233cm ‘Game of Thrones’ actor Neil Fingleton, a giant in life and on screen, dies at 36

Neil Fingleton, Britain’s tallest man and an actor who was best known for playing the giant Mag the Mighty on HBO’s Game of Thrones, has died.

The 233cm (7feet, 7 inches) actor and former professional basketballer died Saturday. He was 36. The cause of death was heart failure, according to British media reports.

The actor was born in Durham in northeast England in 1980 and was one of three towering siblings in a long line of tall family members.

His stature facilitated a basketball career and he played at both the University of North Carolina and at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, leading that team to the state finals in 1999. At North Carolina, Fingleton was the Tar Heels’ centre until he was injured and had back surgery in 2000. He also played for Great Britain in the World University Games in China and professionally in Spain and Greece.

In 2007, Fingleton was named the United Kingdom’s tallest man by Guinness World Records.