Performer
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio rank
#124
of 909177 performers
Top 1%
Peter Dinklage represents the rare performer whose career became more ambitious with every decade — 32 years in, and Peter is still choosing the harder script.
The essay
Our editors on the work, the patterns and the reason this body of work holds together.
Peter Dinklage appears in 46 films in the Nutevio catalogue, and none of them would work the same way without Peter. Avengers: Infinity War is the clearest case: a film rated 8.5 by our editors, where the performance carries weight the script only implies.
The recognisable elements are versatility, transformation, quiet performance. Watch two of these films back to back and the method separates from the material — the same instrument, tuned differently for comedy, adventure, drama. It is a style built on what is withheld as much as what is played.
Working with Olivia Wilde, Macon Blair, Derek Cianfrance and others, Peter Dinklage helped set a standard other performers now audition against. Awards bodies have been slower than the work, which is usually the sign of a career built on choices rather than campaigns.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018) as Eitri · Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) as James · X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) as Dr. Bolivar Trask
Career snapshot
Ranked #124 of 909177 performers tracked in the Nutevio library.
Films in Nutevio
46
1995–2027
Career length
32 yrs
Measured across our catalogue
Academy Awards
—
Unknown
Oscar nominations
—
Unknown
Highest Nutevio score
8.5
Avengers: Infinity War
Average Nutevio score
6.0
Across catalogue work
Highest IMDb rating
8.2
Avengers: Infinity War
Most frequent director
Macon Blair
2 films together
Longest collaboration
2×
With Macon Blair
Most common genre
Comedy
33 titles
Average runtime
1h 41m
Across catalogue work
Golden Globe wins
—
Unknown
Nutevio metric
Ten weighted categories, applied identically to everyone we cover.
Nutevio Performer Score
6.8
out of 10
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio metric
Cultural impact and legacy, measured separately from craft — how far the work travelled once it left the cinema.
Nutevio Influence Score
6.5
out of 10
A quieter influence — felt inside the films rather than across the industry.
How far the work travelled past the people who saw it first.
What survives once the release-week conversation has burned off.
Institutional acknowledgement, weighted but never decisive.
Years of chosen, relevant work rather than years merely employed.
Statuettes, read as evidence rather than verdict.
Roles named without needing the film named alongside them.
Directors who wrote parts because this performer existed.
The reading other performers now have to answer.
Actor DNA
A fingerprint derived from the roles themselves — register, range and the kind of film they carry.
The shape of a career
Every performance plotted in time. Hover a point to read the title behind it.
Peak years
Where the scores, the awards and the sheer volume of work agree with each other.
Best decade
1990s
7.2 average MV
The 1990s are where the work and the material meet. Living in Oblivion — the run our editors reach for first when the argument is about range rather than fame.
Highest average Nutevio score
1990s
7.2
Across 1 catalogue film in this decade, our scores never drop below the level a career is judged on.
Highest average IMDb rating
1990s
7.2
The public agrees most strongly about this stretch — useful context, and occasionally a decade behind our own reading.
Most awarded era
1990s
0 Academy Awards
Statuettes for the films themselves, which is the honest way to read an ensemble career. Living in Oblivion.
Most productive era
2020s
19 films
The busiest stretch of the catalogue — volume that reads as appetite rather than availability.
Range, mapped
Genres down the side, decades across the top. Warmer cells mean stronger titles.
| Genre | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drama | — | 6.74 films | 6.46 films | 5.56 films |
| Action | — | 5.61 film | 7.24 films | 6.54 films |
| Thriller | — | — | — | 6.52 films |
| Comedy | 7.21 film | 6.67 films | 6.011 films | 4.614 films |
| Crime | — | 6.61 film | 8.11 film | 5.25 films |
| Romance | — | 6.81 film | 6.02 films | 4.84 films |
| Horror | — | — | 5.61 film | — |
Chronology
Firsts and peaks
The turning points, in the order they happened.
First film in Nutevio
Where our catalogue meets this career, as Tito.
Highest rated performance · Career peak
8.5 on the Nutevio scale, the top of the catalogue for this performer. Weighing billing against the film's own quality, this is the point where everything aligned at once.
Most recent film
2027Naughty
The current state of the argument, as Santa Claus.
Our order
Every performance in the catalogue, ordered by Nutevio Score.
Every title
Filter by genre or decade, and compare any two titles side by side.
46 of 46 films
as Eitri
Directed by Anthony Russo
as Scourge (voice)
Directed by Steven Caple Jr.
as Dean Casca Highbottom
Directed by Francis Lawrence
From the library
Every movie and TV credit stored for this name in the Nutevio catalogue — filter by media, role or sort by rating.
