Two decades ago, Stephen Friedman navigated challenging markets as the head of Goldman Sachs.
These days, he can be seen traversing a fantastical realm populated by bloodthirsty warriors and screeching dragons.
Mr. Friedman, 76, a former senior partner of Goldman who later worked in the White House under President George W. Bush, has a brief cameo in the upcoming season of the HBO series “Game of Thrones.â€
His appearance lasts only a few seconds. But one eagle-eyed viewer at the series premiere Tuesday evening in New York, the author William D. Cohan, spotted Mr. Friedman, whom he had interviewed for a book on Goldman.
Indeed, as a review by DealBook confirmed, the onetime titan of Wall Street appears in humble garb near the beginning of the episode. Dressed in peasant’s robes with a stern look on his face, Mr. Friedman walks down a dirt path, carrying a basket, accompanied by a woman.
Then, as quickly as he appears, he is gone.
The cameo by Mr. Friedman might not come as a surprise to die-hard fans of series. His son, David Benioff, is a creator of the show.
Mr. Benioff, who is also a novelist and is married to the actress Amanda Peet, was in attendance on Tuesday at the Season 4 premiere, which was held at Lincoln Center in Manhattan. (The premiere airs on television on April 6.)
Some in the audience clapped when Mr. Friedman appeared on screen, according to Mr. Cohan. Mr. Friedman, who is currently the chairman of the private equity firm Stone Point Capital, could not immediately be reached for comment on Wednesday.
Speaking by phone on Wednesday, Mr. Cohan explained why Mr. Friedman and his son have different last names. According to Mr. Cohan, Mr. Friedman said that his son changed his name as an adult, when “he didn’t want to be known as the 50th David Friedman in Hollywood.â€
But Mr. Benioff’s family is present in his work.
“It just shows you,†Mr. Cohan joked, “Goldman’s tentacles are everywhere.â€
