Seneca Crane

Seneca Crane was the Head Gamemaker of the 74th Hunger Games. During the Games, Crane gave into public pressure to allow two victors from the same district to win. However, President Snow disagreed with this ruling and Crane rescinded the rule change. When the two remaining victors, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, threatened to consume the deadly Nightlock berries simultaneously Crane reinstated the ruling, choosing to have two victors instead of none.

After the Games' conclusion President Snow, upset that Crane allowed such a situation to occur, had him killed. In Catching Fire, Snow tells Katniss about Crane's death as an example of Snow's power and as a threat to her loved ones to ensure her compliance with what he wants. Later in the novel, while the Gamemakers are evaluating tributes for the 75th Hunger Games, Katniss hangs a dummy on a noose she made and paints "SENECA CRANE" with berry juice on its chest.

The Hunger Games film
In the film adaptation, Seneca Crane is portrayed by Wes Bentley and is featured much more heavily than in the novel.



Throughout the film, Crane meets with President Snow to discuss the rising personality of Katniss Everdeen and Snow's need to keep her (and the districts) in line. After a meeting with Haymitch leads to Crane's initial change in ruling to allow two victors, Snow discusses the implications of the change with Crane and expresses his opposition to the change.

Despite Snow's opposition, Crane decides to allow the two victors to live after threatening to consume the poisonous Nightlock berries. Angered by this decision, Snow has Peacekeepers lead and lock Crane in an opulent room containing only an elegant bowl of Nightlock for him to consume.