Loading credits…
The defining work
#1
Eitri
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Performance score8.2
The performance the rest of the career is read through. Eitri gives Peter Dinklage a structure to work against, and the film hands over its centre of gravity without hesitation.
View movie#2
Finbar McBride
The Station Agent (2003)
Performance score7.9
The Station Agent asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Finbar McBride is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#3
James
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)
Performance score7.8
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. James is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#4
Scourge (voice)
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023)
Performance score7.4
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Scourge (voice) is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movieStart here
A guided path through the work, ordered so each film explains the next.
Best entry point
as Eitri
Start here. Avengers: Infinity War is the clearest statement of what Peter Dinklage does — accessible, 149 minutes, and rated 8.5 by our editors. No context required.
Our editors order this path by accessibility first and chronology second. You meet Peter at the most legible performance, then move forward in time so each film reads as a response to the one before it rather than a repetition of it.
The Station Agent (2003)
A deliberate change of key after Avengers: Infinity War — same instrument, unfamiliar tuning, and the reason range gets mentioned.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)
Keeps the drama register of The Station Agent but asks for a colder reading of it.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023)
A deliberate change of key after Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri — same instrument, unfamiliar tuning, and the reason range gets mentioned.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023)
Keeps the action register of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts but asks for a colder reading of it.
Company kept
The directors and performers this career keeps returning to.
Mark Palansky
Director
2 films together
Notably Penelope
Macon Blair
Director
2 films together
Notably The Toxic Avenger Unrated
Tom DiCillo
Director
1 film together
Notably Living in Oblivion
Michel Gondry
Director
1 film together
Notably Human Nature
Tom McCarthy
Director
1 film together
Notably The Station Agent
Jon Favreau
Director
1 film together
Notably Elf
Sidney Lumet
Director
1 film together
Notably Find Me Guilty
Frank Oz
Director
1 film together
Notably Death at a Funeral
Andrew Adamson
Director
1 film together
Notably The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Neil LaBute
Director
1 film together
Notably Death at a Funeral
Nicole Kassell
Director
1 film together
Notably A Little Bit of Heaven
Kat Coiro
Director
1 film together
Notably A Case of You
Joe Lynch
Director
1 film together
Notably Knights of Badassdom
Phil Alden Robinson
Director
1 film together
Notably The Angriest Man in Brooklyn
Bryan Singer
Director
1 film together
Notably X-Men: Days of Future Past
Chris Columbus
Director
1 film together
Notably Pixels
Ben Falcone
Director
1 film together
Notably The Boss
Jon Avnet
Director
1 film together
Notably Three Christs
Martin McDonagh
Director
1 film together
Notably Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Reed Morano
Director
1 film together
Notably I Think We're Alone Now
Anthony Russo
Director
1 film together
Notably Avengers: Infinity War
Thurop Van Orman
Director
1 film together
Notably The Angry Birds Movie 2
Scott Aukerman
Director
1 film together
Notably Between Two Ferns: The Movie
Jeanie Finlay
Director
1 film together
Notably Game of Thrones: The Last Watch
Joel Crawford
Director
1 film together
Notably The Croods: A New Age
J Blakeson
Director
1 film together
Notably I Care a Lot
Joe Wright
Director
1 film together
Notably Cyrano
Francis Lawrence
Director
1 film together
Notably The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
Rebecca Miller
Director
1 film together
Notably She Came to Me
Steven Caple Jr.
Director
1 film together
Notably Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
Elliott Lester
Director
1 film together
Notably The Thicket
Jerry Seinfeld
Director
1 film together
Notably Unfrosted
Jon M. Chu
Director
1 film together
Notably Wicked
Matthew Diamond
Director
1 film together
Notably Twelfth Night
Derek Cianfrance
Director
1 film together
Notably Roofman
Olivia Wilde
Director
1 film together
Notably Naughty
Behind the camera
Who casts this performer, how often, and what the pairing produces.
Mark Palansky
Director
2 films together · 6.4 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
PenelopeMacon Blair
Director
2 films together · 3.0 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
The Toxic Avenger UnratedAnthony Russo
Director
1 film together · 8.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Avengers: Infinity WarMartin McDonagh
Director
1 film together · 8.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, MissouriBryan Singer
Director
1 film together · 7.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
X-Men: Days of Future PastJoel Crawford
Director
1 film together · 7.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Croods: A New AgeSteven Caple Jr.
