Peter Vaughan, who played Maester Aemon Targaryen in Game of Thrones, has passed away, according to his family. The actor was 93.
According to the BBC:
"His agent Sally Long-Innes said: “This is to confirm that very sadly Peter Vaughan passed away at approximately 10.30 this morning. He died peacefully with his family around him.”"
Peter Vaughan in
Porridge
. Image via BBC
Peter Vaughan, as we noted at the time of his exit from the show, was a longtime BBC actor who had appeared in TV and film every year from 1956 onward. He may never have been an A-list celebrity, but to be a successful working actor for 60 years is no small feat. Before being cast on Game of Thrones, Vaughan was best known for his role in the 1970s TV serial Porridge, a fictionalized sitcom about life in UK prisons. (For those unaware, “doing porridge” is UK slang for serving a prison sentence, due to the food served for breakfast.)
Vaughan appeared in Seasons 1, 3, 4 and 5 of Game of Thrones, played the wise Maester Aemon Targaryen. Aemon was a mentor and father figure to Jon Snow and Sam Tarly at the Wall. Unlike every other character who died on the show, Vaughan had the great luck to portray the only character who dies of old age, having served the Night’s Watch with grace and dignity for many years. One could say something similar about the actor, who served the BBC acting stable with grace and dignity for decades before passing on of old age.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this time. RIP Peter Vaughan.