Popular voice actor James McCaffrey passed away on December 17. He died battling cancer. He was 65.
McCaffrey's talent agent David Elliot confirmed on December 18 that he died the day before, surrounded by family and friends. His actor-wife Rochelle Bostrom told The Hollywood Reporter that he died peacefully at home, after battling with myeloma, the most common type of plasma cell tumour, a type of cancer that severely affects white blood cells.
Fellow actor Kevin Dillon was among the few who took to social media to honor McCaffrey's legacy.
Before he made a name in video game voice acting, McCaffrey was an actor, who starred in many shows and films, for more than three decades. His roles date back to the late ’80s and early ’90s, with his breakout project being Fox's 'New York Undercover.'
McCaffrey’s biggest role was FX’s 'Rescue Me' (2004). McCaffrey also appeared on various other shows like 'Sex and the City,' 'Suits,' 'Blue Bloods,' 'As the World Turns,' 'Beautiful People,' 'She’s Gotta Have It,' 'Jessica Jones.' He also acted in well-known films like 'The Orphan Killer,' 'Camp Hope,' 'Excuse Me for Living' and many more.
McCaffrey lent his voice to play Max Payne, the ex-NYPD officer turned vigilante following the tragic loss of his family, in the video game series bearing the same name in the early 2000s. All video game fans knew his stand-out, distinct voice as Max Payne. He voiced Max in all of the character’s games: 'Max Payne' (2001), 'Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne' (2003) and 'Max Payne 3' (2012), for which McCaffrey also provided the motion capture. In a 2008 film adaptation featuring Mark Wahlberg, McCaffrey made a cameo appearance.
McCaffrey also provided the voice for FBI agent Alex Casey in both the original 'Alan Wake' game (2010) and the recently released 'Alan Wake 2' (2023), which bagged awards for Best Narrative, Art Direction, and Game Direction at the 2023 Game Awards.
James' agent, Elliot, wrote, “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."
Other than his wife, the actor is survived by his daughter, Tiernan McCaffrey.
