Actor James McCaffrey, best known for providing the voice of the main character in the Max Payne video game trilogy, has died at age 65 following a battle with cancer.
TMZ reports that a representative for the actor confirmed McCaffrey died on Sunday, Dec. 17 surrounded by family and friends. He was previously diagnosed with multiple myeloma. "One of Dick Wolf's proteges, McCaffrey went on to a successful 35-year career in television and film," a representative said. "Trained at the Actor's Studio, he never lost his love for creating characters; however, his good looks often pushed him toward leading man roles."
McCaffrey had an extensive career across TV, film, and video games. He appeared in Rescue Me, Blue Bloods, and Suits, among countless other credits. McCaffrey had a strong relationship with video game developer Remedy Entertainment, voicing the titular hard-boiled detective character in the Max Payne franchise across all of the games, including the Rockstar-developed third entry. He also had an uncredited cameo in the 2008 movie adaptation, which starred Mark Wahlberg as Payne.
Other Remedy titles he appeared in include 2010's Alan Wake as Thomas Zane and 2019's Control. Most recently, McCaffrey had a sizeable role as Alex Casey in Alan Wake II, a character that bears many similarities to his iconic performance as Payne. Sam Lake, the lead writer behind both Alan Wake and Max Payne, posted a touching tribute to the late actor on X.
"I’m heartbroken to hear the sad news of James McCaffrey’s passing. We worked together for more than 25 years. He was a lovely man and a dear friend. He was a key part of the Remedy family. He was a brilliant actor. No one could do what he did better than him," he wrote alongside a picture of them together. "James was Max Payne, Thomas Zane, Zachariah Trench and finally Alex Casey. I had the honor of sharing Max Payne’s role and Casey’s role with him. He was a joy to work with. I will cherish his memory and I miss him. My deepest condolences to his family. Rest in peace, Jim."
The news of his death first broke when actor Kevin Dillon shared a tribute on Instagram. "We were lucky to have known you," wrote Dillon. "My best friend you will be missed."
Last year, Remedy Entertainment and Rockstar Games announced a remake of both Max Payne and Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC. It's unclear if McCaffrey contributed to the projects before his death.
RIP.
