Why Roderick Dustin From House Of The Dragon Looks So Familiar

Roderick Dustin certainly made an impression in "House of the Dragon" Season 3, as the likes of Ormund Hightower (James Norton) and Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) fell into the jaws of the Winter Wolves during the war between Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) and the greens. The prequel has become one of the best shows streaming on HBO Max, and it's unique characters like Dustin which help make it feel distinct from "Game of Thrones."

While we won't get into spoilers for the bloody "House of the Dragon" Season 3 finale, it's fair to say that Roddy the Ruin's gnarly approach to warfare makes for some of the best scenes this season — and they're guaranteed to get audiences talking. If he looks familiar, that's because he's played by the lovable Scottish star, Tommy Flanagan.

Anyone who's watched FX's "Sons of Anarchy," which is one of the best gangster TV shows of all time, will remember Flanagan from his turn as Chibs Telford. He's the biker who becomes the vice president of the titular gang under Jax Teller (Charlie Hunnam) later in the series. The character was born in Scotland, before spending much of his younger years being raised in Belfast, and was affiliated with the IRA — which is how the Sons end up running guns to their Irish partners. But Flanagan has a number of other famed roles under his belt.

Tommy Flanagan made a name for himself in two key historical epics: "Braveheart" and "Gladiator." The former was his movie debut, which is fitting as a Scotsman. He played Morrison, the villager who tried to stand up against Lord Bottoms (Rupert Vansittart) when he took ownership of his wife, Mrs. Morrison (Julie Austin).

He later starred as Cicero in "Gladiator," Maximus' (Russell Crowe) most trusted servant. Cicero remained loyal to Maximus even when he was imprisoned in the arena, and told him how his men were still ready and waiting to fight for him. However, he was killed during the attempted coup.

Flanagan also racked up a number of vicious gangster roles on TV over the years, like Walter Flynn in the Starz show "Power Book IV: Force," and Moody in Paramount+'s "Mobland." One of his most chilling performances came in the BBC's "Peaky Blinders," where he played the brutal Arthur Shelby Sr. He was the one who founded the titular Birmingham gang, and is the abusive father of both Arthur (Paul Anderson) and Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy).

Tommy Flanagan bears two scars across his face, which was the result of being attacked at a nightclub in Glasgow where he was DJ'ing. The star has told the story numerous times over the years, but he put it best on the "Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum" podcast where he said, "I went to a knife fight, without a knife. I ended up looking like this, and they put holes in me."

He then recalled how his attackers claimed they'd killed his brother, so he met them outside when the attack happened. In the years since then, Flanagan's work speaks for itself and isn't overshadowed by his scars. He's maintained such a fascinating career — of which "House of the Dragon" Season 3 is a great addition.

When speaking to Vulture in 2014, he explained: "I don't see the scars anymore. They're just ancient history now. It was a horrible thing that happened 20 years ago. I don't give it a second thought. It's just like a big wrinkle on my face."