Matthew Needham: 5 Things To Know About The Actor Playing Larys Strong In ‘HOTD’

Matthew Needham plays the deceptive and dangerous Larys Strong in ‘House of the Dragon’. Get to know Matthew here.

Matthew Needham is the actor behind the new villain on House of the Dragon. The 38-year-old stars in the Game of Thrones prequel as Larys Strong, who shockingly murders his own family members in the sixth episode. Larys is going to be an important character for the rest of the season, so expect to see more from Matthew.

So, who is Matthew Needham? The talented British actor is about to have his breakout in House of the Dragon. Here are five things you need to know about Matthew.

Matthew plays Larys Strong in House of the Dragon.

Matthew made his first appearance as Larys Strong in the fifth episode. Larys is the younger son of Lord Lyonel Strong, who serves as the Hand of the King. Larys is known as “Clubfoot” because he walks with a limp due to a birth defect. In Episode 6, Lyonel and his older son Harwin Strong, who was having an affair with Rhaenyra Targaryen, are killed in a house fire at Harrenhal. Larys reveals to Queen Alicent Hightower that he was behind the treacherous act.

He went to drama school in London.

Matthew graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Acting from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in 2007. Before that, he went to Claremont Fan Court School, a co-educational independent school. Matthew is from Kingston upon Thames, a town in South West London.

He made his television debut in Casualty.

Matthew starred in the BBC One medical series Casualty from 2007 to 2009. He played Toby De Silva, a doctor who was pushed into the medical field by his parents. The series is still on the air and debuted its 37th season in August 2022.

He appeared in an Oscar-winning short film.

Matthew had the lead role in the 2015 short drama film Stutterer. It was about a typographer named Greenwood Carsen who struggles due to his stutter. The project won Best Live Action Short Film at the 2016 Academy Awards.

He’s starring in the upcoming movie ‘Napoleon.’

Matthew has been cast in Ridley Scott’s upcoming historical drama Napoleon, about Napoleon Bonaparte’s rise to power. Matthew is playing Napoleon’s younger sibling Lucien Bonaparte. Also starring is Joaquin Phoenix as Napoleon and Vanessa Kirby as Empress Josephine. Napoleon will be released on Apple TV+ in 2023.