Thrones Paydays Exposed: What The Main Cast Earned Per Season
The main cast of HBO's Game of Thrones saw dramatic pay increases over its eight seasons, with top stars like Kit Harington, Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau earning $500,000 per episode by Season 7, rising to approximately $1.1 million per episode in the shorter Season 8 finale in 2019. Supporting actors such as Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams, and Isaac Hempstead Wright commanded $175,000 per episode in later seasons. These figures, drawn from reports by Variety and The Hollywood Reporter dated 2017-2019, reflect negotiations amid the show's peak viewership of 12.1 million U.S. viewers per episode in Season 8.
Seasonal Salary Evolution
Salaries for the core ensemble began modestly in 2011's Season 1, with Emilia Clarke reportedly earning about $30,000 per episode as Daenerys Targaryen, totaling roughly $270,000 for the 10-episode run. By Season 5 in 2015, after intense negotiations reported on March 23, 2015, by Fox News, leads like Clarke, Harington, Headey, Dinklage, and Coster-Waldau secured near $300,000 per episode.
This escalation mirrored the series' global explosion, hitting 44.2 million viewers in the UK alone by Season 7 on August 7, 2017. Season 7 marked a pivotal jump to $500,000-$600,000 per episode for the top tier, per Variety, as confirmed in a 2017 deal covering Seasons 7 and 8. The final six-episode Season 8, airing April 14 to May 19, 2019, boosted top earners to $1.1-$1.2 million each, potentially netting $6.6-$7.2 million per actor for the season.
- Season 1 (2011): ~$30,000-$50,000/episode for emerging leads like Clarke and Harington.
- Seasons 2-4 (2012-2014): Gradual rises to $100,000-$200,000/episode amid rising piracy metrics of 5 million illegal downloads per episode.
- Seasons 5-6 (2015-2016): $300,000/episode post-2015 renegotiations.
- Seasons 7-8 (2017-2019): $500,000 base, escalating to $1.2 million in finale.
Top Earners Breakdown
The five highest-paid actors-representing Jon Snow, Daenerys, Tyrion, Cersei, and Jaime-dominated payrolls due to their central roles from pilot to finale. Kit Harington (Jon Snow) and Emilia Clarke (Daenerys) topped lists at $1.2 million per Season 8 episode, per Hollywood Reporter on October 2018. Peter Dinklage's Tyrion Lannister matched this, leveraging Emmy wins on July 17, 2011, through 2019.
| Actor | Character | Season 1 Pay/Episode | Season 7-8 Pay/Episode | Total Estimated Earnings (8 Seasons) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kit Harington | Jon Snow | ~$50,000 | $1.2M | ~$20M+ |
| Emilia Clarke | Daenerys Targaryen | ~$30,000 | $1.2M | ~$20M+ |
| Peter Dinklage | Tyrion Lannister | ~$100,000 | $1.2M | ~$25M+ |
| Lena Headey | Cersei Lannister | ~$75,000 | $1.1M | ~$15M+ |
| Nikolaj Coster-Waldau | Jaime Lannister | ~$75,000 | $1.1M | ~$20M+ |
These totals factor 73 episodes plus backend bonuses from syndication, which could add 20-50% more via residuals, as hinted in 2019 Telegraph reports. Dinklage's edge stems from pre-Game of Thrones fame via 2003's The Station Agent.
Supporting Cast Salaries
Younger stars like Sansa Stark actress Sophie Turner earned $175,000 per episode in Seasons 7-8, per Indiewire 2019, despite pivotal arcs post-Season 4 Red Wedding on June 2, 2013. Maisie Williams (Arya Stark) and Isaac Hempstead Wright (Bran Stark) matched this, up from $150,000 estimates in Seasons 6.
- Initial child actor rates: $20,000-$50,000/episode in Seasons 1-3 for Turner, Williams, Wright.
- Mid-series bumps: $100,000+ by Season 5 as plots elevated Starks.
- Final parity push: 2017 negotiations aligned them at $175,000, reflecting 300% viewership growth since pilot.
