The man behind one of Game Of Thrones' memorable Maesters and many more notable characters has died. Peter Vaughan was 93.
Born Peter Olm in Shropshire in 1923, Vaughan recounts that he got his first taste for performance by reciting a poem at infant school, and after grammar school, he joined Wolverhampton Repertory theatre to begin his acting training. Appearances at a range of theatres followed before he enlisted in the army during World War II, serving in Belgium, Normandy and Singapore.
His screen debut came via the BBC's Stage By Stage in 1954, kicking off a TV career that would run until 2015, encompassing a huge swathe of roles. His character work included guest spots on series such as Coronation Street, Dixon Of Dock Green, Citizen Smith, Chancer, Lovejoy, Our Friends In The North, The 10th Kingdom, Doc Martin and, most recently, Game Of Thrones, where he brought grouchy life to Maester Aemon Targaryen, who appeared in several episodes of the first, third fourth and fifth seasons. Before Thrones, his best-loved TV work was as Harry "Grouty" Grout, the crime boss of Slade prison.
Vaughan got his first credited part in cinema with the 1960 take on Village Of The Damned, and won his first starring role in 1964's Smokescreen. He went on to appear in the likes of Straw Dogs, The French Lieutenant's Woman, Time Bandits, The Remains Of The Day, An Ideal Husband and Is Anybody There? Though possibly most memorable of all was his second time working with Bandits Terry Gilliam, in Brazil, where Vaughan played craven bureaucrat Mr. Helpmann.