Rory McCann

Rory McCann (born 24 April 1969) is a Scottish actor, best known for portraying Sandor "The Hound" Clegane on the HBO series Game of Thrones, Michael "Lurch" Armstrong in Edgar Wright's crime-comedy Hot Fuzz, Jurgen the Brutal in the adventure comedy Jumanji: The Next Level (2019) and the voice of Megatron in Transformers: EarthSpark.

Early life Rory McCann was born on 24 April 1969 in Glasgow, Scotland. He has a sister, Sally-Gay McCann, born in 1972. Rory McCann was first trained as an actor by writer-artist Robert Parsifal Finch in The Actor's Workshop, Glasgow in 1998.

Career McCann's first acting job was as an extra on the film Willow (1988). He was fired because he laughed during the takes. He appeared in an advertisement for Scott's Porage Oats, dressed in a vest and kilt.

Since then, he has taken television roles as Detective Inspector Stuart Brown in State of Play, Peter the Great in Peter in Paradise, and a priest in the award-winning British comedy-drama series Shameless. In 2007, he appeared as Michael "Lurch" Armstrong in Hot Fuzz. In 2008, he played Moby in The Crew and Attila the Hun in the BBC docudrama Heroes and Villains.

McCann portrayed Sandor "The Hound" Clegane in 7 out of 8 seasons of the HBO series Game of Thrones.

Other projects include a BBC TV series by writer Jimmy McGovern called Banished, set in Australia in the 18th century. McCann plays a blacksmith named Marston.

In 2022 he became the narrator of the ITV1 series DNA Journey.

McCann was scheduled to star in the second season of the Star Wars series Ahsoka, as Baylan Skoll, succeeding Ray Stevenson (died 2023) in the role.

Personal life McCann's younger sister, Sally-Gay McCann, works on costumes for film and television; he worked alongside her on Alexander and Game of Thrones. McCann is a supporter of the Scottish Green Party, and appeared in its 2007 Scottish Parliament general election broadcast.

In 1990, McCann broke multiple bones in a near-fatal rock climbing accident in Yorkshire.

McCann is the former frontman of a defunct band called Thundersoup.

McCann lives a solitary, transient lifestyle. In 2006, he went to Iceland with Gerard Butler to attend the premiere of Beowulf & Grendel. He ended up living in Iceland for a year, part of the time in a tent after losing his apartment, and working as a carpenter.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role NotesRef. 2003 Young Adam Sam 2004 Alexander Craterus 2005 Beowulf & Grendel Breca 2006 Sixty Six Policeman 2007 Hot Fuzz Michael "Lurch" Armstrong 2008 The Crew Mobey 2009 Solomon Kane McNess 2010 Clash of the Titans Belo 2011 Season of the Witch Soldier Commander Credited as Rory MacCann 2015 Slow West John Ross 2017 XXX: Return of Xander Cage Tennyson "The Torch" 2019 Jumanji: The Next Level Jurgen The Brutal 2023 Jackdaw Armstrong2024 The Damned Ragnar Gladiator II Tegula 2025 Tornado Kitten

Television Year Title Role NotesRef. 2000 Randall & Hopkirk Bouncer 1 episode Monarch of the Glen Roger 1 episode 2002 London's Burning Keith 1 episode 2002–2003 The Book Group Kenny McLeod Main role, 12 episodes 2003 State of Play Stuart Brown 1 episode Rockface Adam Recurring role, 6 episodes 2006 Shameless Father Critchon 2 episodes 2008 Heroes and Villains Attila the Hun 1 episode 2011 The Jury Derek Hatch Main role, 5 episodes 2011–2019 Game of Thrones Sandor "The Hound" Clegane Main role, 38 episodes 2015 Banished Marston Main role, 4 episodes 2021 The Irregulars Arthur "the Birdmaster" Hilton 2 episodes 2022 The Legend of Vox Machina Duke Vedmire (voice) 3 episodes Transformers: EarthSpark Megatron (voice) Main role; 3 seasons 2024 Knuckles "The Buyer" Miniseries, 3 episodes 2027 Baylan Skoll Season 2