Peter Claffey

Last updated

Peter Claffey
Born (1996-07-28) 28 July 1996 (age 29) [1]
Height1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)
Weight119 kg (18.7 st; 262 lb)
School Garbally College
University Bow Street Academy
Rugby union career
Position Lock forward
Amateur team(s)
YearsTeamApps(Points)
Galwegians RFC
Ballinasloe RFC
Terenure College RFC
Senior career
YearsTeamApps(Points)
2015–2019 Connacht Rugby
International career
YearsTeamApps(Points)
2016–2017 Ireland U20

Peter Claffey (born 28 July 1996) is an Irish actor and former rugby union player known for portraying the titular hedge knight Ser Duncan "Dunk" the Tall in the HBO series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (2026). [2]

Contents

Early life and education

Claffey is from Portumna, in County Galway, he attended Garbally College and played rugby union for Galwegians RFC. [3] [4] He later studied acting at the Bow Street Academy in Dublin, where he graduated in 2020. [5]

Career

Rugby union

Claffey played rugby union for Ballinasloe RFC and then University of Galway, subsequently joining Galwegians. A lock forward, he joined the Connacht Rugby academy in 2015. He played for Ireland U20 in the 2016 Six Nations Under 20s Championship. He signed a professional contract with Connacht Rugby in 2018. [6] [7] In 2019, he signed for Terenure College. [8]

Acting

He made his professional stage debut in 2022 playing Iggy in Tom Murphy's A Whistle in the Dark at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. [9] His onscreen career began in 2022 with television appearances on the shows Harry Wild and Apple TV dark comedy Bad Sisters . [2] That year, he played Cormac in the BBC Three comedy series Wreck , for which he filmed a second series in 2023. [10] Claffey then appeared in the third series of Vikings: Valhalla and the film adaptation of Small Things Like These . [11] [12] He also appeared in the second series of Bad Sisters playing the character Joe Walsh. [13]

In April 2024, Claffey was cast in the Game of Thrones prequel series in the titular role of Ser Duncan the Tall, also known as Dunk, in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms , written by George R. R. Martin and Ira Parker. [14] [15] The series premiered in 2026.

Filmography

Key
Denotes works that have not yet been released

Film

Feature film appearances
YearTitleRoleNote(s)Ref.
2024 Small Things Like These Barry

Television

YearTitleRoleNotesRef.
2022 Harry Wild BillyEpisode: "An Unhappy Happy is a Dangerous Thing"
Bad Sisters CallumEpisode: "Explode a Man"
2022–2024 Wreck Cormac Kelly12 episodes
2024 Vikings: Valhalla Dunstan4 episodes
Bad Sisters Joe WalshSeries 2, recurring role
Borderline Conor Byrne2 episodes
2026 A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Ser Duncan the TallLead role

References

  1. "Peter Claffey". Its Rugby. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  2. 1 2 Klein, Brennan (6 April 2024). "Next Game Of Thrones Spinoff Finds Its 2 Lead Stars". Screen Rant. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  3. "Former Connacht rugby player lands lead role in new Game of Thrones spinoff". Western People. 6 April 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  4. Cameron, Ian (6 April 2024). "6'5 ex-rugby prospect set for leading role in new Game of Thrones spin-off". Rugby Pass. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  5. 1 Year Full Time Programme Graduates - website of Bow Street Academy
  6. "Peter Claffey". Ultimate Rugby. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  7. Browne, Jonathan (6 April 2024). "Former Ireland U20 Star Lands Lead Role In New 'Game Of Thrones' Show". Balls.ie. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  8. "Reigning champions Cork Con edge Munster derby and new boys run Terenure close as AIL kicks off in style". The42. 5 October 2019. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  9. Dwyer, Ciara (23 November 2022). "Introducing rugby player turned actor Peter Claffey: 'I learned a hell of a lot about discipline and hard work'". Independent.ie. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  10. James, Alastair (19 March 2024). "Wreck's Peter Claffey says series two is 'next level'". Attitude.co.uk. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  11. Hibberd, James (5 April 2024). "HBO's 'Game of Thrones' Spinoff 'Hedge Knight' Casts Dunk and Egg Roles". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  12. Seitz, Loree (5 April 2024). "'Game of Thrones' Prequel Casts Peter Claffey and Dexter Sol Ansell". The Wrap. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  13. "Meet the 'Bad Sisters' Cast: Who Plays Who in the Apple TV+ Series". Marie Claire. 14 November 2024. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  14. Kain, Erik (5 April 2024). "Here Are The Stars Of The Next 'Game Of Thrones' Spinoff 'A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight'". Forbes. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  15. White, Peter (5 April 2024). "'Game Of Thrones' Spinoff 'A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms' Casts Peter Claffey & Dexter Sol Ansell In Lead Roles". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 7 April 2024.