The Irish actor was cast as Ser Denys, a former member of the Night's Watch and the commander of the Shadow Tower for 33 years, in the upcoming fifth season of the show.
- August 12, 2014
AceShowbiz -
The "Game of Thrones" family has lost one of its cast members. J.J. Murphy, who was just added to the show last month as a member of the Night's Watch, died on Friday, August 8 at the age of 86.
The show's executive producers D.B. Weiss and David Benioff have issued a statement following the sad news, saying, "We will not be recasting J.J. Murphy. He was a lovely man, and the best Denys Mallister we could have hoped for. And now his watch is ended."
Murphy was cast in the role of Ser Denys, a former member of the Night's Watch and the commander of the Shadow Tower for 33 years. He was up for the position of Lord Commander. He just began filming his scenes for the show four days before his sudden passing.
His agent said in a statement, "I am heartbroken to pass on the news that the wonderful J.J. Murphy passed away this morning 8th August 2014." The agent added that the Northern Irish actor was "absolutely delighted" to be cast "in one of the biggest productions in the world at this stage in his career."
Murphy appeared in films such as 1984's "Cal", 1999's "Angela's Ashes" and 2004's "Mickybo and Me". He also has a part in upcoming movie "Dracula Untold" starring Luke Evans which is due October 17 in the United States.
