Who is Steve Toussaint?

Steve Toussaint is a British actor of Barbadian descent. He is best known for his roles as Seso in Prince of Persia: The Sand of Time, Captain John McGuire in Mutant Chronicles and Hunter Squad Leader in Judge Dredd. The actor was recently in the news because he is the part of Game of Thrones prequel series, House of the Dragon. He is portraying the role of Corlys Velaryon in House of the Dragon. 

The actor in a recent interview mentioned that he feels cautiously optimistic about the Game of Thrones spin-off’s chances of success because “nothing is too big to fail”. 

Also Read: What to expect from House of the Dragon, prequel to Game of Thrones

Who is Steve Toussaint?

Steve Toussaint was born on March 22, 1965, in Birmingham. He had his last name changed legally to Toussaint because his birth name conflicted with a pre-existing member of his actors’ union. He chose the name from Toussaint Louverture, the Haitian revolutionary leader. 

Since early childhood, he has been interested in plays and theatre. He was part of his school’s dramatic production and acted in a few plays. He graduated from Sussex University and majored in politics. Toussaint started working at a Merchant Bank, which he left and moved to the US to try his hand at acting. 

Also Read: Emilia Clarke Game of Thrones controversy explained

He started working in a theatre company and starred in his first professional role as a Genie in Aladdin at the Churchill Theater in 1990.  He was also a part of The Royal Shakespeare Company, where he was a part of Macbeth and The Merchant of Venice directed by Michael Boyd. 

He made his professional debut as Steve Dixie on The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes in 1994. On February 11, 2021, it was announced that Toussaint would be playing Corlys Velaryon in House of the Dragon according to gameofthroness.com The 57-year-old actor expressed his joy and surprise in an interview to The Guardian.

The actor told The Hollywood Reporter, “Eve Best and Rhaenys… are the only couple together purely for love”. He added that his character in the series, “Doesn’t always pay attention, but he seeks her advice”. 

Steve Toussaint has previously addressed the racism he faced from some Game of Thrones fans and spoke to The Guardian about the absurdity that his casting as Colrlys Velaryon was the thing that anyone would find most unrealistic about the dragon fantasy series. He said, “History is moving in a particular way. I think those people are on the wrong side of it. And I can’t waste too much time on some keyboard warrior in his mom’s bedroom, you know, sprouting out insults to me or whoever else”.