Worcester Basketball Player, Actor, Tallest Man In UK, Dies At 36

WORCESTER, MA — Neil Fingleton was most recently known for playing "Mag the Mighty" on "Game of Thrones," and also had roles on X-Men. He also was the United Kingdom's tallest British-born man, according to the Guinness World Records, and stood at 7 feet 7 inches.

Fingleton, who died at his England home over the weekend at age 36, played basketball in Worcester, first at Holy Name Central Catholic Junior-Senior High School, and then College of the Holy Cross, according to The Boston Globe.

With a degree in history from Holy Cross, Fingleton continued to play basketball in Greece, Italy and Spain after graduation, according to, according to Holy Cross magazine. A back injury forced him into basketball retirement in 2007, when he began to pursue a retail career.

"Knowing firsthand the difficulty he has finding clothes that fit, the former history major began selling clothing to other people of his stature through his website, sevenfootseven.com," writes Holy Cross Magazine.

Later pursuing his acting career, in addition to "Game of Thrones" and the "X-Men" movie, Fingleton had roles on " Doctor Who," "Jupiter Ascending" and "47 Ronin." He was also a stunt performer in "The Avengers."

"Guinness World Records is saddened to hear of the passing of tallest actor in the world and UK’s tallest man, Neil Fingleton," said GWR in a statement to Patch. "Neil had been part of the Guinness World Records family since 2007, when he was measured at the London offices and confirmed as the tallest man in the UK. He took the record from long-time record holder Chris Greener (1943–2015) at 229 cm; 7 ft 6.25 in).

“I have many fond memories of traveling with Neil on book signing tours,” said Guinness World Records Editor-in-Chief Craig Glenday. “We had a few particularly memorable experiences in New York and Toronto while trying to find other tall humans – a trip that confirmed George Bell (2.33 m; 7 ft 8 in) as the tallest American and Jerry Sokoloski (2.26 m; 7 ft 5 in) as the tallest Canadian. As far as we know, Neil’s extreme height wasn’t the result of any medical issue – he was just naturally tall, and from a very tall family. Our thoughts and condolences are with them at this time."

The cause of Fingleton's death is still undetermined, according to multiple media reports.

Photo Credit: Getty Images Entertainment, Chris Jackson/Staff