulfilled potential. A graduate of London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Addy turned to film and television when he grew frustrated by his limited options on the stage. His feature film debut in "The Full Monty" brought Addy to the United States, where he lent support to Michael Keaton in the fantasy "Jack Frost" (1998) and replaced John Goodman as the embodiment of cartoon icon Fred Flintstone in "The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas" (2000). His stock rising immeasurably via his work with heartthrob Heath Ledger in "A Knight's Tale" (2002) and "The Order" (2003), Addy transitioned to the small screen with a lead role in the American sitcom "Still Standing" (CBS, 2002-06). Alternating better roles onstage with high profile film jobs, Addy turned up in "The Time Machine" (2002) and "Around the World in 80 Days," based on novels by H. G. Wells. His peripheral participation adding value to "Robin Hood" (2010) with Russell Crowe and "Barney's Version" (2010) starring Paul Giamatti, Addy had a chance to take focus and throw considerably more shade as the troubled King Robert Baratheon in HBO's epic miniseries "Game of Thrones" (2011- ), based on the award-winning fantasy novels of George R. R. Martin. An instant hit with TV viewers, "Game of Thrones" catapulted the actor to new heights, giving Mark Addy a stature and a following befitting a versatile character actor with the mass appeal of a leading man.