j. j. murphy (7 may 1928 – 8 august 2014) was a northern irish movie and television actor. he was known for his movie roles in "cal" (1984), "angela's ashes" (1999) and "dracula untold" (2014). murphy became very popular for his role as ser denys mallister in the hbo television series "game of thrones". he was born in belfast.