Ramsay Bolton

Ramsay Bolton, previously known as Ramsay Snow, is a fictional character in the A Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin and one of two secondary antagonists of its television adaptation, Game of Thrones, alongside Joffrey Baratheon. Introduced in 1998's A Clash of Kings, Ramsay is a bastard son of Roose Bolton, the lord of the Dreadfort, an ancient fortress in the North of Westeros. He is subsequently mentioned in A Storm of Swords (2000) and A Feast for Crows (2005). He later appears in Martin's A Dance with Dragons (2011). Ramsay is an amoral and vicious sadist who strives to be legitimized as a true Bolton by his father. He is directly responsible for several atrocities in both the novels and television show, including the rape of Sansa Stark, the brutal torture of Theon Greyjoy, and the sacking of Winterfell; however, his role as a primary antagonist is greatly expanded in the television adaptation. Ramsay is portrayed by Welsh actor Iwan Rheon in the HBO television adaptation. Rheon received critical acclaim for his performance, though his character's reception has been more polarized—he is widely considered to be one of the show's most brutal and hated villains.