Actors from Star Wars who has died.
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- Eddie Byrne was born on 31 January 1911 in Dublin, Ireland. He was an actor, known for Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977), Island of Terror (1966) and Odd Man Out (1947). He died on 21 August 1981 in Dublin, Ireland.General Willard (IV) 1911-1981
- Alex McCrindle was born on 3 August 1911 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK. He was an actor and producer, known for Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977), Eye of the Needle (1981) and Witch Wood (1964). He was married to Honor Arundel and Sandy . He died on 20 April 1990 in St. Bartholomew's Hospital, London, England, UK.General Jan Dodonna (IV) 1911-1990
- Actor
- Writer
- Art Department
Peter Wilton Cushing was born on May 26, 1913 in Kenley, Surrey, England, to Nellie Maria (King) and George Edward Cushing, a quantity surveyor. He and his older brother David were raised first in Dulwich Village, a south London suburb, and then later back in Surrey. At an early age, Cushing was attracted to acting, inspired by his favorite aunt, who was a stage actress. While at school, Cushing pursued his acting interest in acting and also drawing, a talent he put to good use later in his first job as a government surveyor's assistant in Surrey. At this time, he also dabbled in local amateur theater until moving to London to attend the Guildhall School of Music and Drama on scholarship. He then performed in repertory theater in Worthing, deciding in 1939 to head for Hollywood, where he made his film debut in The Man in the Iron Mask (1939). Other Hollywood films included A Chump at Oxford (1940) with Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, Vigil in the Night (1940) and They Dare Not Love (1941). However, after a short stay, he returned to England by way of New York (making brief appearances on Broadway) and Canada. Back in his homeland, he contributed to the war effort during World War II by joining the Entertainment National Services Association.
After the war, he performed in the West End and had his big break appearing with Laurence Olivier in Hamlet (1948), in which Cushing's future partner-in-horror Christopher Lee had a bit part. Both actors also appeared in Moulin Rouge (1952) but did not meet until their later horror films. During the 1950s, Cushing became a familiar face on British television, appearing in numerous teleplays, such as 1984 (1954) and Beau Brummell (1954), until the end of the decade when he began his legendary association with Hammer Film Productions in its remakes of the 1930s Universal horror classics. His first Hammer roles included Dr. Frankenstein in The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), Dr. Van Helsing in Horror of Dracula (1958), and Sherlock Holmes in The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959).
Cushing continued playing the roles of Drs. Frankenstein and Van Helsing, as well as taking on other horror characters, in Hammer films over the next 20 years. He also appeared in films for the other major horror producer of the time, Amicus Productions, including Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (1965) and its later horror anthologies, a couple of Dr. Who films (1965, 1966), I, Monster (1971), and others. By the mid-1970s, these companies had stopped production, but Cushing, firmly established as a horror star, continued in the genre for some time thereafter.
Perhaps his best-known appearance outside of horror films was as Grand Moff Tarkin in George Lucas' phenomenally successful science fiction film Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977). Biggles: Adventures in Time (1986) was Cushing's last film before his retirement, during which he made a few television appearances, wrote two autobiographies and pursued his hobbies of bird watching and painting. In 1989, he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in recognition of his contributions to the acting profession in Britain and worldwide. Peter Cushing died at age 81 of prostate cancer on August 11, 1994.Grand Moff Tarkin (IV) 1913-1994- Though primarily a stage actor, Sebastian Shaw appeared in some forty film and television productions from 1930 to 1991. Born in Holt, Norfolk, England, he first appeared on stage as a child in 1913, graduating to lead roles by the late 1920s. It was in 1930 that he made his first film appearance in Caste (1930). His most notable film roles of this period were as an aspiring actor opposite Miriam Hopkins and Rex Harrison in the Alexander Korda-produced Men Are Not Gods (1936); as a crime suspect in another Korda production, Murder on Diamond Row (1937); and opposite Conrad Veidt and Valerie Hobson in Michael Powell's U-Boat 29 (1939). His later films included Roy Boulting's documentary-style Journey Together (1945), The Glass Mountain (1949) (in which he played an eccentric Scottish lyricist), and Scotch on the Rocks (1953).
