Melisandre is a real-life person.
Carice van Houten . Since 2012 , Van Houten has received international recognition for her role as Melisandre on the HBO fantasy drama television series Game of Thrones ( 2012 -- present ) , for which she has been nominated for two Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series . The Iron Throne is a metonym for the fictional monarchy of Westeros as well as the physical throne of its monarch in the A Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin . Melisandre . Melisandre is portrayed by Dutch actress Carice van Houten in the HBO television adaptation .