Game of Thrones cast and crew members pay tribute to Peter Vaughan

Peter Vaughan played Maester Aemon Targaryen for four seasons on Game of Thrones. He died earlier this week at the age of 93. Since then, cast and crew members from the show have been paying their respects.

Miguel Sapochnik is the director behind episodes like “Battle of the Bastards” and “The Winds of Winter.” He also directed Season 5’s “The Gift,” where Maester Aemon passed away.

Bryan is a staff writer on the show, responsible for Aemon-heavy episodes like “Kill the Boy,” which was named after something Aemon tells Jon Snow.

Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister) may have never shot a scene with Vaughan, but the camaraderie on the show runs deep.

Owen Teale, who played Alliser Thorne, did work directly with Vaughan. He told ITV News, “Peter was a very inspiring character to me, I think to anybody.

"He was a gentle giant, he really was. And as I speak about him I miss him very much. And the memories I have I cherish."

John Bradley, who played Sam, also weighed in. “His enthusiasm, passion and kindness were matched only by the power and precision of his performances,” he said. “He could terrify and enchant in equal measure. He taught me so much but only ever by example and it was an honour to be his colleague.”

With a 75-year career in the performing arts, Vaughan could certainly be characterized as a giant. Doctor Who star Christopher Eccleston, who played Vaughan’s son on the BBC drama Our Friends in the North, told BBC Radio 4’s Front Row that Vaughan was “wonderful to work with.”

"You’ve got to remember that you had Daniel Craig, Gina McKee, Mark Strong and myself all at the beginning of our careers, all very opinionated, all very energised, but there was no more intense actor on that set than Peter Vaughan."

Dick Clement, who worked with Vaughan as a writer on the sitcom Porridge, praised Vaughan’s talent on the same program. “He had a wonderful quality of being menacing at the same time funny, not an easy thing to pull off.”

"If you are still working in your 90s, which he was, you can only celebrate what was a fantastic life and be glad of it. I think he was a consummate actor and I feel very privileged to have worked with him."

And of course, fans paid their respects.

h/t BBC News, The Sun