In the 1960s, he appeared in Kevin Brownlow and Andrew Mollo's imaginative It Happened Here (1964), made in semi-documentary style showing Britons coping during a Nazi persecution. Mostly stage and television work followed (including an appearance as a judge in Rumpole of the Bailey (1978)). In 1982, Shaw was approached by George Lucas to make an appearance in the final episode of his Star Wars films, Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983). The role was the small but crucial one at the film's climax of the unmasked Darth Vader (Anakin Skywalker) and in the final scene as Anakin's ghost. The role has since made him a cult figure all over the world. Much of Shaw's remaining career was spent playing distinguished elderly gent roles, such as cold war spy-cum-art critic Basil Sharpe in High Season (1987). Shaw continued to act on stage, film and television well into his eighties. Sebastian Shaw died at age 89 of natural causes on December 23, 1994.Anakin Skywalker (VI) 1905-1994 - As an amateur actor as a dare he auditioned for the RSC and was not only accepted, but he stayed for 6 years. Best known as Sgt Bulman in XYY Man (77) he then made several series of Strangers (79 -82). His films include Star Wars, Callan, The Prince and the Pauper and The Big Sleep.General Tagge (IV) 1931-1997
- Actor
- Special Effects
- Soundtrack
Jack Purvis was born on 13 July 1937 in London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Time Bandits (1981), Brazil (1985) and Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977). He was married to Marjie Purvis. He died on 11 November 1997 in Bushey, Hertfordshire, England, UK.Chief Jawa (IV), Chief Ugnaught (V), Teebo (VI) 1937-1997- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Alec Guinness was an English actor. He is known for his six collaborations with David Lean: Herbert Pocket in Great Expectations (1946), Fagin in Oliver Twist (1948), Col. Nicholson in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor), Prince Faisal in Lawrence of Arabia (1962), General Yevgraf Zhivago in Doctor Zhivago (1965), and Professor Godbole in A Passage to India (1984).
Guinness is really most remembered for his portrayal of Obi-Wan Kenobi in George Lucas' original Star Wars trilogy for which he receive a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
In 1959, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for services to the arts. In the 1970s, Guinness made regular television appearances in Britain, including the role of George Smiley in the serialisations of two novels by John le Carré: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979) and Smiley's People (1982). In 1980 he received the Academy Honorary Award for lifetime achievement.
Guinness was also one of three British actors, along with Laurence Olivier and John Gielgud, who made the transition from Shakespearean theatre in England to Hollywood blockbusters immediately after the Second World War.
Guinness died on 5 August 2000, from liver cancer, at Midhurst in West Sussex.Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi (IV, V, VI) 1914-2000- Shelagh Fraser was born on 25 November 1920 in Purley, Surrey, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977), The History of Mr. Polly (1949) and Doomwatch (1970). She was married to Anthony Squire. She died on 29 August 2000 in London, England, UK.Aunt Beru (IV) 1920-2000
- Claire Davenport was born on 24 April 1933 in Sale, Cheshire, England, UK. She was an actress, known for The Elephant Man (1980), Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) and The Return of the Pink Panther (1975). She died on 25 February 2002 in London, England, UK.Yarna d'al' Gargan (VI) 1933-2002
- Stunts
- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Peter Diamond was one of the finest British stuntmen, with a career spanning over fifty years worth of television and film work. He originally trained as an actor at RADA and went on to become a stuntman, fight arranger and director. He is best known internationally for his work on the Star Wars films, as well as his contributions to Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Superman II (1980), and Highlander (1992) and Highlander (1986). Peter also toured the UK giving demonstrations of his craft at theatres and events for schools.A'Koba (IV) 1929-2004- Bruce Boa was born on 10 July 1930 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He was an actor, known for Full Metal Jacket (1987), Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Octopussy (1983). He was married to Cherry. He died on 17 April 2004 in Surrey, England, UK.General Rieekan (V) 1930-2004
- Michael Sheard was born on 18 June 1938 in Aberdeen, Grampian, Scotland, UK. He was an actor, known for Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980), The Outsider (1983) and Mind Your Language (1977). He was married to Rosalind Allaway. He died on 31 August 2005 in Newport, Isle of Wight, England, UK.Admiral Ozzel (V) 1938-2005
