James McCaffrey dead: Video game Max Payne voice actor dies after cancer battle aged 65

James McCaffrey, an actor best known for voicing the popular video game character Max Payne, has died due to cancer. TMZ, which first reported the death, said the 65-year-old died on Sunday (December 17) "surrounded by friends and family" after being diagnosed with multiple myeloma.

The representative said: "One of Dick Wolf's proteges (""Swift Justice), 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."

Before delving into his career as a voice actor in video games, McCaffrey spent over 30 years as a film and television actor. His initial roles can be traced back to the late '80s and early '90s, with a significant breakthrough in Fox's police drama "New York Undercover," where he portrayed Captain Arthur O'Byrne in Season 3. Subsequently, he took on the lead role in the NBC action series "Viper," participating in its original one-season run in 1994 and returning for Season 4 when it was revived a few years later.

McCaffrey's most prominent role started in 2004 on FX's "Rescue Me." In this series, he played the character James Xavier "Jimmy" Keefe, a firefighter who tragically perished on September 11 and served as the best friend and cousin of Denis Leary's main character, Tommy Gavin. McCaffrey featured as a main character in the first three seasons and continued as a recurring character in the final four seasons.

His television appearances include shows like "Sex and the City," "As the World Turns," "Beautiful People," "She's Gotta Have It," "Jessica Jones," as well as films such as "The Orphan Killer," "Camp Hope," "Excuse Me for Living," among others.

For gaming enthusiasts, McCaffrey is recognised as the voice behind Max Payne, the rugged antihero from the popular shooter video game series. He lent his voice to Max in all of the character's games, including the original 2001 release "Max Payne," its sequel "Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne" (2003), and the final installment "Max Payne 3" (2012), for which McCaffrey also contributed to the motion capture.

In addition to his portrayal of Max Payne, McCaffrey voiced FBI agent Alex Casey in the original "Alan Wake" game in 2010 and reprised the role in this year's sequel, "Alan Wake II," which recently received recognition for best narrative, art direction, and game direction at the Game Awards. McCaffrey also played roles in "Control" (2019) and "Alone in the Dark" (2008).