Listen, let’s not waste any time harping on about how Peter Dinklage is the well-deserved reigning king of HBO. We’re all on the same page there. Peter Dinklage turns 45 today, and in just the last two months we’ve seen the internet lose its mind over Dinklage for a number of reasons. If you’ve missed any of Dinklage’s recent internet greatness, consider this a recap of times that he’s wielded Tyrion Lannister’s power over the world wide web.
1. Last week’s high school yearbook photo.
Obviously, we can’t ignore a mulleted-out yearbook photo — even if we did cover it just last week. We haven’t seen the yearbook photos of every GOT cast member, but I’d be surprised if anyone was sporting a Westeros waterfall as lush as The Dink’s. All hail this mullet.
2. Last month’s 45 second GOT summary.
As unbelievable as it might seem on the internet, there are people with access to TVs who have never seen Game of Thrones — I know, my grandma is so lame. What has taken George R.R. Martin to do in five novels Dinklage summed up in under a minute, though he might have skipped a few “stabby, stabby” executions here and there.
3. Tyrion’s Mic Drop speech.
If you missed the 90s hip-hop jam ending to Tyrion’s speech from ‘The Laws of Gods and Men’ stop what you’re doing and watch immediately here. Watched? Okay, good. There are speeches and then there are Emmy dropping mic speeches. Redditor AWildSketchAppeared has already predicted what we can expect to see at the 2015 Emmys.
4. Dinklage is an advocate for noble causes.
The internet loves itself a Lannister, and even more so if that Lannister is the complete opposite in real-life from their fictional character. Dinklage is an avid supporter of animal rights charities and has lent his notoriety to speak out against the treatment of animals on factory farms, and more recently supporting NYC mayor Bill de Blasio’s stance on horse-drawn carriages.
5. Dinkstep.
Every fine actor deserves a musical remix that sounds like it was cut by Skrillex on his lunch break, right? I’m sure Bryan Cranston has a dubstep remix out there somewhere, but the focus here is Dinklage and Dinkstep is the jam.
Of course it’s only appropriate that Tyrion’s dance GIF be included with the remix.
6. And finally, Dinklage for all the memes.
An actor’s range used to be measured by the characters they portrayed and the roles they choe. The craft has evolved since then and an actor is now measured by their ability to morph into classic internet memes. Dinklage has truly mastered this craft — whether intentionally or not.
You will never find a better “Success Kid” than the Dink.