- John Hollis was born on 12 November 1927 in Fulham, London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Flash Gordon (1980) and Superman II (1980). He was married to Sheila Forrester and Gabrielle Hamilton. He died on 18 October 2005 in Richmond upon Thames, London, England, UK.Lobot (V) 1927-2005
- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
William Michael Hootkins was born on July 5, 1948, in Dallas, Texas. He moved to London, England in the early '70s and lived there up until 2002. Hootkins was an actor at Theatre Intime while attending Princeton University where he learned how to speak fluent Mandarin Chinese. He also trained as an actor at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, and attended St. Marks, where he was in the same theater group as Tommy Lee Jones. The imposingly bulky and heavyset Hootkins first began acting in films and TV shows alike in the mid '70s. His more noteworthy parts include the first of the Rebel fighter pilots to get killed while attacking the Death Star in "Star Wars", scientist Topol's bumbling oaf assistant in "Flash Gordon", Major Eaton, sent by the US government in "Raiders of the Lost Ark", one of Rod Steiger's demented sons in "American Gothic", a corrupt police lieutenant in "Batman", a disgusting sleazy voyeur in "Hardware", a coarse South African police chief in "Dust Devil", the mysterious and duplicitous Mr. X in "Hear My Song", a haughty corporate executive in "Death Machine", Santa Claus in "Like Father, Like Santa", and an opera-singing vampire in "The Breed". Moreover, Hootkins had small parts in two "Pink Panther" pictures: he's a taxi driver in both "The Trail of the Pink Panther" and "Curse of the Pink Panther".
Among the TV shows he did guest spots on are "Yanks Go Home", "Agony", "Play for Today", "Tales of the Unexpected", "The Life and Times of David Lloyd George", "Brett Maverick", "Cagney and Lacey", "Taxi", "Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense", "Poirot", "Chancer", "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles", "The Tomorrow People", "The West Wing", and "Absolute Power". Hootkins received many accolades for his outstanding performance as Sir Alfred Hitchcock in Terry Johnson's hit play "Hitchcock Blonde". In addition to his substantial film and TV credits, Hootkins was also a popular and prolific voice artist who recorded dozens of plays for BBC Radio Drama; he supplied the voices for such iconic individuals as Orson Welles, J. Edgar Hoover, and Winston Churchill. William Hootkins died of pancreatic cancer on October 23, 2005.Jek Tono Porkins (IV) 1948-2005- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Phil Brown was the son of a doctor whose work took the family all around the country. After majoring in dramatics at Stanford University, Brown played some of his earliest stage roles as part of New York's Group Theatre. When it folded, he and other Group Theatre vets headed to Hollywood, where Brown worked in motion pictures and helped found the fabled Actors' Laboratory. His association with the Lab came back to haunt him later in the decade, when its members fell under the scrutiny of the House Un-American Activities Committee, and Brown was eventually compelled to relocate with his family to England, UK. Overseas he was able to resume acting on stage, TV and films; he also directed for the stage and TV. He returned to the U.S. in the 1990s and made the rounds of autograph shows.Uncle Owen (IV) 1916-2006- Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) was Richard LeParmentier's third film after moving to Britain from the United States in 1974. Richard has appeared in over fifty films and TV shows. He used to reside in Bath, UK, and worked as a screenwriter. He also developed a comedy-drama series for the BBC and wrote a feature film.Admiral Motti (IV) 1946-2013
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Christopher Malcolm was born on 19 August 1946 in Aberdeen, Scotland, UK. He was an actor, known for Highlander (1986), Labyrinth (1986) and Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980). He was married to Judith Lloyd. He died on 15 February 2014 in London, England, UK.Zev Senesca (V) 1946-2014- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Producer
Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee was perhaps the only actor of his generation to have starred in so many films and cult saga. Although most notable for personifying bloodsucking vampire, Dracula, on screen, he portrayed other varied characters on screen, most of which were villains, whether it be Francisco Scaramanga in the James Bond film, The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), or Count Dooku in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002), or as the title monster in the Hammer Horror film, The Mummy (1959).
