Rory McCann

At a towering six feet, six inches, it wasn't surprising that many of his friends called Rory McCann by the nickname "Big." The man was big in personality, big in talent and definitely big when it came to his presence.

Born in Glasgow in 1969, the actor got his start in commercials. He became quite well-known for one in particular, where he wore little but a kilt wandering the snowy streets of London warmed by his breakfast of porridge oats. Although he did several film roles from 1999 to 2002, it wasn't until he landed the role of Kenny McLeod in the television series "The Book Group" (BBC 2002-03) that he was widely noticed. His portrayal of the wheelchair-bound lifeguard won him a Scottish BAFTA.

The following year, he landed another regular role in a television series, this time as Adam in the procedural drama "Rockface" (BBC 2002-03). After that series ended, McCann made his way to Hollywood to work on Oliver Stone's "Alexander" (2004).

While on location in Iceland for the epic fantasy "Beowulf & Grendel" (2005), he fell in love with the country's wilderness and ended up moving there. While he was settling in Iceland, he auditioned for a new fantasy television series, "Game of Thrones" (HBO 2011- ).

His take on the role of mercenary Sandor "The Hound" Clegane went on to define him for years to come. As an extra bonus, his sister Sally Gay-McCann, a costume designer for film and television, worked on "Game of Thrones" as well.

McCann continued to work on various film roles between seasons of "Game of Thrones" including the New Zealand-based western thriller "Slow West" (2014), in which he co-starred with Michael Fassbender.