White Walker (Winter Is Coming)

A White Walker is a unnamed minor character in Game of Thrones. He was played by guest star Ian Whyte in the original version of the pilot and guest star Spencer Wilding in the reshot version. He only appears in the first episode of the first season.

Season 1
The White Walkers slaughter a band of wildlings and arrange their bodies in a strange symbol. The Night's Watch ranger Will tracks the wildlings and finds the bodies. Horrified he tells his companions Ser Waymar Royce and Gared and leads them to the scene. The bodies have vanished and Gared sends Will to track them further. The White Walkers ambush the men and kill Ser Waymar. A Wildling girl from the band returns as a Wight and stalks Will through the trees. Gared flees through the forest and the White Walkers give chase. They catch and behead Gared just as he finds Will. They toss his head in front of Will and let Will flee south.

In the books
In the Song of Ice and Fire novels, the White Walkers are more commonly called the Others. They have not arranged the bodies in the same way. There is a longer duel with Ser Waymar before he is killed. Will is killed by Ser Waymar, returned as a wight while Gared escapes south. The walkers speak in a language Will does not recognize in the books.