James McCaffrey, a seasoned veteran of the small screen and the voice of the iconic video game character Max Payne, has died.
He was 65.
According to reports, McCaffrey died Sunday of multiple myeloma cancer.
He was probably most well-known to non-video game players for his work on Rescue Me, where he played Jimmy Keefe.
Keefe was a New York firefighter who lost his life on 9/11.
He appears as a ghost to his cousin, played by Denis Leary.
McCaffrey had a series regular role for the first three seasons before switching to a recurring capacity for the final four seasons.
The FX hit also starred John Scurti, Michael Lombardi, Steven Pasquale, and Andrea Roth.
Throughout his career, the actor had countless credits across movies, TV, and video games.
In addition to Rescue Me, he appeared in Viper, Civil Wars, New York Undercover, Sex and the City, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Additional TV work includes Suits, Blue Bloods, The Glades, Beautiful People, White Collar, and Bluff City Law.
He started voicing Max Payne with the 2001 original game, returning for its two sequels.
He also voiced detective Alex Casey in Alan Wake and the 2023 sequel Alan Wake II.
Despite having many memorable voice roles in games, he revealed in a 2020 interview that he wasn’t a big fan of them.
“I’m not a big fan of video games, and I never have been,” he said in a 2020 interview.
“The first time I did Max Payne, it was, like, six hours a day in a sound booth, and it was about 400 pages of script.
“But, I’ve never seen it, I’ve never played it, I have no desire to. I lack the proper appreciation for video games.”
Alan Wake II, which launched to critical acclaim and landed on many end-of-year lists, was never a slam-dunk.
There was a 13-year gap between the first and second games; many thought it would never see the light of day.
Alex Casey had an interesting arc in the second chapter, playing the sidekick of the game’s protagonist.
While the Max Payne franchise has been dormant for 11 years, a remake of the first two games has been in the works for some time.
It’s hard to imagine anyone else in the voice role, but whether the actor was in contention for a comeback is unclear.
Remedy Entertainment, which makes Alan Wake and Max Payne, took to social media to pay its respects to McCaffrey.
“We are deeply saddened to hear about the passing of our beloved friend and collaborator James McCaffrey, the iconic voice of Max Payne and Alex Casey,” reads a statement.
“His remarkable talent gave life to our characters and left an enduring impact on our community.
“Our hearts go out to his family.”
We are deeply saddened to hear about the passing of our beloved friend and collaborator James McCaffrey, the iconic voice of Max Payne and Alex Casey. His remarkable talent gave life to our characters and left an enduring impact on our community. Our hearts go out to his family. pic.twitter.com/GEJL7aXyNt
— Remedy Entertainment (@remedygames) December 18, 2023
He appeared on the big screen in Broken English, The Truth About Casts and Dogs, American Splendor, and many other movies.
He was born in 1959 in Albany, New York.
McCaffrey is survived by his wife, Rochelle Bostrom, and daughter Tiernan McCaffrey.
May James McCaffrey rest in peace.
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Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on X.
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