Thrones Salaries Leaked: Actors' Per-episode Pay Finally Explained
The lead actors of HBO's Game of Thrones earned up to $1.2 million per episode in the final Season 8, with top stars like Kit Harington, Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau commanding $500,000 to $1.2 million based on leaked reports from 2017-2019, while supporting cast like Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams made $175,000 per episode. These figures marked a dramatic escalation from earlier seasons, where pay started at $20,000-$100,000 for mains, reflecting the show's explosive viewership growth from 2.4 million U.S. viewers in 2011 to 19.3 million for the 2019 finale. Leaks from Variety and Hollywood Reporter on August 21, 2017, and October 2018 exposed these salaries amid contract renegotiations before the penultimate seasons.
Season-by-Season Pay Evolution
Salaries for Game of Thrones actors evolved alongside the series' budget, which ballooned from $6 million per episode in Season 1 (2011) to $15 million in Season 8 (2019), per HBO disclosures on June 10, 2019. Early seasons paid leads $30,000-$75,000, doubling to $150,000 by Season 4 as ratings hit 7.2 million weekly viewers, according to Nielsen data from April 6, 2014.
- Seasons 1-3 (2011-2013): Core cast like Sean Bean (Ned Stark) earned $75,000 per episode; unknowns like Emilia Clarke started at $20,000.
- Seasons 4-5 (2014-2015): Tier A actors (Harington, Clarke) jumped to $300,000, reflecting Emmy wins totaling 59 by 2016.
- Seasons 6-7 (2016-2017): $500,000 standard for top five, as reported by Variety on August 21, 2017, amid 10 million+ global streams per episode.
- Season 8 (2019): $1.1-$1.2 million including backend bonuses, per Hollywood Reporter leak on October 22, 2018.
This progression outpaced inflation-adjusted TV norms; for context, Friends stars earned $1 million in 2002 dollars by finale, equivalent to $1.6 million today, but GoT compressed eight years into explosive growth.
Top Earners Breakdown
The highest-paid five actors-often called "Tier A"-negotiated collectively in 2016, securing parity at $500,000 base by Season 7 premiere on July 16, 2017. Sources like Indiewire on April 15, 2019, confirmed no pay disparity among them despite varying screen time; Peter Dinklage's four Emmys (2011-2019) bolstered his leverage.
| Actor | Character | Per Episode (Season 7-8) | Season Total (6 eps, Season 8) | Source Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kit Harington | Jon Snow | $500k-$1.2M | $7.2M max | Aug 2017 |
| Emilia Clarke | Daenerys Targaryen | $500k-$1.2M | $7.2M max | Aug 2017 |
| Peter Dinklage | Tyrion Lannister | $500k-$1.2M | $7.2M max | Mar 2019 |
| Lena Headey | Cersei Lannister | $500k-$1.2M | $7.2M max | May 2019 |
| Nikolaj Coster-Waldau | Jaime Lannister | $500k | $3M | Apr 2019 |
These totals exclude syndication residuals, which added 20-30% annually post-2019, per SAG-AFTRA filings; Clarke alone earned $10M+ in reruns by 2023.
Supporting Cast Salaries
Younger Stark siblings formed "Tier B," earning $175,000 per episode in Season 8, up from $150,000 estimates in 2017 per Celebrity Net Worth on March 22, 2019. Their deals reflected breakout fame-Maisie Williams landed Burberry campaigns post-Arya-yet lagged leads due to shorter arcs.
- Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark): $175,000/episode; net worth hit $14M by 2020 from X-Men roles.
- Maisie Williams (Arya Stark): $175,000/episode; invested in AI firms post-finale on May 19, 2019.
- Isaac Hempstead Wright (Bran Stark): $175,000/episode; lowest screen time among trio but tied pay for equity.
"We all went in together... it was a group negotiation," Harington told Variety in a 2017 interview, crediting unity for the leap from $300k.
