Ramsay Bolton

Ramsay Bolton
A Song of Ice and Fire character
Game of Thrones character
Iwan Rheon as Ramsay Bolton
First appearance
Last appearance
Created byGeorge R. R. Martin
Portrayed byIwan Rheon
In-universe information
Aliases
  • The Bastard of Bolton
  • Ramsay Snow
  • Novels:
  • The Bastard of the Dreadfort
  • Red Helm
  • Television:
  • Lord Snow
GenderMale
Title
  • Lord of Winterfell
  • Castellan of the Dreadfort
  • Novels:
  • Lord of the Hornwood
  • Television:
  • Lord of the Dreadfort
  • Warden of the North
  • Lord Paramount of the North
FamilyHouse Bolton
Spouse
Relatives
  • Roose Bolton (father)
  • Walda Bolton (step-mother)
  • Domeric Bolton (half-brother)

Ramsay Bolton, previously known as Ramsay Snow, is a fictional character in the A Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin, and its television adaptation Game of Thrones.

Introduced in 1998's A Clash of Kings, Ramsay is the bastard son of Roose Bolton, the lord of the Dreadfort, an ancient fortress in the North of the kingdom of Westeros. He is subsequently mentioned in A Storm of Swords (2000) and A Feast for Crows (2005). He later appears in Martin's A Dance with Dragons (2011). Ramsay is an amoral and vicious sadist who strives to be legitimized as a true Bolton by his father. He is directly responsible for several atrocities in both the novels and television show, including the brutal torture of Theon Greyjoy and the Sack of Winterfell; however, his role as a primary antagonist is greatly expanded in the television adaptation.[1]

Ramsay is portrayed by Welsh actor Iwan Rheon in the HBO television adaptation.[2][3] Rheon has received critical acclaim for his performance, although his character's reception has been more polarized; he is widely considered to be one of the show's most brutal and hated villains.[4][5][6][7][8]

  1. ^ Walker, Jodi (June 7, 2015). "'Game of Thrones' Ramsay Bolton Vs. Books Ramsay: The Show Puts His Depravity Front & Center". Bustle. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  2. ^ "Game of Thrones Cast and Crew: Ramsay Snow played by Iwan Rheon". HBO. Archived from the original on March 30, 2017. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  3. ^ Martin, George R. R. (16 July 2010). "Not A Blog: From HBO". GRRM.livejournal.com. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016.
  4. ^ McLevy, Alex (April 8, 2019). "Game of Thrones' most sadistic villain finally goes to the dogs". The A.V. Club. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  5. ^ Collins, Sean (June 22, 2016). "'Game of Thrones': An Appreciation of Ramsay Bolton". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  6. ^ Hawkes, Rebecca (June 20, 2016). "Ramsay Bolton: the true hero of Game of Thrones?". The Telegraph. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  7. ^ Hudson, Laura (June 21, 2016). "Why Ramsay Bolton's Brutal Fate on Game of Thrones Was Actually Disappointing". Slate. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  8. ^ "It's Official: Ramsay Bolton Is the Actual Worst Character on Television". The Atlantic. December 4, 2015. Retrieved May 24, 2019.