Lee was born in 1922 in London, England, where he and his older sister Xandra were raised by their parents, Contessa Estelle Marie (Carandini di Sarzano) and Geoffrey Trollope Lee, a professional soldier, until their divorce in 1926. Later, while Lee was still a child, his mother married (and later divorced) Harcourt George St.-Croix (nicknamed Ingle), who was a banker. Lee's maternal great-grandfather was an Italian political refugee, while Lee's great-grandmother was English opera singer Marie (Burgess) Carandini.
After attending Wellington College from age 14 to 17, Lee worked as an office clerk in a couple of London shipping companies until 1941 when he enlisted in the Royal Air Force during World War II. Following his release from military service, Lee joined the Rank Organisation in 1947, training as an actor in their "Charm School" and playing a number of bit parts in such films as Corridor of Mirrors (1948). He made a brief appearance in Laurence Olivier's Hamlet (1948), in which his future partner-in-horror Peter Cushing also appeared. Both actors also appeared later in Moulin Rouge (1952) but did not meet until their horror films together.
Lee had numerous parts in film and television throughout the 1950s. He struggled initially in his new career because he was discriminated as being taller than the leading male actors of his time and being too foreign-looking. However, playing the monster in the Hammer film The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) proved to be a blessing in disguise, since the was successful, leading to him being signed on for future roles in Hammer Film Productions.
Lee's association with Hammer Film Productions brought him into contact with Peter Cushing, and they became good friends. Lee and Cushing often than not played contrasting roles in Hammer films, where Cushing was the protagonist and Lee the villain, whether it be Van Helsing and Dracula respectively in Horror of Dracula (1958), or John Banning and Kharis the Mummy respectively in The Mummy (1959).
Lee continued his role as "Dracula" in a number of Hammer sequels throughout the 1960s and into the early 1970s. During this time, he co-starred in The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959), and made numerous appearances as Fu Manchu, most notably in the first of the series The Face of Fu Manchu (1965), and also appeared in a number of films in Europe. With his own production company, Charlemagne Productions, Ltd., Lee made Nothing But the Night (1973) and To the Devil a Daughter (1976).
By the mid-1970s, Lee was tiring of his horror image and tried to widen his appeal by participating in several mainstream films, such as The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970), The Three Musketeers (1973), The Four Musketeers: Milady's Revenge (1974), and the James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun (1974).
The success of these films prompted him in the late 1970s to move to Hollywood, where he remained a busy actor but made mostly unremarkable film and television appearances, and eventually moved back to England. The beginning of the new millennium relaunched his career to some degree, during which he has played Count Dooku in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002) and as Saruman the White in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Lee played Count Dooku again in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005), and portrayed the father of Willy Wonka, played by Johnny Depp, in the Tim Burton film, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005).
On 16 June 2001, he was created a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in recognition of his services to drama. He was created a Knight Bachelor on 13 June 2009 in the Queen's Birthday Honours List for his services to drama and charity. In addition he was made a Commander of the Order of St John on 16 January 1997.
Lee died at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital on 7 June 2015 at 8:30 am after being admitted for respiratory problems and heart failure, shortly after celebrating his 93rd birthday there. His wife delayed the public announcement until 11 June, in order to break the news to their family.Count Dooku/Darth Tyranus (II, III) 1922-2015- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Character actor Jason Wingreen was born on October 9, 1920 in Brooklyn, New York City. The son of a Jewish tailor father, Wingreen grew up in the Howard Beach neighborhood of Queens. Jason attended John Adams High School and majored in English and Speech at Brooklyn College (he initially planned on being a sportswriter and wrote about high school sporting events for the daily newspaper the Brooklyn Eagle during his high school years). While at Brooklyn College Wingreen caught the acting bug after taking a mandatory speech course and joined the undergraduate theater group the Masquers, which he became president of in his senior year at college. Following graduation from Brooklyn College in June, 1941, Jason got his first show business job with a marionette company.
