‘Rescue Me,’ ‘Max Payne’ actor James McCaffrey dies

The voice behind video game antihero Max Payne has died.

James McCaffrey was 65.

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McCaffrey, known best for the Payne character and for his role on the FX drama “Rescue Me,” died surrounded by family and friends after a battle with multiple myeloma cancer, Deadline reported.

The actor got his big break with a recurring role in “Civil Wars,” a legal drama that ran from 1991 through 1993. “Law & Order” producer Dick Wolf then tapped him to be in his series “Swift Justice” in 1996 before appearing in “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and “Law & Order: Criminal Intent.”

McCaffrey also appeared on “Viper,” “Sex and the City,” “The Big Easy” “Glades,” “Revenge,” “White Collar,” “Madame Secretary,” “Bull” and “Suits,” Deadline reported.

On “Rescue Me,” McCaffrey played Jimmy, a firefighter who had died on 9/11 and would appear to Tommy Gavin, played by Denis Leary. McCaffrey said the role of Jimmy was his favorite, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

As Max Payne, a New York City police officer-turned-DEA agent, he reprised his role in each game of the series released in 2001, 2003, 2008, and 2012. He also voiced Alex Casey in Alan Wake games released in 2010 and 2023.

Despite the fame from his voice-acting roles, he said he didn’t particularly like video games.

“I’m not a big fan of video games, and I never have been,” he said, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “The first time I did Max Payne, it was, like, six hours a day in a sound booth, and it was about 400 pages of script. But I’ve never seen it, I’ve never played it, I have no desire to. I lack the proper appreciation for video games.”

McCaffrey is survived by his wife and daughter.

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