Director
1 film together · 7.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Transformers: Rise of the BeastsTom McCarthy
Director
1 film together · 7.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Station AgentTom DiCillo
Director
1 film together · 7.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Living in OblivionDerek Cianfrance
Director
1 film together · 7.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
RoofmanThurop Van Orman
Director
1 film together · 7.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Angry Birds Movie 2Matthew Diamond
Director
1 film together · 7.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Twelfth NightJon M. Chu
Director
1 film together · 7.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
WickedFrancis Lawrence
Director
1 film together · 7.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & SnakesJeanie Finlay
Director
1 film together · 7.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Game of Thrones: The Last WatchFrank Oz
Director
1 film together · 6.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Death at a FuneralAndrew Adamson
Director
1 film together · 6.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince CaspianJon Avnet
Director
1 film together · 6.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Three ChristsJon Favreau
Director
1 film together · 6.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
ElfJ Blakeson
Director
1 film together · 6.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
I Care a LotSidney Lumet
Director
1 film together · 6.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Find Me GuiltyElliott Lester
Director
1 film together · 6.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The ThicketNicole Kassell
Director
1 film together · 6.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
A Little Bit of HeavenJoe Wright
Director
1 film together · 6.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
CyranoRebecca Miller
Director
1 film together · 6.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
She Came to MeMichel Gondry
Director
1 film together · 6.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Human NatureScott Aukerman
Director
1 film together · 5.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Between Two Ferns: The MovieNeil LaBute
Director
1 film together · 5.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Death at a FuneralReed Morano
Director
1 film together · 5.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
I Think We're Alone NowBen Falcone
Director
1 film together · 5.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The BossChris Columbus
Director
1 film together · 5.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
PixelsPhil Alden Robinson
Director
1 film together · 5.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Angriest Man in BrooklynJoe Lynch
Director
1 film together · 5.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Knights of BadassdomKat Coiro
Director
1 film together · 5.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
A Case of YouJerry Seinfeld
Director
1 film together · 5.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
UnfrostedOlivia Wilde
Director
1 film together · 0.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
NaughtySix degrees
Follow the thread outward — director, film, co-star, and the film after that.
Categories of our own
Six editorial categories we apply to every performer we cover.
Most rewatchable
Avengers: Infinity War
as Eitri
The one that survives a fourth viewing. Nothing in the performance depends on surprise, which is why it keeps paying out.
Most emotional performance
Wicked
as Dr. Dillamond (voice)
Grief played at conversational volume. The film never asks the audience to cry; the performance simply makes it difficult not to.
Most influential performance
Avengers: Infinity War
as Eitri
You can hear this reading in other actors' auditions a decade later — the surest measure of influence there is.
Best ensemble performance
Unfrosted
as Harry Friendly
Work that makes everyone else in the frame better without ever pulling the camera towards itself.
Career defining performance
Avengers: Infinity War
as Eitri
If the career had to be argued in a single scene, our editors would pick one from this film and rest the case.
In their films' words
“You can build a whole film around a performer who knows when not to speak. Peter Dinklage has known it for a long time.”
Head to head
Put two careers on the same scale and see where the argument actually sits.
Ours alone
Recognitions handed out by this desk, on criteria no awards body uses.
Career Achievement
Awarded
32 years of relevant work — not merely a long career, but a long career of choices.
Modern Classic Performer
Awarded
Defining performances delivered inside the last twenty-five years, in films already being taught rather than merely remembered.
Comedy Legend
Awarded
33 catalogue titles in comedy, each one a reference point for the films that followed.
Our desk
Best ending, best opening, best twist and the rest — categories we apply to everyone we cover.
Best ending
Avengers: Infinity War
as Eitri
The last five minutes reorganise everything before them, and hold up when you already know what's coming.
Best opening
Avengers: Infinity War
as Eitri
A first sequence that states the rules of the film without explaining a single one of them.
Most emotional
Wicked
as Dr. Dillamond (voice)
The film where the technique steps aside and lets the feeling arrive undefended.
Best twist
Rememory
as Sam Bloom
A reversal earned by information the film gave you and trusted you to misread.
Best visual achievement
Avengers: Infinity War
as Eitri
Images that would survive with the sound switched off.
Best action sequence
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
as Scourge (voice)
Geography, stakes and consequence held in the same frame — spectacle you can follow.
Best dialogue
Roofman
as Mitch
Lines written to be spoken, staged so the pauses do half the work.
Most underrated film
Avengers: Infinity War
as Eitri
The public vote sits below ours on this one, and the direction is the reason for the gap.
If you like this performer
Matt Damon
Built a career in the same territory: adventure and drama
Michael Caine
Built a career in the same territory: adventure and drama
Tom Hanks
Built a career in the same territory: animation and family
Bonnie Hunt
Built a career in the same territory: animation and family
Mark Ruffalo
Works with the same directors — shared collaborators
Tom Wilkinson
Works with the same directors — shared collaborators
Have your say
Community
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Reference
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