# Kristian Nairn
**Kristian Nairn** is a Northern Irish actor, DJ, and author from Lisburn, best known for playing Hodor, the gentle giant of HBO's *Game of Thrones*, across five seasons between 2011 and 2016.[1](https://www.irishnews.com/entertainment/beyond-game-of-thrones-co-antrim-actor-kristian-nairn-on-moving-on-from-hodor-RPQJMNBPYRDUDNPISF7LTPVTMU/) Music came first: he built a two-decade career as a club DJ and producer in Belfast before and during his acting work, and later appeared as Wee John Feeney in the pirate comedy *Our Flag Means Death*.[2](https://time.com/2991322/game-of-thrones-dj-tour-hodor/) • [3](https://sandiegocomicconmalaga.com/en/kristian-nairn/) In 2024 he published a memoir, *Beyond the Throne*.[4](https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/kristian-nairn/beyond-the-throne/9781408731369/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Origin | Lisburn, Northern Ireland; 6 ft 10 in tall[1](https://www.irishnews.com/entertainment/beyond-game-of-thrones-co-antrim-actor-kristian-nairn-on-moving-on-from-hodor-RPQJMNBPYRDUDNPISF7LTPVTMU/) |
| Signature role | Hodor in *Game of Thrones*, five seasons, 2011–2016[1](https://www.irishnews.com/entertainment/beyond-game-of-thrones-co-antrim-actor-kristian-nairn-on-moving-on-from-hodor-RPQJMNBPYRDUDNPISF7LTPVTMU/) |
| Second role | Wee John Feeney in *Our Flag Means Death*[3](https://sandiegocomicconmalaga.com/en/kristian-nairn/) |
| DJ career | Began in the late 1990s in Belfast; more than a decade as a resident at the Kremlin club[5](https://www.dmcworld.net/features/kristian-nairn/) • [2](https://time.com/2991322/game-of-thrones-dj-tour-hodor/) |
| Rave of Thrones | Game of Thrones-themed DJ tour launched in Australia in 2014, playing Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Melbourne, Darwin, and Adelaide[2](https://time.com/2991322/game-of-thrones-dj-tour-hodor/) |
| Music releases | Singles "Up (Club Mix)" featuring Leanne Robinson and "Beacon" (2015); a version of Ferry Corsten's classic "Galaxia"[6](https://time.com/3962246/hodor-edm-game-of-thrones-music-dance-kristian-nairn/) • [3](https://sandiegocomicconmalaga.com/en/kristian-nairn/) |
| Memoir | *Beyond the Throne*, published 24 September 2024 by Hachette, hardcover £25[4](https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/kristian-nairn/beyond-the-throne/9781408731369/) |
## Music before acting
Nairn's performing life began in music. He learned piano and guitar as a child, moved into heavy metal at around age 13 or 14, and played in local bands in Belfast; his first career ambition was to be a guitar player.[7](https://www.spinmagazine.com/2016/04/kristian-nairn-hodor-game-of-thrones-dj-season-six-6-interview/) He studied music and drama at university in Ireland, with music as his primary interest.[8](https://beat.com.au/kristian-nairn/)
**The DJ start.** His DJ career began by accident in the late 1990s: working at a Belfast club, he volunteered to cover for a DJ who had called in sick, and the fill-in became a regular gig.[5](https://www.dmcworld.net/features/kristian-nairn/) • [7](https://www.spinmagazine.com/2016/04/kristian-nairn-hodor-game-of-thrones-dj-season-six-6-interview/) He has said he had been DJing for 20 years by the time the *Rave of Thrones* tour was announced in 2014.[9](https://beat.com.au/rave-of-thrones/) He held a residency at the Kremlin, a Soviet-themed gay club in Belfast, for more than a decade, and also ran all-night underground parties there.[2](https://time.com/2991322/game-of-thrones-dj-tour-hodor/) • [10](https://www.villagevoice.com/kristian-nairn-is-known-for-game-of-thrones-but-djing-came-first-for-hodor/) His early influences were the Belfast club scene of the [Limelight](https://www.edgepedia.org/limelight) and the trance and house of the era, including Tony de Vit, Space Brothers, Lange, and the AM:PM label.[5](https://www.dmcworld.net/features/kristian-nairn/)
As a musician he toured with [Scissor Sisters](https://www.edgepedia.org/scissor-sisters), Mylo, Alphabeat, and [Calvin Harris](https://www.edgepedia.org/calvin-harris).[7](https://www.spinmagazine.com/2016/04/kristian-nairn-hodor-game-of-thrones-dj-season-six-6-interview/) Over a career of more than two decades he has played major festivals including Tomorrowland, Untold Festival, and Sunburn Festival, shared stages with [Steve Aoki](https://www.edgepedia.org/steve-aoki) and Fatboy Slim, and released a new version of Ferry Corsten's classic track "Galaxia"; he also produces a monthly podcast, Spektrum.[3](https://sandiegocomicconmalaga.com/en/kristian-nairn/) His own studio releases include "Up (Club Mix)" featuring Leanne Robinson, which came out in June 2015, and the follow-up "Beacon" the following month.[6](https://time.com/3962246/hodor-edm-game-of-thrones-music-dance-kristian-nairn/)
