British actor Ian Gelder, who played Kevan Lannister in HBO’s Game of Thrones, has passed away.
Actor Ian Gelder, whose body of work included a memorable role in the hit series Game of Thrones, has died. His passing was announced by Gelder’s husband, actor Ben Daniels, with a post on Instagram. Gelder was 74 years old.
“It is with huge huge sadness and a heavy heart broken into a million pieces that I’m leaving this post to announce the passing of my darling husband and life partner Ian Gelder,” the statement shared. “Ian was diagnosed with bile duct cancer in December and yesterday he passed at 13.07. I’d stopped all work to be his carer but neither of us had any idea that it would all be so fast. He was my absolute rock and we’d been partners for more than 30 years. If we weren’t together we spoke to each other everyday.”
Daniels continued, “He was the kindest, most generous spirited and loving human being. He was a wonderful wonderful actor and everyone who worked with him was touched by his heart and light. I honestly don’t know what I’ll do without him by my side. He coped with his dreadful illness with such bravery, with no self pity. Ever. He was remarkable and will be so missed.”
Gelder was known in part for his Game of Thrones role. As Kevan Lannister, he was featured in the hit HBO show’s first season where he served as a part of Tywin Lannister’s (Charles Dance) war council. Gelder would go on to reprise the role in eleven more episodes, and his character ultimately perished in the sixth season when his niece Cersei (Lena Headey) destroyed the Great Sept of Baelor with wildfire.
“I was so delighted to get Game of Thrones – it’s an absolute phenomenon and I am very proud to be part of it. The new age of television is really great for us actors,” Gelder said in a 2017 interview.
Gelder is also known for his role as Mr. Dekker in the British series Torchwood: Children of Earth. He guest starred as Zellin on Doctor Who in 2020 during Jodie Whittaker’s run, and he had a recurring role in the 2017 series Snatch. The actor has appeared in a slew of other TV shows including The Professionals, London’s Burning, The Bill, Ruth Rendell Mysteries, Poirot, Robin Hood, His Dark Materials, and Father Brown. Gelder has also appeared in films like Little Dorrit, King Ralph, and Surge.
