‘Hey, they were in Game of Thrones’—Where else have you seen these 50 GoT cast members?
24) PETER VAUGHAN
And now his watch is ended. We lost powerhouse character actor Peter Vaughan last year when he passed at age 93, but we will always remember his portrayal of the forgotten Targaryen, Maester Aemon. When asked his recipe for living so long and so well, he once replied, “Luck, good wine and beer.”
The British-born Vaughan acted professionally for nearly 50 years, appearing as characters like William Stevens in The Remains of the Day (1993), Mr. Helpmann in Brazil (1985), Mackenzie in The Razor’s Edge (1984), Mr. Freeman in The French Lieutenant’s Woman (1981) and Tom Heddon in Straw Dogs (1971). Talking to the Sunday Post in 2016, Vaughan talked about co-starring with Frank Sinatra in the 1967 spy thriller Naked Runner:
"The film was made by a company called Artanis. Read that backwards — Sinatra. He was the guv’nor, he was the boss. But the great thing about Frank was that you had to stand up to him very quickly. If you did that, he respected you, otherwise he’d walk all over you."
Vaughan may be best remembered in the UK for his role as inmate Harry Grout in the popular TV series Porridge (1975-1977, photo above). His TV credits are legion, including roles on The Saint (1964), Coronation Street (1966), The Avengers (1968), Citizen Smith (1977-1979), Chancer (1990-1991) and The Jury (2002).
Did you remember that Vaughan, well known for comedic parts, donned a lot of makeup and prosthetics to play the blustering Winston the Ogre in 1981 for Terry Gilliam’s Time Bandits (pictured with Katherine Helmond, above)?
Vaughan’s last onscreen bit of acting was Maester Aemon’s touching death scene on Game of Thrones (“The Gift,” S5, Ep7).