Wingreen went on to serve in the armed forces during World War II as a member of the 81st Fighter Squadron, 50th Fighter Group, 9th Air Force. In the wake of his tour of duty, Jason returned to Howard Beach and went to the New School on the G.I. Bill. Wingreen helped to found the famed Circle in the Square Theatre company in Greenwich Village in the early 1950's and in 1954 acted for the first time on Broadway in the plays "Fragile Fox" and "The Girl on the Via Flaminia." Jason acted on his first TV show in 1955 and acted in his first movie shortly thereafter. In addition, Wingreen was a voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since the early 1960's. Jason died at age 95 at his home in Los Angeles, California on December 25, 2015. He's survived by his son Ned, two grandchildren, and his sister Harriett Wingreen, who was the orchestra pianist for the New York Philharmonic for several decades.Voice of Boba Fett (V) 1920-2015- Alethea McGrath was born on 1 June 1920 in Melbourne, Australia. She was an actress, known for Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002), Knowing (2009) and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005). She died on 9 February 2016 in Melbourne, Australia.Jocasta Nu (II) 1920-2016
- Actor
- Director
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Drewe Henley was born in 1940 in Malvern, Worcestershire, England, UK. He was an actor and director, known for Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977), Wuthering Heights (1967) and Space: 1999 (1975). He was married to Linda Lee Henley, Felicity Kendal and Jacqueline Pearce. He died on 14 February 2016 in Exeter, Devon, England, UK.Garven Dreis (IV) 1940-2016- Erik Bauersfeld was born on 28 June 1922 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015), A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) and Crimson Peak (2015). He died on 3 April 2016 in Berkeley, California, USA.Admiral Ackbar (VI, VII), Bib Fortuna (VI) 1922-2016
- Actor
- Production Designer
Ronald Falk was born on 23 August 1935 in Geelong, Victoria, Australia. He was an actor and production designer, known for Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002), Secret City (2016) and Jack Irish (2016). He died on 27 June 2016 in Australia.Dexter Jettster (II) 1935-2016- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Kenny Baker was born on 24 August 1934 in Birmingham, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005), Time Bandits (1981) and The Elephant Man (1980). He was married to Eileen Baker. He died on 13 August 2016 in Preston, Lancashire, England, UK.R2-D2 (IV, V, VI, I, II, III), Paploo (VI) 1934-2016- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Writer
Carrie Frances Fisher was born on October 21, 1956 in Burbank, California, to singers/actors Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds. She was an actress and writer known for Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977), Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983). Fisher is also known for her book, "Postcards from the Edge", and she wrote the screenplay for the movie based on her novel. Carrie Fisher and talent agent Bryan Lourd have a daughter, Billie Lourd (Billie Catherine Lourd), born on July 17, 1992.Leia Organa (IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX) 1956-2016- Alfie Curtis was born on July 28, 1930 in Stepney, London, England. Alfie began acting on various British television shows in 1973. With his tallish (5'10"), burly build, intimidating presence, and rough face (the latter was the result of a terrible childhood accident), Curtis was especially memorable as the belligerent Mos Eisley cantina-thug Dr. Cornelius Evazan who antagonizes Luke Skywalker ("I have the death-sentence on twelve systems") in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977). Alfie lived in a semi-detached house in the Essex town of Billericay for the last fourteen years of his life. Alfie Curtis died at age 87 on November 30, 2017.Dr. Cornelius Evazan (IV) 1930-2017
- Actress
- Stunts
- Additional Crew
Debbie Lee Carrington was born on 14 December 1959 in San Jose, California, USA. She was an actress, known for Men in Black (1997), Total Recall (1990) and Bedtime Stories (2008). She died on 23 March 2018 in Pleasanton, California, USA.Romba (VI) 1959-2018- Actor
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Peter Mayhew was born on May 19, 1944 in Barnes, London, England, to Constance Elizabeth (Yeates) and Walter Henry Mayhew. Later resident in Texas, this former resident of Yorkshire, England, was working as a hospital attendant at the King's College Hospital in London when film producer Charles H. Schneer saw his photo, literally standing above the crowd around him. Schneer cast him in Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977), Ray Harryhausen's special effects film.
A year later, he was offered another role. Mayhew was told it was for a big hairy beast. It was the role of Chewbacca, the faithful 200 year-old Wookiee in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) and his life was changed forever. Following the original Star Wars trilogy, he made several television commercials in the Wookiee costume.
