Gawker reports that Murphy was to play the role of Denys Mallister, the oldest member of the Night’s Watch. Mallister plays an important role as (spoiler warning) he will be one of the candidates considered to replace Jeor Mormont as Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch.
According to a report in the Guardian, Murphy collapsed suddenly and died on Friday, August 8.
Murphy’s agent, Philip Young, said 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.”
David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, the Game of Thrones showrunners, said that Murphy recorded enough scenes to justify not recasting the role of Denys Mallister. They added:
“He was a lovely man, and the best Denys Mallister we could have hoped for. And now his watch is ended.”
It appears that Murphy’s last role will be in the upcoming movie Dracula Untold. which was filmed in Northern Ireland. In that film, Murphy plays a village elder.
Murphy had small parts in films like Cal and Angela’s Ashes but will probably be best remembered for his theatre work. He trained with the Ulster Group Theatre School in 1948 and spent plenty of time at the Lyric Theatre in Belfast alongside actors like Liam Neeson and Ciaran Hinds, who learned to act with him.
