Aidan Gillen joined Peaky Blinders as Aberama Gold in Season 4, playing a Romany gypsy hitman hired by Tommy Shelby to help defeat Luca Changretta . Gillen appeared across Seasons 4 and 5 before the character was killed in the Season 5 finale .
The BBC media pack introduced Aberama as “a man with a reputation for being dangerous and somebody who is an unknown quantity” . He first appears in Episode 2 of Season 4, arriving unexpectedly with his son Bonnie Gold, played by Jack Rowan, to add “a bit of muscle to the Peaky ranks” . Gillen described his character to The Sun as “a romantic gentleman, gypsy hitman” .
Aberama’s relationship with the Shelby family deepens through his romance with Polly Gray, played by Helen McCrory. After Polly asks him to take Michael into hiding following the Changretta attack that killed John, the two begin a relationship . Gillen told RTE in 2019 that by Season 5 he felt “pretty much a part of the family because the relationship with Polly is quite strong” .
The character’s arc turns tragic when his son Bonnie is murdered by the Billy Boys. Aberama seeks revenge, and in the Season 5 finale, he is stabbed to death during an ambush while waiting to confront Jimmy McCavern . This occurs shortly after Polly had accepted his marriage proposal, with the wedding planned in four weeks .Aidan Gillen Quick Bio
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Showrunner Steven Knight later expressed regret over the decision. Speaking to Esquire during a watchalong in May 2020, Knight said, “I should have kept him alive, I could have just wounded him” . He added, “It’s a funny position where you create these people and then you have to kill them. It’s not nice” .
For Aidan Gillen, the role came after his widely recognized turn as Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish in Game of Thrones. His broader career includes a BAFTA Television Award nomination for Queer as Folk in 2000 and a Tony Award nomination for The Caretaker in 2004 . The Peaky Blinders role allowed him to inhabit a character whose loyalty and menace operated within a strict personal code, distinct from the political scheming of Littlefinger.
Aberama Gold’s time on Peaky Blinders was brief but memorable. He entered as an outside enforcer and left as a grieving father and fiancé, killed before he could marry Polly or avenge Bonnie. Knight’s public regret over the death confirms the character’s impact on the series, even if his story ended earlier than its creator eventually wished.
Q: How did Aberama Gold die in Peaky Blinders?
Aberama Gold was stabbed to death in the Season 5 finale during an ambush. He was killed shortly after Polly Gray agreed to marry him, while waiting to confront Jimmy McCavern as part of Tommy Shelby’s assassination plan .
Q: Did the creator of Peaky Blinders regret killing off Aberama Gold?
Yes. Steven Knight told Esquire during a live watchalong in May 2020 that he wished he had kept Aberama alive. Knight said, “I should have kept him alive, I could have just wounded him” . He also named Barney Thompson, Malacki Byrne, and Major Campbell among characters he regretted killing .
Q: What happened to Aberama Gold’s son Bonnie?
Bonnie Gold, Aberama’s son and a boxer, was murdered by the Billy Boys as a message to Tommy Shelby. Aberama was shot in the shoulder and forced to watch as Bonnie was beaten, strung up on a wooden cross, and shot dead . This event drove Aberama’s quest for revenge in Season 5.
Q: What other major roles has Aidan Gillen played besides Aberama Gold?
Aidan Gillen is widely known for playing Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish in Game of Thrones from 2011 to 2017. He also starred as Tommy Carcetti in The Wire and Stuart Alan Jones in Queer as Folk . His film work includes The Dark Knight Rises and Bohemian Rhapsody .
