Peter Vaughan, the actor best known for playing Maester Aemon on HBO’s Game of Thrones, has passed away. He was 93.
He “died peacefully with his family around him” this morning in England, according to his agent, who shared the news with Variety. Vaughan had been acting since the 1950s but achieved a new level of fame with his part on the hit HBO series.
Vaughan was born in England as Peter Olm in 1923. He went on to serve in World War II before becoming an actor.
<Mild Game of Thrones spoilers follow below.>
As Aemon Targaryen, Vaughan somehow appeared in only 11 episodes of Game of Thrones during its first five seasons–fewer than you might guess, given the strong impression he left. As in the novels, his character has already passed away, so the show won’t be forced to recast him or otherwise adjust due to his absence.
