A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms premiere gave viewers a look at Peter Claffey’s Ser Duncan the Tall / Dunk in action. The episode sees Dunk trying to make a name for himself as a knight in Westeros after his master's passing.
Despite his large stature, several characters express skepticism over his skills and question whether he is cut out to be a knight. While Duncan has none of the perks that come with being associated with one of the Great Houses, he does have a rather towering presence that could work in his favor.
Highlights
- Peter Claffey’s height raises questions over how closely A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms follows the source material.
- The books describe Ser Duncan the Tall as having a towering stature, and Claffey’s screen version holds up well in a comparison.
- A clever casting choice in the HBO spin-off may be doing more to sell Dunk’s legendary presence than viewers realize.
What is Peter Claffey’s height?
Image credits: Game of Thrones/YouTube
Peter Claffey portrays Ser Duncan the Tall in the series and was cast in the Game of Thrones spin-off in April 2024. According to reports, the Vikings: Valhalla actor is approximately 1.95 meters, or 6.5 feet, making him a suitable choice for the role.
Claffey is a former rugby union player who played as a lock forward, with his height being an advantage in the sport. Professional rugby players have an average height of 1.85 meters (6.1 feet), while forwards are typically taller, averaging around 1.93 to 1.99 meters (6.4 to 6.6 feet).
How tall is Ser Duncan in the books?
Image credits: HBO
Although Claffey is not a spitting image of his book counterpart, his stature is similar to that of Ser Duncan. In the source material, author George R. R. Martin revealed that the hedge knight is an inch shy of 7 feet, making him roughly 2.10 meters (6.11 feet).
As a result, the actor is slightly shorter than Ser Duncan, who is one of the tallest characters in Martin’s world of Ice and Fire. In the books, Gregor “The Mountain” Clegane is the tallest human character described by Martin as nearly 2.4 m (8 feet) tall.
Image credits: HBO
In Game of Thrones, Gregor was played by three different actors, with the 2.05 meters (6.9 feet) tall Icelandic professional strongman Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson having the longest tenure in the role.
Kristian Nairn, who played Hodor in the series, was arguably the show’s tallest cast member at 2.08 meters (6.10 feet), despite his character being shorter than The Mountain.
How does Ser Duncan’s height compare to that of real knights?
Image credits: HBO
Although not a criterion for selection, height was an advantage for real-world medieval knights. According to Neutral History, most knights in the Middle Ages were between 1.72 meters and 1.74 meters (5.7 feet and 5.8 feet) tall.
Some, such as Sir David Mathew, a Welsh knight, allegedly stood at approximately 2.03m (6.8 feet). Hence, it is safe to assume that the fictional Ser Duncan is taller than most real medieval knights.
Image credits: HBO
Lyonel Baratheon, aka the Laughing Storm, who appears in the premiere episode, is noted in the books to be almost as tall as Ser Duncan. However, he is played by actor Daniel Ings, who is significantly shorter than Claffey at 1.83 meters (6.03 feet).
The series has likely cast shorter supporting actors to depict Claffey’s towering presence over other characters, mirroring the effect Ser Duncan’s height has in the source material.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is currently streaming on HBO Max.