## Hodor and Game of Thrones
Before *Game of Thrones*, Nairn had only occasional low-profile acting roles; he was once called to audition for the comedy *Hot Fuzz* but did not get the part.[8](https://beat.com.au/kristian-nairn/) • [11](https://www.radikal.com/2017/08/31/kristian-nairn-sits-down-with-cbs-inside-edition/) At the time he was not working as an actor but as a drag artist and DJ, and he recorded an audition tape for what he has described as "a role I never wanted in a series I'd never heard of."[12](https://www.storyandcraftpod.com/kristian-nairn/) • [1](https://www.irishnews.com/entertainment/beyond-game-of-thrones-co-antrim-actor-kristian-nairn-on-moving-on-from-hodor-RPQJMNBPYRDUDNPISF7LTPVTMU/) He was unfamiliar with George R.R. Martin's *A Song of Ice and Fire* books, but his mother, a fan of the books, helped seal his decision to accept the part of Hodor.[8](https://beat.com.au/kristian-nairn/) Hodor became his first recurring screen role.[1](https://www.irishnews.com/entertainment/beyond-game-of-thrones-co-antrim-actor-kristian-nairn-on-moving-on-from-hodor-RPQJMNBPYRDUDNPISF7LTPVTMU/)
The character, a stablehand at Winterfell who can say only his own name, carried and protected [Bran Stark](https://www.edgepedia.org/bran-stark) across the series.[1](https://www.irishnews.com/entertainment/beyond-game-of-thrones-co-antrim-actor-kristian-nairn-on-moving-on-from-hodor-RPQJMNBPYRDUDNPISF7LTPVTMU/) Hodor died in a May 2016 episode that revealed the origin of his one-word vocabulary; Nairn, watching the scene with the rest of the world, said he had tears in his eyes and that he saw the character, not himself, on screen.[13](https://time.com/4344559/game-of-thrones-hodor-kristian-nairn/) At San Diego Comic-Con that July, co-creator [David Benioff](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-benioff) told the audience that Hodor's name and death had been George R.R. Martin's idea.[14](https://time.com/4420272/game-of-thrones-hodor-bran/) Nairn hosted the show's Comic-Con panel in 2017.[15](https://time.com/4866586/game-of-thrones-comic-con-davos-melisandre/)
During the first three seasons he kept DJing, finishing sets at 3 a.m. and arriving on set at 5 a.m.[16](https://www.radikal.com/2015/08/20/grantland-gives-kristian-nairns-rave-of-thrones-a-rave-review/)
## Rave of Thrones and later acting
In 2014 Nairn launched Rave of Thrones, a [Game of Thrones](https://www.edgepedia.org/game-of-thrones)-themed DJ tour that began in Australia with dates in Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Melbourne, Darwin, and Adelaide; venues were decorated with Westeros-like decor and audiences were encouraged to attend in costume.[2](https://time.com/2991322/game-of-thrones-dj-tour-hodor/) The tour later ran across North America and Europe and drew a mixed crowd of dance-music fans and viewers of the show, something Nairn described as a way to bring people together who would not otherwise share a dancefloor.[6](https://time.com/3962246/hodor-edm-game-of-thrones-music-dance-kristian-nairn/) • [17](https://thepopbreak.com/2017/09/29/kristian-nairn-on-fat-beats-and-unicorns-smashing-the-celebrity-dj-image-hodor/) He has said he deliberately avoided playing Game of Thrones remixes in his sets.[7](https://www.spinmagazine.com/2016/04/kristian-nairn-hodor-game-of-thrones-dj-season-six-6-interview/)
His next major screen role was Wee John Feeney, a pyromaniacal pirate who loves dressing in drag, in HBO's *Our Flag Means Death*, a part that drew on his own drag background.[1](https://www.irishnews.com/entertainment/beyond-game-of-thrones-co-antrim-actor-kristian-nairn-on-moving-on-from-hodor-RPQJMNBPYRDUDNPISF7LTPVTMU/) • [18](https://time.com/6321042/our-flag-means-death-romance-explainer/) He continues to appear at comic conventions and to play DJ sets at them.[19](https://www.nerdsandbeyond.com/2024/09/04/interview-kristian-nairn-at-galaxy-con-raleigh/)
## Memoir and personal life
*Beyond the Throne: Epic Journeys, Enduring Friendships, and Surprising Tales* was published on 24 September 2024.[4](https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/kristian-nairn/beyond-the-throne/9781408731369/) The book combines behind-the-scenes stories from *Game of Thrones* with accounts of growing up gay in [Northern Ireland](https://www.edgepedia.org/northern-ireland) during the Troubles, his drag career under the alter-ego Revvlon, and a near-fatal drug overdose.[1](https://www.irishnews.com/entertainment/beyond-game-of-thrones-co-antrim-actor-kristian-nairn-on-moving-on-from-hodor-RPQJMNBPYRDUDNPISF7LTPVTMU/) In interviews around the book, Nairn said that after a bad drug experience he went through detox and immersed himself in the online game [World of Warcraft](https://www.edgepedia.org/world-of-warcraft) from dawn till dusk as a distraction, and that the game helped him overcome the addiction; he had played a DJ set at BlizzCon in 2016.[20](https://massivelyop.com/2024/10/12/game-of-thrones-actor-kristian-nairn-says-world-of-warcraft-helped-him-kick-a-drug-addiction/)
