The Rings of Power cast is packed full of some of the biggest names from J. R. R. Tolkien's famous fantasy universe.
In The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, we'll be heading to the Second Age, a period of history long before the events in The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings. In this Prime Video TV series, we meet plenty of new characters as well as get to spend time with younger (or very different) versions of the characters we've already met in either of Peter Jackson's trilogies.
To help you get up to speed, we've put together this guide explaining who the major players in The Rings of Power cast are.
Who's who in The Rings of Power cast
Galadriel — Morfydd Clark
Morfydd Clark is set to bring the powerful Elf, Galadriel, to life in The Rings of Power. She’s playing a much younger version of the character than we’ve seen in previous on-screen iterations. We join her after having survived the war in the First Age, though she remains convinced that there’s still a looming threat to the world.
Where does Galadriel fit into Middle-earth? Galadriel is a key figure in Tolkien’s world. She has wielded the power of Nenya, one of the three Elven rings of power. She also continues to hunt those who served the enemy — who were responsible for the death of her brother, Finrod.
Long-time Tolkien fans know an older version of the character (played by Cate Blanchett) who appeared in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies. Galadriel served as the narrator for the opening prologue and offered support to Frodo and the Fellowship (through gifts and advice) on occasions throughout their travels before leaving Middle-earth for good — along with her husband Celeborn, Elrond, Gandalf, Frodo and Bilbo Baggins.
Where else have you seen Morfydd Clark? The other big role for the welsh actress was in the 2019 horror movie Saint Maud, but she’s also appeared in His Dark Materials, Dracula, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, and The Personal History of David Copperfield.
Elrond — Robert Aramayo
Robert Aramayo is playing another familiar face in The Rings of Power taking on the role of young Elrond, the future lord of Rivendell.
Where does Elrond fit into Middle-earth? Hugo Weaving memorably brought the Lord of Rivendell to life in Peter Jackson’s trilogies. Elrond was responsible for calling the Fellowship of the Ring together and sending them on their way to destroy the One Ring in the Third Age. He dispatched his forces to aid Aragorn at Helm’s Deep and is ultimately responsible for orchestrating the departure of Elves from the realm.
In the Amazon show, Aramayo plays a version of the character who wants to live up to his family’s legacy and appears to be far more open to collaboration with the humans compared to his older self. His brother, Elros, founded the storied kingdom of Númenor, whilst Elrond opted to remain in the world of Elves and serve under Gil-galad, where he soon becomes embroiled in the war effort against Sauron.
Where else have you seen Robert Aramayo? Aramayo played the young version of Ned Stark that Bran saw in the Game of Thrones season 6. Elsewhere, he’s had roles in Mindhunter, Stray Dolls, The Empty Man and Behind Her Eyes.
Durin IV — Owain Arthur
Owain Arthur is set to play Prince Durin IV, of the dwarven kingdom of Khazad-dûm, the underground kingdom found beneath the Misty Mountains.
Where does Durin fit into Middle-earth? Durin IV slots into the line of succession of rulers that presided over Khazad-dûm. Khazad-dûm is better known to Lord of the Rings fans as the then-abandoned dwarven kingdom of Moria, which Frodo and the Fellowship journey through in The Lord of the Rings.
Like his predecessor, Durin IV wielded one of the rings of Power handed down to him from Durin III. He was the sitting King during the War of the Last Alliance between Sauron, the Elves and Humans.
Where else have you seen Owain Arthur? Owain has appeared in The Palace, Death in Paradise, Babylon, Hard Sun, Casualty and A Confession.
Disa — Sophia Nomvete
Sophia Nomvete is set to play the Dwarven Princess Disa, making her the first actor to play the first black and first female dwarf seen in a project based on the works of J. R. R. Tolkien.
How does Disa fit into Middle-earth? Although her character has been created purely for the show, we do know that Disa is Durin IV's wife and shares a fun and fierce bond with him.
