76 | AUGUST 25 • 2022
House of the Dragon,
Exploring More Roots,
New Netflix Comedy
The House of the Dragon,
a 10-episode prequel to
the mega-hit series Game
of Thrones (GOT), began
streaming (HBO) on Aug.
21. It is set 200 years
before the events in GOT.
As the series opens, the
Seven Kingdoms (on the
continent of Westeros) are
ruled by Viserys, a popular
king. He is the fifth member
of the Targaryen family to
rule the Seven Kingdoms.
The Targaryen conquest
of Westeros and their
subsequent rule was made
possible by the Targaryens’
fire-breathing dragons. The
dragons have a “mystical”
tie to the family.
The pilot episode
was directed by Miguel
Sapochnik, 48. He was
born in the U.K., the son of
Argentine Jewish parents.
Sapochnik was the “go-
to” director for the most
spectacular GOT battle
episodes.
As with GOT, most of
the cast is British. The
recurring cast includes
David Horovitch, 76, as
Grand Maester Mellos, a
trusted adviser to Viserys.
GOT fans know that a
“Maester” is a scholar and/
or scientist on the King’s
payroll.
Horovitch is a busy
British character actor.
He’s the son of a Jewish
father and a non-Jewish
mother and was raised
without religion. However,
he has played several
Jewish roles and, through
them, he says, he’s learned
something about Judaism.
Fabien Frankel, 28,
another Brit, and a good-
looking fellow, plays Ser
Christin Cole, an important
regular cast member.
Ser Christin rose from a
“commoner” background
to knighthood and he’s a
great swordsman. (In real
life, Frankel is a trained
fencer).
Frankel has so few acting
credits that Wikipedia
lists him as a cast
“regular,” but provides no
biography at all. Well, some
digging reveals Frankel’s
interesting background
and some very sad details.
Fabien’s father was (the
very handsome) actor Mark
Frankel. He was killed in a
motorcycle/truck accident
in 1996, age 34.
Mark was on the cusp
of a really big career — he
had just started getting
star roles in major British
TV series. He was also a
world-class tennis player
who won the Monte Carlo
Open. Frankel had a
Jewish funeral.
Mark’s mother was an
Indian Jew from Mumbai.
His English Jewish father
served as a pilot in the
Royal Air Force. Mark and
his brother, Joe, were also
skilled pilots. Joe did stunt
flying and was killed (1991)
during an air show.
Fabien was 2 years old
when his father died, and
his only sibling, a brother,
was born posthumously.
I don’t know much
about Caroline Besson,
the brothers’ mother
and Mark’s widow. She
is French, was an ad
company executive and
has remarried.
House of the Dragon is
based on Fire and Blood, a
2018 novel by GOT novels
writer George R.R. Martin.
Martin was on the PBS
ancestry show, Finding
Your Roots in 2019 and it
was revealed that Martin’s
paternal grandfather was
not a Catholic Italian-
American as Martin was
told. DNA proved that his
paternal grandfather was
an “unknown” Jewish guy.
I thought of this when, last
week, Roots announced
its celebrity lineup for its
next season. The list is
laden with big name stars.
I wonder if any of those
celebs will have a “Jewish
reveal,” too?
The ninth season of
Roots will premiere next
January. Here’s the list:
Richard Kind, 65, David
Duchovny, 62, Julia
Roberts, Michigander Jeff
Daniels, Claire Danes, Viola
Davis, Carol Burnett and
Edward Norton.
Kind is a busy comedic
character actor (Spin City,
Mad About You, Curb Your
Enthusiasm) who happens
to be the least-known
actor on this list. Not so,
Duchovny, who has been
a star since he got a lead
role (1993) in the hit TV
series The X-Files. He’s the
secular son of a Jewish
father and a non-Jewish
mother.
Me Time is an original
Netflix flick that premieres
on Aug. 26. Here’s the
“official” description:
“When a stay-at-home dad
(Kevin Hart) finds himself
with some ‘me time’ for the
first time in years while his
wife and kids are away, he
reconnects with his former
best friend (Mark Wahlberg)
for a wild weekend that
nearly upends his life.”
The film was written
and directed by John
Hamburg, 52. He has
written several hit comedic
films, including Meet the
Parents and its sequel,
Little Fockers; Along
Came Polly and I Love You
Man. The last two he also
directed.
I have to note that his
most recent films (Why Him
and Night School) did fine
at the box office but were
panned by critics. They
only had a scene or two
that made the “discerning”
filmgoer really laugh. I
hope that Me Time is a
return to form.
CELEBRITY NEWS
NATE BLOOM COLUMNIST
ARTS&LIFE
HBO
David Horovitch
IMDb
Fabien
Frankel
Wikipedia
Richard Kind