Game of Thrones and Doctor Who actor Tom Chadbon dies at 80

Tom Chadbon, the British character actor known for roles in Doctor Who and Game of Thrones, has died at age 80, according to a statement from Fantom Events posted on Monday.

TL;DR

• Chadbon, 80, was best known for playing Duggan in Doctor Who‘s “City of Death” (1979) and High Septon Maynard in Game of Thrones (2017).
• Fantom Events, a UK publishing and events company he worked with, announced his death on Monday, saying he passed away “last weekend.”
• No cause of death has been made public.
• Tributes have poured in from castmates and collaborators across his nearly five-decade career.

How Tom Chadbon’s death was announced

Fantom Events, a UK publishing and events company Chadbon worked with, confirmed his death in a social media post on Monday. The company added that he was “a warm and friendly man to work with,” according to STV News.

No cause of death has been disclosed. Fantom Events learned of the news from Chadbon’s family, according to Far Out.

Chadbon married Jane Hennessy in 1971, and the couple stayed together largely out of the public eye until his death, according to Yahoo.

Tributes for the Doctor Who and Game of Thrones star

Lisa Bowerman, an actress who worked alongside Chadbon on Doctor Who audio productions, said she hadn’t heard the news and called him “wonderful,” according to TV Guide UK.

Cavan Scott, a writer who worked with Chadbon on Blake’s 7, remembered “many a happy studio session” together and called him an absolute gent, according to Far Out. Other fans and colleagues shared similar messages online this week.

Tom Chadbon’s five-decade acting career

Born Feb. 27, 1946, in Luton, Bedfordshire, Chadbon trained at RADA and built a career spanning nearly five decades across stage, film and television, according to IBTimes UK.

He first played Duggan in the 1979 Doctor Who serial “City of Death,” opposite Tom Baker‘s Fourth Doctor, and returned in 1986 as Merdeen in “The Trial of a Time Lord.” In a 2009 interview, Baker recalled that Chadbon was terribly funny on set, according to Far Out.

Chadbon’s screen work also included the Bond franchise. He played a stockbroker in 2006’s Casino Royale, the film that introduced Daniel Craig as 007, according to Wikipedia.

12A BBFC theatrical certificate for Casino Royale (2006), the Bond film in which Chadbon played a stockbroker Source: BBFC

He later appeared as High Septon Maynard in Game of Thrones‘ 2017 episode “The Dragon and the Wolf,” one of his final television roles, according to LBC.

Chadbon’s death adds to a string of losses across genre television this year, following the passing of voice actor Tom Kane and Godzilla vs. Kong star Kaylee Hottle. His Game of Thrones episode also arrived as the franchise laid groundwork for spin-offs including House of the Dragon, now heading into its third season.

Where UK fans can revisit his best-known roles

Doctor Who’s “City of Death” streams free on BBC iPlayer for UK license-fee payers, while Game of Thrones remains available through NOW’s Entertainment & HBO Max Membership, priced at £9.99 a month.