In 1997, the 20th-anniversary celebrations of Star Wars were announced with the release of the "Special Edition" and all the conventions started. He was active on the "Star Wars" convention circuit where he signed autographs. He wrote two books, "Growing Up Giant" and "My Favorite Giant", and founded a non-profit 501(c)3 charity organization called "The Peter Mayhew Foundation".Chewbacca (IV, V, VI, III, VII) 1944-2019- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Director
Max von Sydow was born Carl Adolf von Sydow on April 10, 1929 in Lund, Skåne, Sweden, to a middle-class family. He was the son of Baroness Maria Margareta (Rappe), a teacher, and Carl Wilhelm von Sydow, an ethnologist and folklore professor. His surname traces back to his partial German ancestry.
When he was in high school, he and a few fellow students, including Yvonne Lombard, started a theatre club which encouraged his interest in acting. After conscription, he began to study at the Royal Dramatic Theatre's acting school (1948-1951), together with Lars Ekborg, Margaretha Krook and Ingrid Thulin. His first role was as Nils the crofter in Alf Sjöberg's Only a Mother (1949). After graduation, he worked at the city theatres in Norrköping and Malmö.
His work in the movies by Ingmar Bergman (especially The Seventh Seal (1957), including the iconic scenes in which he plays chess with Death) made him well-known internationally, and he started to get offers from abroad. His career abroad began with him playing Jesus in The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965); Hawaii (1966) and The Quiller Memorandum (1966). Since then, his career includes very different kind of characters, like Karl Oskar Nilsson in The Emigrants (1971); Father Lankester Merrin in The Exorcist (1973); Joubert the assassin in Three Days of the Condor (1975), Emperor Ming in Flash Gordon (1980); the villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the Never Say Never Again (1983); Liet-Kynes in Dune (1984) the artist Frederick in Hannah and Her Sisters (1986); Lassefar in Pelle the Conqueror (1987), for which he received his first Academy Award nomination; Dr. Peter Ingham in Awakenings (1990); Lamar Burgess in Minority Report (2002) and The Renter in Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011), which earned him his second Academy Award nomination.
He became one of Sweden's most admired and professional actors, and is the only male Swedish actor to receive an Oscar nomination. He was nominated twice: for Pelle the Conqueror (1987) in 1988 and for Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011) in 2012. He received the Guldbagge Award for Best Director in his directing debut, the drama film Ved vejen (1988). In 2016, he joined the sixth season of the HBO series Game of Thrones (2011) as the Three-eyed Raven, which earned him his Primetime Emmy Award nomination.
Max von Sydow died on March 8, 2020, in Provence, France, and was survived by his wife Catherine Brelet and four children. He was 90.Lor San Tekka (VII) 1929-2020- Additional Crew
- Actor
Andrew Jack was born on 28 January 1944 in London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015), Snow White and the Huntsman (2012) and Kate & Leopold (2001). He was married to Gabrielle Rogers, Paula Jack and Felicity Hutchinson. He died on 31 March 2020 in Chertsey, Surrey, England, UK.Caluan Ematt (VII, VIII) 1944-2020- Actor
- Additional Crew
David "Dave" Prowse was born into a working class family on 1 July, 1935 in Bristol, England, UK. He was raised by his mother and never knew his father. As a child, David was disadvantaged and a poor student, he found a passion for bodybuilding and weight training in his early teens, as a young adult, David often entered weightlifting competitions and contested in the famous Mr. Universe contest. Eventually, David won the British heavyweight weightlifting title and gained status as a highly regarded and respected member of the fitness community. Over this period of competitive weightlifting, David became lifelong friends with actors Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferrigno, who at the time were not professional actors but rival competitors. After appearing on various broadcast sporting events, David was offered a role in the feature film Casino Royale (1967) as "Frankenstein's Monster". Although the casting was based on David's stature, David developed a strong interest in acting and decided to pursue it further.
From 1967 to 1977, David enjoyed a quiet, but very successful career within film and television starring in such films as A Clockwork Orange (1971), Up Pompeii (1971) and numerous Hammer House of Horror films, gaining a vast and bulky CV. In 1975, David's popularity as a respected fitness guru landed him with the role and duty of the Green Cross Code Man, a superhero designed by the British road safety committee to teach road safety to children. The persona saw David traveling the world to give talks, demonstrations and shoot short television spots based on the hero's message. Proving successful the Green Cross Code Man continued to be a side project throughout David's busy career until the 1990s. He considers this role to be of great importance, and has stated many times that it is possibly the most rewarding job he has held.
