James McCaffrey, As The World Turns Actor, Dead At 65

James McCaffrey has died at age of 65, as confirmed by TMZ. His death came after a diagnosis of multiple myeloma, a blood cancer.  McCaffrey is survived by his wife, Rochelle Bostrom, and their daughter, Tiernan.

Gamers may know McCaffrey best as the voice of Max Payne in the hugely popular trio of "Max Payne" video games, the first of which debuted in 2001. He also appeared in a number of TV shows and films over decades, including playing Charley Spangler for 11 episodes on "As The World Turns" in 2003 and firefighter Jimmy Keefe on the FX series "Rescue Me." 

A rep for the actor summarized McCaffrey's career for TMZ, saying, "One of Dick Wolf's proteges ... McCaffrey went on to a successful 35 year career in television and film. Trained at the Actor's Studio, he never lost his love for creating characters; however, his good looks often pushed him toward leading man roles."

James McCaffrey was born in 1959 in Albany, New York, to James P. McCaffrey and Anne P. McCaffrey. He had deep roots in the New York area; his grandfather owned the Albany Senators, a minor league baseball team, and McCaffrey lived in Westchester County in the last years of his life, according to Saratoga Living. He went to New Haven College for Fine Arts, before moving to Boston and starting doing theater work. After another relocation to New York City, he co-founded the Workhouse Theater and produced a number of off-Broadway shows. His first TV spot was in the early 1990s on the ABC law drama "Civil Wars," which quickly led to roles on some short-lived TV shows like "Viper" and "Swift Justice."

McCaffrey was nothing if not a versatile actor, and while he may not have starred on a long-running show, he appeared on a number of hit series. He could be seen on "Sex and the City" as Paul Denai, a photographer who dates Carrie and then captures her famous fall on the catwalk, and "Suits," on which he played Harvey Specter's dad, Gordon. His big-screen roles include "The Truth About Cats & Dogs" and Hallmark's "Romance at Reindeer Lodge."

When Saratoga Living asked McCaffrey about his favorite role, the actor replied, "Probably Jimmy Keefe in the TV series 'Rescue Me' for FX. Just because he was a ghost and he died in the World Trade Center on September 11."

Beyond James McCaffrey's on-screen TV and film work, he's perhaps best known as the voice of Max Payne in the video games of the same name. His delivery and gravely baritone went a long way to helping create the third-person shooter's neo-noir atmosphere. He was rumored to be involved with the remake of the hugely popular games, which is currently being developed, and what will happen to the character now has yet to be announced. McCaffrey also voiced Alex Casey in 2023's "Alan Wake 2." Despite being such a well-known figure in the video game world, McCaffrey hadn't played the games he's in — playing video games just wasn't his thing.

Sam Lake, writer and director at "Max Payne" developer Remedy Entertainment, posted to X (formerly known as Twitter) after the news of McCaffrey's death, writing, "He was a lovely man and a dear friend ... He was a brilliant actor. No one could do what he did better than him."

"Entourage" star Kevin Dillon posted a tribute to McCaffrey on Instagram, calling him his "best friend." Some commenters didn't want to believe that McCaffrey had actually died, and others lamented the loss of such an iconic voice actor. Clearly, McCaffrey will be deeply missed by many.