Portrayed by Charles Dance

Status: Deceased

Age: 67 (in his final season)

Date of Birth : 234 AC

Origin: Casterly Rock

Episode Appearances: 27

First Seen: ‘You Win Or You Die’

Last Seen: ‘The Wars To Come’

BACKGROUND

Tywin Lannister is the head of House Lannister and among the richest and most powerful people in Westeros. Casterly Rock, the Lannisters' ancestral seat, is located over a group of highly productive goldmines, which have provided the Lannisters with immense wealth and power over the years. Tywin is the beloved son of Tytos Lannister, who presided over a period of decline for the house, wasting much of their fortune and creating a perception of weakness. Their vassals House Reyne of Castamere rebelled against Tytos, but Tywin ended the rebellion personally, extinguishing their house. Immortalized in song, "The Rains of Castamere," this gave a darker meaning to the common phrase "A Lannister always pays his debts." Tywin married his cousin Joanna Lannister and their first children were the fraternal twins Cersei and Jaime. Joanna died after giving birth to their third child, a dwarf named Tyrion, whom Tywin has blamed for Joanna’s death ever since. When Tyrion was young, his brother Jaime secretly set him up with a whore, whom he eventually married, but when Tywin found out he was furious and made Jaime reveal the truth. Tywin paid her for every one of his guards to have sex with her while forcing Tyrion to watch. Tyrion's hatred of Tywin has been reciprocated since. Nevertheless, all of Tywin's children are in awe of him and heed his counsel.

A highly capable administrator, Tywin served as Hand of the King to Aerys II Targaryen for twenty years until the king was driven by envy and distrust, rejecting Tywin's proposal to marry his daughter Cersei to Prince Rhaegar Targaryen and commanding Tywin’s son Jaime to join the Kingsguard. As the Kingsguards are forbidden to marry, Aerys effectively robbed Tywin of his heir, which Tywin perceived as a great insult and resigned as Hand. During Robert's Rebellion Tywin marched with the full power of Casterly Rock to the capital, feigning that he had come to defend it from the rebellion. Instead, they slaughtered thousands. Upon seeing Tywin's betrayal, Aerys ordered Jaime to bring him Tywin's head but Jaime responded by personally stabbing Aerys in the back, then slitting his throat. When the usurper Robert Baratheon reached the Red Keep, Tywin presented the bodies of the royal family as proof of his allegiance. After the rebellion, Robert Baratheon took the throne and married Tywin's daughter Cersei to cement the alliance between their houses.