Negotiation Tactics Ranked
GoT cast pioneered TV salary strategies, influencing deals like Stranger Things (Netflix, 2018). Here's a numbered breakdown of their methods, drawn from agent leaks in Hollywood Reporter, October 2018:
- Collective Bargaining: Top five united pre-Season 6 (April 24, 2016), forcing HBO's hand as budget hit $10M/episode.
- Backend Points: 1-2% of profits, yielding $700k bonuses per episode in Season 8's 12M viewers average.
- Escalator Clauses: Pay rose 20% yearly from Season 5, per 2015 contracts filed July 1.
- Image Rights: Retained merchandising (e.g., $5M Jon Snow dolls since 2014).
- Post-Show Moratorium: No competing HBO series until 2021, securing residuals averaging $2M/year per star.
Statistically, these tactics boosted average lead pay 900% over eight years, from $100k (Season 1) to $1M+, outstripping 150% TV salary inflation (2011-2019, per Forbes).
Gender Pay Insights
Unlike Hollywood's 20% gap (McKinsey, 2018), GoT leads achieved parity; Clarke and Headey matched Harington despite fewer action scenes. Headey told Entertainment Weekly on April 10, 2019: "We fought as equals-dragons don't discriminate." Data shows women's earnings equaled men's 82% across cast, per Indiewire analysis April 14, 2019.
Impact on Careers
Per-episode hauls funded ventures: Dinklage's $16M net worth (Forbes, 2019) bankrolled indie films; Turner's $20M+ (2024) fueled philanthropy. Aggregate cast earnings topped $100M in Season 8 alone, per 6 episodes x averages, fueling HBO's $1B+ franchise value by May 2026 spin-offs.
Leaked Documents Context
Salaries surfaced via 2017 Variety survey (August 21) and 2019 Telegrafi list (May 4), amid finale hype drawing 55M illegal streams opening weekend (April 14, 2019, HBO data). No official HBO confirmation, but patterns matched agent filings; discrepancies (e.g., $150k vs. $175k for Tier B) reflect pre-negotiation estimates.
| Source | Date | Top Pay Reported | Tier B Pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Variety | Aug 21, 2017 | $500k | N/A |
| Hollywood Reporter | Oct 22, 2018 | $1.2M | $175k |
| Indiewire/BI | Apr 14-15, 2019 | $500k | $175k |
Economic Legacy
Cast pay mirrored GoT's $3B+ economic footprint (EY study, 2019): 1,000+ UK jobs, $450M tourism boost. Adjusted for 2026 dollars, $1.2M equals $1.5M today. Spin-offs like House of the Dragon (2022-) pay $300k-$600k, half GoT peaks due to shorter commitments.
These figures, leaked over years, underscore how prestige TV redefined wealth: From unknowns to millionaires, propelled by 1.5B global viewers cumulative (HBO, 2020).
Expert answers to Thrones Salaries Leaked Actors Per Episode Pay Finally Explained queries
How much did Kit Harington make per episode?
Kit Harington earned $500,000 base in Season 7, rising to $1.1-$1.2 million in Season 8 with bonuses, per Variety August 22, 2017, and Hollywood Reporter October 2018 leaks.
Did all main actors get the same pay?
Yes, the top five-Harington, Clarke, Dinklage, Headey, Coster-Waldau-secured identical $500k+ rates via group deal in 2016, confirmed by multiple outlets including Business Insider April 15, 2019.
What about Season 1 salaries?
Early pay was modest: Leads like Clarke at $20k-$30k, Bean $75k; full cast under $2M/season vs. $90M+ by end, per Celebrity Net Worth March 2019.
Did salaries include bonuses?
Absolutely-backend syndication added $200k-$700k/episode for Season 8 stars, pushing totals over $2M possible with reruns, as Express UK reported November 2018.
How do GoT pays compare to other shows?
GoT topped charts: Exceeded Big Bang Theory's $1M (2017) adjusted; The Mandalorian stars hit $8M/season (2020) but fewer episodes. GoT's $15M/episode budget was 3x average prestige TV.