- Post-finale impact: Endorsements added millions; Turner wed Joe Jonas on June 29, 2019, boosting her to $14M net worth by 2026.
"We fought for fair paychecks," Sophie Turner said in a May 12, 2019, Fox Business interview, highlighting gender equity battles amid Cersei's rise.
Negotiation Dynamics and Equity Fights
Pay disparities fueled 2015-2017 talks, with female leads like Clarke and Headey pushing for parity. Variety reported on November 20, 2017, that all five principals equalized at $500,000 base, a 100% hike from Season 6. HBO's $1 billion+ production budget per season from 2016 justified this, per 2019 financial disclosures.
Lesser-known actors like Rory McCann (Sandor Clegane) earned $100,000-$150,000 in peak seasons, while Sean Bean pocketed ~$250,000 total for Ned Stark's Season 1 arc ending May 29, 2011. Statistical analysis shows top 5 actors claimed 60% of principal cast payroll, averaging $15-25M each across 73 episodes.
Post-Series Wealth and Legacy Pay
By May 2026, legacies endure: Dinklage's net worth hits $30M+ via Hunger Games sequels; Clarke's $20M from Solo: A Star Wars Story (May 25, 2018). Residuals from 1 billion+ global streams add $1-2M annually per top star, per 2026 YouTube analyses.
- Harington: $12M net worth 2019, now $25M+ post-Eternals (2021).
- Turner/Williams: $6M each in 2019, doubled via X-Men films.
- Headey: $9M to $14M via 300 sequels.
- Total cast payroll: ~$500M across series, per aggregated reports.
Viewership stats drove this: Season 8 finale drew 19.3M U.S. live viewers on May 19, 2019, plus 55M streams in 24 hours. Spin-off House of the Dragon (2022-) pays stars like Matt Smith $400,000/episode, half GoT peaks.
Behind-the-Scenes Economics
HBO invested $15M per Season 1 episode, ballooning to $90M by Season 8 on January 13, 2019 reports, with 15% allocated to talent. Agents like Clarke's CAA secured backend points, yielding 5-10% of syndication profits estimated at $3B lifetime.
| Season | Episodes | Top Pay/Episode | Est. Top Star Season Total | Key Event Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | $50K | $500K | Apr 17, 2011 |
| 5 | 10 | $300K | $3M | Mar 23, 2015 |
| 7 | 7 | $500K | $3.5M | Nov 20, 2017 |
| 8 | 6 | $1.2M | $7.2M | May 19, 2019 |
Equity fights peaked in 2017, with Headey tweeting support for co-stars on October 15, 2017. This model influenced Succession (2018-) pays at $300K-$500K/episode.
These paydays underscore GoT's economic titan status, generating $1B+ annual revenue at peak on July 16, 2017. Legacy checks continue via merchandise ($5B sales) and Disney+ streams.
Everything you need to know about Thrones Paydays Exposed What The Main Cast Earned Per Season
How much did Kit Harington make total?
Kit Harington amassed over $20 million from Game of Thrones alone, with $1.2 million per Season 8 episode yielding $7.2 million for six eps, plus earlier seasons and residuals.
Did female actors earn less than males?
No, by Seasons 7-8, Clarke, Headey matched Harington and Dinklage at $1.1-$1.2 million per episode after equity negotiations.
What about Season 1 pay?
Early salaries were low: Clarke at $30,000/episode, Harington similar, reflecting unproven breakout prior to April 17, 2011 premiere.
How did salaries compare to other shows?
GoT tops dwarfed Big Bang Theory's $1M/episode (Jim Parsons et al., 2018), with GoT stars hitting equivalent via shorter Season 8.
Who was the highest paid overall?
Peter Dinklage likely led with $25M+ from GoT, bolstered by 4 Emmys and pre-fame leverage.
Did bonuses factor in?
Yes, syndication bonuses pushed Season 8 effective pay to $2.5M/episode for top five, per 2019 Express via Telegraph.
Impact on child actors?
Turner, Williams, Wright scaled from $20K to $175K, funding ventures like Williams' skincare line launched 2020.