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James McCaffrey, the voice of Max Payne and Alan Wake 2’s Alex Casey, has died

Also appeared in Remedy’s Control and 2008’s Alone in the Dark

Sam Lake and James McCaffrey - the likeness and voice of Max Payne and Alan Wake 2's Alex Casey
Image credit: Sam Lake/Remedy
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News by Matt Jarvis Contributor
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Video game actor James McCaffrey, whose roles included the iconic voice of Max Payne and Alex Casey in this year’s Alan Wake 2, has passed away.

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McCaffrey’s death was first announced by his actor colleague and friend Kevin Dillon in an Instagram post, before later being confirmed by a representative for McCaffrey. As reported by TMZ, McCaffrey passed away surrounded by family and friends following a battle with multiple myeloma, a form of bone marrow cancer. He was 65.

Having appeared in films and TV series through the nineties, 2001’s Max Payne was McCaffrey’s debut role in a video game. He would go on to contribute the grizzled detective’s distinctive voice in both its 2003 and 2012 sequels.

While Max Payne was McCaffrey’s best-known role in video games, he also appeared in other games from series developers Remedy Entertainment. Recently, he lent his voice to FBI agent Alex Casey in this year’s Alan Wake 2 - who, like Max Payne, combines McCaffrey’s voice with the likeness of Remedy creative director Sam Lake - having played both Casy and Thomas Zane in the original Alan Wake, and previously appeared with his own likeness as FBC director Zachariah Trench in Control.

“I’m heartbroken to hear the sad news of James McCaffrey’s passing,” Lake wrote on X. “We worked together for more than 25 years. He was a lovely man and a dear friend. He was a key part of the Remedy family. He was a brilliant actor. No one could do what he did better than him.”

“His remarkable talent gave life to our characters and left an enduring impact on our community,” Remedy’s own account added. “Our hearts go out to his family.”

Aside from Remedy games, McCaffrey appeared as paranormal investigator Edward Carnby in 2008’s Alone in the Dark and had various roles in mid-noughties first-person shooter Area 51.

Outside of video games, McCaffrey had a long list of credits spanning three decades, including recurring parts on series such as Suits, Jessica Jones and a starring role as Jimmy Keefe, the ghost of a firefighter killed during the September 11th attacks, in Rescue Me. He also had a cameo in the 2008 live-action Max Payne film, which saw the main role taken over by Mark Wahlberg.

McCaffrey is survived by his wife, fellow actor Rochelle Bostrom who appeared opposite McCaffrey in 1994 TV series Viper, and daughter Tiernan.