Ian Gelder, the British actor who played Kevan Lannister in HBO’s Game of Thrones, among numerous other roles, has died aged 74.
News of Gelder’s passing came from his husband, fellow actor Ben Daniels, who paid tribute to the “kindest, most generous spirited and loving human being” in an Instagram post. He confirmed that Gelder had died five months after being diagnosed with bile duct cancer and that “neither of us had any idea that it would all be so fast”.
“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,” Daniels wrote. “He was a wonderful wonderful actor and everyone who worked with him was touched by his heart and light.”
Gelder was known for his many stage and screen roles, including a memorable portrayal as Kevan Lannister in the hit fantasy series Game of Thrones. His first appearance arrived in the eighth episode of the first season, where he was part of Tywin Lannister’s war council, but he returned for 11 more episodes after that too.
Some of his other notable TV roles include playing Mr Dekker in the penultimate series of Torchwood, as well as a guest role as Librarian scholar Charles on the BBC’s His Dark Materials adaptation, and an appearance as the nightmarish Immortal God Zellin in the seventh episode of the twelfth season of Doctor Who.
The late actor’s management company, DPA Management, shared a statement on X/Twitter on May 7, shortly after the news of his passing. “It was a pleasure to represent Ian Gelder for the latter part of his career,” it said. “The world will be a lesser place without him in it. Ian was such a lovely person and a wonderful actor. I know he will be hugely missed by all those that loved him and worked alongside him.”
Image Credit: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for SOLT
Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on X/Twitter @AdeleAnkers.
