Ian Gelder Dies: ‘Game of Thrones’ Actor & Husband of ‘IWTV’ Star Ben Daniels Was 74

Game of Thrones actor Ian Gelder has died at the age of 74. His husband, Interview With the Vampire Season 2 star Ben Daniels, revealed his passing in a heartbreaking post on Instagram on Tuesday, May 7. The couple was together for more than 30 years.

Gelder played Kevan Lannister in 12 episodes of Game of Thrones, among many other TV and film roles, many of which were U.K. productions. Daniels had stopped “all work” to be Gelder’s primary caretaker as he underwent treatment for bile duct cancer, with which he was diagnosed in December 2023.

“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,” Daniels wrote on Instagram. “Ian was diagnosed with bile duct cancer in December and yesterday he passed at 13.07. I’d stopped all work to be his carer but neither of us had any idea that it would all be so fast.”

 

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“He was my absolute rock and we’d been partners for more than 30 years,” Daniels continued. “If we weren’t together we spoke to each other everyday. He was the kindest, most generous spirited and loving human being. He was a wonderful wonderful actor and everyone who worked with him was touched by his heart and light. I honestly don’t know what I’ll do without him by my side. He coped with his dreadful illness with such bravery, with no self pity. Ever. He was remarkable and will be so missed.”

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The photo Daniels shared was a sweet selfie of the husbands smiling in front of a Christmas tree. Daniels finished his tribute by saying, “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. Rest well my sweet Chianni. Xxxx.”

Gelder’s most recent TV appearance aired in 2024 — an episode of BritBox‘s Father Brown in which he played Gabriel Hawksworth. According to IMDb, Gelder was part of a documentary currently in production titled Benoit, described as “a documentary exploring the fall of Maximilian Francis Benoit. From high-profile public figure to disgraced, presumed dead crime lord.” Other recent TV credits include Fifteen-Love, Doctor Who, His Dark Materials, and more.

Daniels will next be seen as the vampire Santiago in Interview With the Vampire Season 2, premiering Sunday, May 12 at 9/8c on AMC. He’ll also be seen in Prime Video‘s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 later this year.