It was not until 1977 when David attended an audition for a film entitled Star Wars. The film was not considered to be a big thing at the time and the audition was held by director George Lucas. At the meeting, George offered David either the part of Chewbacca or Darth Vader. Instantly turning away the role of Chewbacca, David insisted he play the lead villain Darth Vader. George asked David why he wanted to play Vader and he replied "Everyone remembers the villain, George." David also had a wealth of experience playing villains in previous films, and was the obvious choice. David played the role of Darth Vader for the entirety of the original Star Wars trilogy: Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977), Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983). Although David does not voice the character, he is the physical body. Star Wars was perhaps David's most important role and a role that has enlisted him as one of the most memorable character villains of all time.
There have been many rumors, disputes and discussions about David's relationship with Star Wars and its staff. Regarding the apparent misled information David received about Vader's voice, promotional neglect and general mistreatment from Lucasfilm. This feud resulted in David being banned from all official Star Wars events. A statement from George Lucas read "He has burnt too many bridges." David stated that a majority of the rumors in circulation regarding the topic are fabricated and false including those of respectable actors involved, and has openly admitted his support of James Earl Jones as the voice of Vader and claims Lucas film were too concerned with keeping Vader a character than letting David receive deserved credit. The topic is covered in detail, in David's autobiography "Straight from the Force's Mouth". After Star Wars, David continued to work in television and film, making numerous appearances with the legendary Benny Hill. He continued to tour as the Green Cross Code Man and became the personal fitness trainer of many celebrities including Daniel Day-Lewis and Vanessa Redgrave.
David was loyal to Star Wars fans and participated in a number of fan-films as various characters spoofing Star Wars. Towards the end of David's busy acting period, his health declined due to a serious inflammation of arthritis, leaving him unable to stand for long periods of time and inflicting agonizing pain on his knees and hips. Undergoing treatment with hip replacement operations, it was discovered that David had prostate cancer in 2009. After a series of radiotherapy treatments at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, David made a full recovery in a remarkably short period of time. David was awarded Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 2000 Queen's Millennium Honours List for his contributions to charity and spokesmanship for road safety, the disabled and other various charities. From 2004, David began writing his autobiography entitled "Straight from the Force's Mouth," which covers his career in showbiz and documents an unedited diary account of the Star Wars production. The book was published officially in hardback by Apex Publishing in 2011, and David toured Europe to attend book signings and personal appearances.
Over the course of his career, between acting and touring the world both as the Green Cross Code Man and David Prowse, David trained actors for films including Christopher Reeve for Superman (1978), wrote fitness books "Fitness is Fun", supported charity and even became the head of fitness for superstore Harrods. In the 2000s, David spent his time attending unofficial Star Wars events, conventions and film events where he signed photos, spoke to the fans and was in high demand as a public speaker all over the world.Darth Vader (IV, V, VI) 1935-2020- Jeremy Bulloch was born on February 16, 1945 in Market Harborough, Leicestershire, England, the son of Aziz Diane (Meade) and McGregor Bulloch, an aeronautical engineer. He was the middle of three siblings, along with three older half-brothers from his mother's earlier marriage. Even at the age of five he was on stage in his school show, acting and singing. After failing a school exam at the age of eleven, Jeremy seemed destined for the acting profession and was soon attending Corona Academy Drama School, making his first professional appearance at the age of twelve when he appeared in a commercial for a breakfast cereal.
Following many appearances on children's television, Jeremy's big break came at the age of 17 when he landed a major role in the musical film Summer Holiday (1963) which starred the pop idol Cliff Richard (now Sir Cliff). Shortly after, he went into a BBC soap opera called The Newcomers (1965) which ran for three years and made him a household name in the United Kingdom. In 1969, Jeremy was off to Madrid in Spain to play the leading role in a musical film called Las Leandras (1969). This was followed by two major films: The Virgin and the Gypsy (1970) and Mary, Queen of Scots (1971).