In 2026, illness forced him to withdraw from the television show *Strictly*, and he told fans he expected to make a full recovery.[21](https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/i-expect-to-make-a-full-recovery-game-of-thrones-kristian-nairn-tells-fans-hes-on-mend-after-health-setbacks/a/151165132.html)
## References
1. [Beyond Game of Thrones – Co Antrim actor Kristian Nairn on moving on from Hodor, The Irish News (30 May 2025)](https://www.irishnews.com/entertainment/beyond-game-of-thrones-co-antrim-actor-kristian-nairn-on-moving-on-from-hodor-RPQJMNBPYRDUDNPISF7LTPVTMU/)
2. [Hodor From Game of Thrones Launches Thrones-Themed DJ Tour, Time (16 July 2014)](https://time.com/2991322/game-of-thrones-dj-tour-hodor/)
3. [Kristian Nairn, San Diego Comic-Con Málaga guest profile](https://sandiegocomicconmalaga.com/en/kristian-nairn/)
4. [Beyond the Throne by Kristian Nairn, Hachette UK](https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/kristian-nairn/beyond-the-throne/9781408731369/)
5. [Kristian Nairn, DMC World Magazine (25 September 2013)](https://www.dmcworld.net/features/kristian-nairn/)
6. [Hodor From Game Of Thrones Just Released a New EDM Track, Time (17 July 2015)](https://time.com/3962246/hodor-edm-game-of-thrones-music-dance-kristian-nairn/)
7. [Kristian Nairn Won't Play 'Game of Thrones' Remixes When He DJs, SPIN (20 April 2016)](https://www.spinmagazine.com/2016/04/kristian-nairn-hodor-game-of-thrones-dj-season-six-6-interview/)
8. [Kristian Nairn, Beat Magazine (2 July 2014)](https://beat.com.au/kristian-nairn/)
9. [Rave Of Thrones, Beat Magazine](https://beat.com.au/rave-of-thrones/)
10. [Kristian Nairn Is Known for 'Game of Thrones,' but DJ'ing Came First for Hodor, The Village Voice](https://www.villagevoice.com/kristian-nairn-is-known-for-game-of-thrones-but-djing-came-first-for-hodor/)
11. [Kristian Nairn Sits Down With CBS' Inside Edition, Radikal Records (31 August 2017)](https://www.radikal.com/2017/08/31/kristian-nairn-sits-down-with-cbs-inside-edition/)
12. [Story & Craft Podcast: A chat with Kristian Nairn](https://www.storyandcraftpod.com/kristian-nairn/)
13. [Game of Thrones Actor Teared Up Watching His Shocking Death Scene, Time (23 May 2016)](https://time.com/4344559/game-of-thrones-hodor-kristian-nairn/)
14. [Game of Thrones' Kristian Nairn on What Hodor Would Say to Bran, Time (22 July 2016)](https://time.com/4420272/game-of-thrones-hodor-bran/)
15. [Liam Cunningham on What Davos Would Do If He Saw Melisandre Again, Time (21 July 2017)](https://time.com/4866586/game-of-thrones-comic-con-davos-melisandre/)
16. [Grantland Gives Kristian Nairn's 'Rave of Thrones' a Rave Review, Radikal Records (20 August 2015)](https://www.radikal.com/2015/08/20/grantland-gives-kristian-nairns-rave-of-thrones-a-rave-review/)
17. [Kristian Nairn Talks About Fat Beats & Unicorns, Hodor, & More, The Pop Break (29 September 2017)](https://thepopbreak.com/2017/09/29/kristian-nairn-on-fat-beats-and-unicorns-smashing-the-celebrity-dj-image-hodor/)
18. [How Our Flag Means Death Season 2 Bends Genre to Craft a Full-Bodied Romance, Time](https://time.com/6321042/our-flag-means-death-romance-explainer/)
19. [Interview: Kristian Nairn at GalaxyCon Raleigh, Nerds and Beyond (4 September 2024)](https://www.nerdsandbeyond.com/2024/09/04/interview-kristian-nairn-at-galaxy-con-raleigh/)
20. [Game of Thrones actor Kristian Nairn says World of Warcraft helped him kick a drug addiction, Massively Overpowered (12 October 2024)](https://massivelyop.com/2024/10/12/game-of-thrones-actor-kristian-nairn-says-world-of-warcraft-helped-him-kick-a-drug-addiction/)
21. ['I expect to make a full recovery': Game of Thrones' Kristian Nairn tells fans he's on mend after health setbacks, Belfast Telegraph (9 May 2026)](https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/i-expect-to-make-a-full-recovery-game-of-thrones-kristian-nairn-tells-fans-hes-on-mend-after-health-setbacks/a/151165132.html)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › Irish actors › Surnames N to W*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license