Peter Vaughan, 'Game of Thrones' actor who played Maester Aemon, dies at 93

Peter Vaughan of "Game of Thrones" and British sitcom "Porridge" has died. Vaughan "died peacefully with his family around him" Tuesday morning in England, according to his agent, Sally Long-Innes.

The 93-year-old actor most recently played blind old Maester Aemon Targaryen on the HBO fantasy series, one of the last scions of the ruling family of Westeros who joined the Night's Watch and protect the realm rather than enmesh himself in political intrigue. Maester Aemon had already met his fate on "Game of Thrones" in Season 5, a serious blow to future Night's Watch Commander Jon Snow (Kit Harington) and Maester-in-training Sam Tarly (John Bradley-West).

Vaughan was born Peter Olm in 1923 in Shropshire, England. He served in World War II in Normandy, Belgium, and the eastern front before embarking on a lengthy career in British TV, coupled with a healthy film resume that included movies for Terry Gilliam ("Time Bandits," "Brazil") and the film version of "The Crucible" that starred Daniel Day-Lewis and Winona Ryder, in which he played Giles "More Weight" Corey. He is perhaps best remembered, outside of "Game of Thrones," for his role as Harry "Grouty" Grout in "Porridge."

The "Game of Thrones" crew took to Twitter to mourn the loss of the man behind the Maester, including producer Bryan Cogman.

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