James McCaffrey, voice of Max Payne and Alan Wake games, dies aged 65

McCaffrey most recently starred in the ‘Alan Wake 2’ video game

James McCaffrey, the actor best known for voicing the popular video game character Max Payne, has died at the age of 65 following a battle with cancer.

TMZ published a statement from McCaffrey’s representative revealing he passed away Sunday, 17 December, surrounded by friends and family.

“One of Dick Wolf’s proteges, McCaffrey went on to a successful 35-year career in television and film. 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,” said McCaffery’s representative to TMZ.

McCaffrey had been diagnosed with multiple myeloma – a type of bone marrow cancer – according to the publication.

Kevin Dillon, who played Johnny “Drama” Chase in HBO’s Entourage, was the first to comment on McCaffrey’s death in a post on Instagram, saying: “We were lucky to have known you. My best friend you will be missed.”

McCaffrey played New York City police detective turned vigilante Max Payne across Remedy’s three-game series: 2001’s Max Pane, its sequel Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne (2003) and the final instalment Max Payne 3 (2012), for which he also provided the motion capture.

Voice actor James McCaffrey in 2016 (Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival)

The franchise was adapted into a feature film in 2008 starring Mark Wahlberg as the titular antihero.

Most recently, McCaffrey voiced FBI agent Alex Casey in another Remedy game, Alan Wake 2. He was also the voice of Thomas Zane in the first instalment of the Alan Wake franchise about a bestselling crime thriller novelist as he tries to uncover the mystery behind his wife’s disappearance.

McCaffrey worked in film and television for 30 years before breaking into the video game circuit. He played the recurring role of Captain Arthur O’Byrne in Fox’s Nineties police drama New York Undercover and starred in the NBC action series Viper.

McCaffrey is also known for playing deceased New York City firefighter Jimmy Keefe on the 9/11 drama, Rescue Me, which he reprised across all seven seasons. He also had minor appearances in As the World Turns and Sex and the City and played Ryan Huntley on ABC’s Revenge.

McCaffrey is survived by his wife Rochelle Bostrom and daughter Tiernan.