Meet Ewan Mitchell, Breakout Star of 'House of the Dragon'

The latest in a long line of Game of Thrones actors to break through the noise as a fan favorite, Ewan Mitchell has emerged as one of the Internet's favorite actors of the moment, due in part to his gripping portrayal of Prince Aemond Targaryen in House of the Dragon—the one-eyed, icy blonde-haired vengeful young villain that fans have grown to enjoy a love-hate relationship with. 

The 27-year-old actor has quickly amassed a dedicated fan base, thanks to his charming, down-to-earth personality, as seen in cast interviews and the most red carpet premieres of Season 2 of the series. Curious to know more about the English actor as he rises to the top of the industry? Join L'OFFICIEL as we break down everything you need to know about Ewan Mitchell, including his past projects, personal life, and more. 

Born and raised in Derby, England—a town about an hour outside London, where the actor still lives to this day—Ewan Mitchell grew up with ambitions of one day becoming a great actor. In a recent interview with Esquire, Mitchell regaled the time he told his classmates he wanted to become an actor at age 13 and was met with laughs. “From that moment, I knew I had to show not tell and although people thought my head was in the clouds, I always felt like my feet were planted in the ground," he said. 

As a teenager, Mitchell was already in tune with the entertainment world, and grew up watching films like Taxi Driver and Citizen Kane—classic movies that informed his acting style and conception of what film can look like. Mitchell also revealed that as a kid, he was a massive fan of Doctor Who—the iconic TV show that countless British children grow up watching—and acting alongside Doctor Who alum Matt Smith in House of the Dragon was a major milestone. In the same Esquire interview, Mitchell noted that his character, Aemond, has a strong reverence for Daemon, Smith's character, and on set, he operated in character with the same respect he has for Smith in real life. “I thought there was something interesting in never taking Matt off that podium,” Mitchell said. “I just kept him there, from where I saw him as a kid.”

After graduating high school in 2015, Mitchell formally began his foray into the acting world and attended the Television Workshop in Nottingham, where he learned the ins and outs of acting for the screen. “It champions that raw instinct and gives kids an opportunity who might not necessarily have the financial means to afford drama school," he explained in the same Esquire interview. "I will always be in debt to the Workshop.” His first breakout role was his performance as Ettore in Claire Denis' 2018 film, High Life, where he acted opposite Robert Pattinson and Mia Goth. 

As he has grown into a figure beloved by the industry and the Internet alike, Mitchell has opted to maintain a fairly private persona, and does not have any social media accounts—a choice that sets him apart from castmates like Emma D'Arcy and Olivia Cooke, who are extremely active online and regularly interact with fans. 

Although his role in High Life marked his major film debut—Mitchell starred in two short films, Stereotype and Fire, prior—he began his television journey with ITV period drama, The Halcyon, in 2017. Shortly therafter, he was cast as Osferth in The Last Kingdom, a BBC Two/Netflix series, that he starred in from 2017 to 2022. 

While he wasn't billed as a starring character in Saltburn—Emerald Fennell's buzzy 2023 comedy-drama-horror film that has left an undeniable mark on pop culture—fans of Mitchell were glad to see him in his portrayal of Michael Gavey, the nerdy, but charismatic friend that Barry Keoghan's Oliver makes while at Oxford. Although his character didn't enjoy the screentime that Aemond Targaryen did in House of the Dragon, Mitchell maximized his minutes through an unforgettable, chilling performance that stuck with audiences long after the credits rolled.