Game Of Thrones actor Ian Gelder dies of cancer aged 74

Actor diagnosed with bile duct cancer five months ago

Ian Gelder, who starred as Kevan Lannister in the fantasy drama series Game Of Thrones has died aged 74, five months after being diagnosed with bile duct cancer.

The British actor’s decades-long career has also included roles as Mr Dekker in Torchwood: Children Of Earth, as well as guest roles as Charles, the Librarian scholar in His Dark Materials, and Zellin in Doctor Who.

“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,” actor Ben Daniels said on Instagram.

“I’d stopped all work to be his carer but neither of us had any idea that it would all be so fast. He was my absolute rock and we’d been partners for more than 30 years.”

“If we weren’t together we spoke to each other everyday. He was the kindest, most generous spirited and loving human being,” his post added.

“He coped with his dreadful illness with such bravery, with no self pity. Ever.”

“He was remarkable and will be so missed.”

The photo Daniels showed the couple smiling in front of a Christmas tree and he wrote: “This pic was taken at Christmas time after I’d got him out of hospital, and even though he’d gone through the worst three weeks there you can still see his joy and love shining through.”

Gelder’s management agency confirmed his death on X, writing that he was “such a lovely person and a wonderful actor” and “he will be hugely missed by all those that loved him and worked alongside him”.

Gelder starred as Tywin Lannister’s younger brother Kevan Lannister on the first season of Game of Thrones and reprised his role in later seasons of the HBO series, and earlier this year, starred in an episode of BBC One period detective series Father Brown.

Gelder was a stalwart of the screen and stage during his career, and was a part of several classic productions like The Crucible, The Taming of the Shrew, and The Front Page.