Also the voice actor for the emperor's son in The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion. I'd say he was pretty well known and a bit of a star given that he was sought out for such roles and used in marketing, although not obscenely famous.

He was in the Sharpe movies as well

Perhaps a gimmick — known name, killed off. Buzz!

No perhaps.

Ned being killed off early is a key part of the "no one is safe in the game of thrones!" motif. Having a known actor and playing against type (nice guy when usually villain) just underscores the surprise.

There is a similar story about Gene Wilder in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He first appears with a limp and then somersaults to show he's fine. The whole point of that scene is to have the audience think "I can never trust anything this guy says again".

> Having a known actor and playing against type (nice guy when usually villain) just underscores the surprise.

Normally you'd be right, except Sean Bean always dies.

You’re right, he was killed off early in Equilibrium too!

Which makes Sharpe so much more impressive, he saved Sean Bean over multiple episodes / movies!