(Photo: Getty Images)
We can never get enough of Charles Dance. The 75-year-old actor can currently be seen in The King's Man, which has recently made its streaming debut on HBO Max and Hulu, and also appears in the upcoming survival movie Against the Ice. The latter reunites him with his Game of Thrones co-star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and premieres March 2 on Netflix.
To mark this mini "avalanche of Dance," we're making him our British Icon of the Week and rounding up 10 things we admire and appreciate about him: 
1. He was an absolute boss in Game of Thrones.
Dance was brilliant as Tywin Lannister, the ruthless patriarch who was often cruel to son Tyrion (Peter Dinklage). Dance told Digital Spy in 2013 that he would apologize to Dinklage after shooting scenes in which Tywin was particularly horrible to him.

2. He was also fantastic in The Crown.
Dance earned an Emmy nomination for his performance as Lord Mountbatten, a member of the British royal family who becomes a kind of surrogate father to Prince Philip (Matt Smith). In the scene below, he recites part of the Rudyard Kipling poem "Mandalay," which is the very definition of stirring. 

3. He is super-prolific.
Dance has a massive 157 acting credits listed on his IMDb page, including roles in BBC America's Merlin, Bleak House, AMC's The Little Drummer Girl, the hit Arnold Schwarzenegger movie Last Action Hero, Julian Fellowes' Oscar-winning costume drama Gosford Park, and the Sacha Baron Cohen comedy film Ali G Indahouse. No one could accuse him of lacking range.
4. He is also a director.
Dance made his directorial debut with the 2004 Britflick Ladies in Lavender, which has quite the cast. Dame Judi Dench and Dame Maggie Smith play a pair of older sisters living in a quiet corner of Cornwall, with only their grumpy servant (Miriam Margolyes) for company. However, the sisters are reminded of more exciting times when a mysterious Polish violinist (Daniel Brühl) washes up on the beach and asks for their kindness. It's a cozy Sunday afternoon movie that fans of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel will probably enjoy.

5. He's honest about taking some jobs for the money and/or the opportunity to travel.
"You go and think, 'OK, I'm going to try and do the best I can with this pile of s**t, and I'm doing it because it will enable me for a few months to perhaps say no [to other work],'" Dance told The Guardian in 2016.
Explaining why he agreed to do a little-known 2003 movie called Labyrinth, he added: "One of the worst scripts I've ever read. It's far too late now; it will never see the light of day, I hope. But I did it purely because I wanted to go to Beirut. I thought, 'This’ll be interesting,' and I asked for a ridiculous amount of money, assuming they would say absolutely not, and three weeks later I get a call saying, 'Remember that job in Beirut? Well they'll pay.' F**k."
6. He made his name by starring in the iconic British miniseries The Jewel in the Crown.
Based on novels by Paul Scott, this BAFTA-winning 1984 series told the story of the final days of British rule in India after World War II. Dance formed part of a classy ensemble cast led by Dame Peggy Ashcroft, Art Malik, Saeed Jaffrey, and Geraldine James.

7. He has worked extensively on-stage with the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Head to Twitter to see Dance looking suitably regal in a 1989 production of Coriolanus.
8. He's honest (but gracious) when talking about Game of Thrones' somewhat controversial series finale.
Asked for his thoughts on the way the show ended, he told PopCulture.com in 2019: "I continued to watch the whole series even after I'd been killed off in the lavatory. Because I just thought it's a fantastic television show, you know? I was very lucky to be part of it. I loved it; there were storylines [where] I wanted to know what was going to happen to these people! I know that the finale satisfied a lot of people. It also disappointed a lot of people, and I'm afraid I am in the latter camp."
9. He has a terrific sense of humor.
In this clip from Channel 4's The Big Fat Quiz of the Year, Dance gamely reads an excerpt from Fifty Shades of Grey in a mock-serious tone. It's a very funny bit, but brace yourself for some adult language.
10. Retirement isn't on the cards. At all.
Dance told The Times of London last month: "Somebody — was it a taxi driver? — said to me the other day, 'Oh! Still acting then?' But the point is actors shouldn’t retire. Otherwise who'd play all the old, wrinkly people?"
Which are your favorite Charles Dance roles from over the years?