Gayle Rankin is hard to miss after her enchanting performance as Alys Rivers in House of the Dragon. She joined the HBO series in its second season, and her presence is even more magnetic in Season 3, where she conveys both vulnerability and quiet strength. While the mystical power player may not have much page time in George R. R. Martin's books, she is given a much bigger role as a healer in the series, and it seems to have been well worth it. 

But before taking on the role of the mysterious witch, the actress has taken on several other layered roles. From gritty dramas and psychological thrillers to wholesome comedies, she has shown her real range throughout her career, and it is worth exploring. So, here are five movies and TV shows to watch when Rankin is not on screen in the HBO series.

One of the most renowned shows of Gayle Rankin's career is Netflix's GLOW. The series follows 80's struggling actress Ruth Wilder in Los Angeles as she joins a new women's professional wrestling promotion and reunites with people she had previously fallen out with. As the women train to become professional wrestlers, they also deal with personal drama, relationships, and their ambitions. Interestingly, the show is inspired by the popular real-life women's wrestling TV program from the 1980s.

Alison Brie plays Ruth Wilder, while Betty Gilpin portrays Debbie Eagan. Marc Maron stars as director Sam Sylvia, who is responsible for training and shaping the women into wrestling performers. The fictional series brilliantly portrays the elements inspired by real events along with action, humor, and relationship drama. Gayle Rankin appears groundbreaking as Sheila "The She Wolf" in GLOW. She appeared in a recurring role in Season 1 before becoming a main cast member for Seasons 2 and 3.

Gayle Rankin appeared in The Listeners in the same year she made her House of the Dragon debut. She played the role of Jo, who is the wife of Omar. The one-season series follows English teacher Claire, who begins hearing a constant humming sound that causes her increasing distress.

While very few people can hear the sound, Claire searches for others who can hear the mysterious noise and becomes involved with a support group dedicated to understanding the unexplained phenomenon. Rebecca Hall, Ollie West, Prasanna Puwanarajah, and Amr Waked also star in the series. The series is available to watch on Philo.

Kindred is a brilliant sci-fi series following Dana, a young Black woman and aspiring writer who has moved to Los Angeles in 2016 to live with her aunt. However, she is suddenly dragged back in time to a 19th-century Maryland plantation, where she becomes entangled with the Weylin family. She is forced to struggle to survive the dangers of the past and find out the truth behind the family and the reason she is being pulled back and forth between two different timelines.

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While Gayle Rankin plays the role of a healer in House of the Dragon, she appears as the tormented Margaret Weylin in this series. Married to Tom Weylin, Margaret constantly battles to find her place within the elite social circle, while her only source of joy is her son. Based on Octavia E. Butler's 1979 novel of the same name, Kindred is a thriller and mystery show. 

Gayle Rankin has shown her impressive acting chops in many of her roles, and one of them is Perry Mason, which premiered in 2020. The period drama follows struggling private investigator Perry Mason as he takes on complex cases while discovering corruption involving powerful figures in 1932 Los Angeles. It is based on the fictional character of the same name created by Erle Stanley Gardner. The series ran for two seasons, both of which were praised, before being canceled after its second season.

However, the cast's performances are still talked about. Matthew Rhys played the role of Perry Mason, while Gayle Rankin appeared in Season 1 as Emily Dodson. Emily is the mother of one-year-old Charlie Dodson, who is kidnapped. She played a grieving mother devastated by the loss of her son, while also maintaining an air of mystery that suggests she knows more than she reveals. The series is a dark thriller mystery that keeps viewers hooked.

Directed by Michael Gracey, The Greatest Showman is a period drama that follows P. T. Barnum as he works his way out of poverty to create a spectacular circus by bringing together unique performers. However, as his fame and success grow, so does his ambition, ruining his relationships with both his family and his troupe until he learns his lesson. The film stars Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, Rebecca Ferguson, and Zendaya, with Gayle Rankin appearing as Queen Victoria.

It is one of the many notable films in Rankin's career, alongside Her Smell, Blow the Man Down, and more. The same year she joined House of the Dragon, Rankin also earned a nomination for Best Actress in a Musical for the Tony Awards for her performance in Cabaret. Having already shown her impressive range, it will be exciting to see how Rankin continues to surprise audiences by taking on new and diverse roles.

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Have you watched any of these movies starring Gayle Rankin? Let us know in the comments.