Where else have you seen Sophia Nomvete? Sophia has a number of impressive theatre credits to her name, including roles in The Color Purple and performing at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. She also played Captain HeyHo on the UK children’s show, Swashbuckle.
Gil-galad — Benjamin Walker
Benjamin Walker is Gil-galad, one of the highest figures of authority among the Elves.
Where does Gil-galad fit into Middle-earth? Gil-galad is the ruler of Lindon at the time of The Rings of Power. In the Second Age, he reigned as the final High King of the Ñoldor and forged the Last Alliance of Elves and Men with King Elendil, leading the Elves to war against Sauron. He lost his life fighting the Dark Lord in battle. Fans of the original trilogy will recognize his name from the poem recited by Samwise, “The Fall of Gil-galad”.
Where else have you seen Benjamin Walker? Benjamin is known for appearances in the Marvel series, Jessica Jones, The Underground Railroad, Traitors and In the Heart of the Sea.
Isildur — Maxim Baldry
Maxim Baldry is set to portray another very iconic figure from Tolkien’s mythos — the younger version of Isildur — who’s set to be a big part of the TV show.
Where does Isildur fit into Middle-earth? Isildur is best known for founding the kingdom of Gondor with his brother, Anárion. He refused to destroy the One Ring after cutting it from Sauron’s hand during the War of the Ring, allowing his spirit to endure and return in The Lord of The Rings. (Isildur was briefly seen in Jackson’s original trilogy in the prologue, played by Harry Sinclair).
Where else have you seen Maxim Baldry? Aside from his part in The Rings of Power, Maxim has had roles in Years and Years, Doctor Who, Strike Back, Hollyoaks, and Skins.
Celebrimbor — Charles Edwards
Downton Abbey star Charles Edwards plays the storied Elven smith, Celebrimbor.
Where does Celebrimbor fit into Middle-earth? Celebrimbor is chiefly known for being one of the elves manipulated into forging some of the Rings of Power. His reputation as a craftsman precedes him and he ends up striking a friendship with the dwarves from Khazad-dûm.
Where else have you seen Charles Edwards? Aside from playing Michael Gregson in Downton, Charles has starred in Under the Vines, The Girlfriend Experience, The Crown, The Terror and The Halcyon.
Arondir — Ismael Cruz Córdova
Ismael Cruz Córdova is playing a Silvan elf soldier known as Arondir.
Where does Arondir fit into Middle-earth? Arondir does not feature in Tolkien’s work, as he’s been created specifically for the TV show. However, we do know that he is stationed in the Southlands to watch over the humans who once sided with Sauron and he has a forbidden relationship with Bronwyn (a human who's character has also been created for the show).
Where else have you seen Ismael Cruz Córdova? Ismael has appeared in Berlin Station, The Undoing, The Mandalorian, The Catch and Mary Queen of Scots.
Bronwyn — Nazanin Boniadi
Nazanin plays Bronwyn, a healer from the Southlands who takes up with Arondir.
Where does Bronwyn fit into Middle-earth? Bronwyn is another new creation for The Rings of Power cast, so we look forward to finding out more about her story. That said, we do know that she works as a healer and resides with her young son, Theo (played by Tyroe Muhafidin).
Where else have you seen Nazanin Boniadi? Nazanin has appeared in a variety of other projects including Homeland, How I Met Your Mother, Hotel Mumbai, Bombshell and Counterpart.
Halbrand — Charlie Vickers
Charlie Vickers is Harland, a mysterious human who crosses paths with Galadriel as he flees his own past.
Where does Harland fit into Middle-earth? Harland is another TV show original character. During his travels, he meets Galadriel and accompanies her as she journeys across the sea to Númenor.
Where else have you seen Charlie Vickers? Outside of Tolkien's world, Charlie is known for having appeared in Medici as Guglielmo Pazzi. He's also due to appear in Death in Shoreditch.
Nori Brandyfoot — Markella Kavenagh
Markella Kavenagh is playing one of the series' Harfoots, Elanor "Nori" Brandyfoot. Unlike many of her counterparts, she's a thrillseeker, just like Bilbo Baggins (after he was convinced to set off on his adventure, at least).
Where does Nori fit into Middle-earth? Nori is another character who is brand-new for the series. Though we're used to going on adventures with the likes of Frodo and Bilbo, there are no Hobbits on Middle-Earth during the Second Age. Instead, we get the nomadic Harfoots, led by Sadoc Burrows (Sir Lenny Henry).
As far as what Nori will be getting up to in the show, we have seen her stumbling across "The Stranger" (more on them in a bit) with her friend, Poppy Proudfellow (Megan Richards).
Where else have you seen Markella Kavenagh? Markella is an Australian actress who has featured in The Gloaming, The Cry, Picnic at Hanging Rock and Romper Stomper.
Míriel — Cynthia Addai-Robinson
Cynthia Addai-Robinson plays Míriel, the queen of the island kingdom of Númenor.
Where does Míriel fit into Middle-earth? Míriel is the queen-regent of Númenor, the ancient kingdom that was the home to the ancestors of many powerful Lord of the Rings figures including Aragorn and Boromir. In the show, there are rumblings that there's trouble afoot for the queen, despite the love she has for her kingdom.
Where else have you seen Cynthia Addai-Robinson? Cynthia has featured in Always & 4Ever, Power, Chicago Med and Shooter. She is also known for playing Amanda Waller in The CW show, Arrow.
Additional The Rings of Power characters
Below we've listed just a few more characters that we know are in the show but there's little info about them... yet.
Adar — Joseph Mawle
Joseph Mawle is on board as Adar, one of a handful of characters that we know very little about, so far.
Where does Adar fit into Middle-earth? The short answer is, that he doesn’t. Adar (previously codenamed Oren) is a totally original character for the Prime Video series. Adar is supposedly a major villain in the show, so we expect he'll play a part in much of the drama going forward.
Where else have you seen Joseph Mawle? Fantasy fans will likely recognize him for having played Benjen Stark in Game of Thrones, though he’s also appeared in Birdsong, MotherFatherSon, Troy: Fall of a City, Ripper Street and The Tunnel.
“The Stranger” — Daniel Weyman
Precious little info has been shared about The Stranger since the character was first named way back in February. We do know, though, that the mysterious figure who crashes down onto Middle-earth on a comet will be played by Daniel Weyman.
Aside from The Rings of Power, Daniel Weyman has appeared in a range of UK TV series including Silent Witness, Gentleman Jack, A Very English Scandal, Foyle’s War, Great Expectations and The North Water.
Predictably, there are many theories speculating who his character might be. Some fans believe he could well be one of Tolkien’s powerful wizards, perhaps even Gandalf...
Sauron
Since the Second Age culminates with the War of the Ring between Sauron and the combined peoples of Middle-earth, it’s no surprise that Sauron will be showing up at some point, though we don’t know who’s portraying the Dark Lord.
It was thought that Anson Boon might be playing the character after the San Diego Comic-Con trailer revealed the character, though Amazon Studios has confirmed this rumor is false (via TIME).
During the Second Age, Sauron wielded shapeshifting powers and went by the name of Annatar, the “Lord of Gifts”. He adopted this disguise in order to try and bring the Elves under his influence. He befriended the Elvish smiths and encouraged those that listened to him from the Elves, Dwarves and the many races of Men to forge the titular Rings of Power, whilst he forged the One Ring (to “rule them all”, as the speech goes) in secret.
The Rings of Power airs on Fridays on Prime Video.
More LOTR: The Rings of Power
- The Rings of Power: eight burning questions we have for the show
- How many Rings of Power are there?
- Who is Adar in LOTR: The Rings of Power? Is Adar Sauron? We weigh the evidence.
- Who is The Dweller in LOTR: Rings of Power? Could The Dweller be Sauron?
- Who is the Meteor Man?
- LOTR's Sophia Nomvete says the first female dwarf is a 'magical moment' for Tolkien fans
- Morfydd Clark — things you didn’t know about the actress playing Galadriel in The Rings of Power