During the 1970s, he made many other screen appearances, including the James Bond films, in which he portrayed the character 'Smithers' (Q's assistant). In 1977, Jeremy spent six months in the Far East, where he was based in Singapore and travelled to the Philippines, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia filming a BBC drama documentary called 'The Sadrina Project'. This documentary was designed to teach the English language to people in the Far East, mainly the Chinese. On a trip to China some 15 years later, where Jeremy was performing in a stage play, he was instantly recognised by hundreds of people who stated they had learnt their English from the Sadrina Project.
In 1978, he was starring in the television comedy series Agony (1979), which was co-written by an American called Len Richmond. It was during this series that Jeremy was asked to play a small part in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980). The part, of course, was Boba Fett - proving the old theatrical saying that "there is no such thing as a small part"! Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) soon followed and Jeremy was invited to reprise the role of Boba.
Since the early 1980s, Jeremy played many roles on television and on the stage in London's West End. He also had two worldwide theatre tours covering the Middle and Far East. Jeremy appeared regularly in the favourite television series Robin Hood (1984), in which he played the part of Edward of Wickham. Jeremy's son Robbie was asked to play Matthew in the series. 'Robin of Sherwood' has a great following all around the world, and Jeremy attends the convention 'Spirit of Sherwood' in Novi, Michigan every year, work permitting. Another popular series he has appeared in is Doctor Who (1963) where he played Hal the Archer in 'The Time Warrior' with Jon Pertwee, and also Tor in the 'Space Museum' with William Hartnell as the Doctor.
Since the re-release of Star Wars in 1997, the interest in the character of Boba Fett has meant that Jeremy was invited to many sci-fi conventions and events all around the world. His fan mail has increased five-fold, and he managed somehow to reply to everyone that writes to him. In his little leisure time, he loved nothing more than a game of cricket with his friends. Jeremy also enjoyed travelling; in his last decades, he spent more time abroad than at home. He collected an awesome amount of Boba Fett memorabilia, some given to him by dedicated fans, and some he could not resist buying at toy fairs. His office at home resembles a Boba Fett museum.
Jeremy had three grown-up sons, and lived in London with his wife Maureen, and lucky black cat 'Percy.'Boba Fett (V, VI), Sheckil (V), Captain Colton (III) 1945-2020 - Actress
- Soundtrack
Patricia Ann Ruth Noble was born on February 3, 1944 in Sydney, New South Wales to a popular Australian theater family. Her father, Buster Noble, was a well-known comedian, singer and dancer, and her mother, Helen de Paul, was a noted choreographer and producer. At the age of six, Patsy Ann, as she was known, performed on the Saturday radio program, "Anthony Horden's Children's Party". She also worked in her parents' stage productions and variety show. At age 14, Patsy Ann became one of the youngest qualified ballet teachers in Australia. In 1960, at age 16, she made her first television appearance as a guest on Keith Walshe's Youth Show (1959). Impressed with the youngster, Brian Henderson, the Australian equivalent of Dick Clark, immediately signed her as a regular on Bandstand (1958).
Around that time, Patsy Ann signed a deal with the HMV record label and issued her debut single, "I Love You So Much It Hurts", in November 1960. She released three more singles on HMV, of which "Good Looking Boy" became her biggest hit when it reached #6 in Melbourne and #16 in Sydney. In 1961, she was the winner of the first Logie Award for the Best Female Singer on Australian Television. She followed that with a successful acting debut at the Independent Theatre, Sydney, playing the lead role of Carmel in 'The Grotto'. Shortly thereafter, Patsy Ann and her mother left for London to further her career. She launched her British career in 1963 and shared her first BBC radio show with The Beatles, with whom she also appeared on British television. During this period, she recorded for EMI (England and France) with some chart success and performed at the London Palladium and at the Olympia Theatre in Paris.
By 1965, she had turned to acting, taking the role of Francesca in the British thriller Love Is a Woman (1966). She toured England with Cliff Richard and began to work on English television in dramatic and variety shows. In 1967, she married law student Allan Sharpe. During that year, she changed her stage name from Patsy Ann to Trisha and continued to work in British television and film. In her early 20s, she appeared on an Engelbert Humperdinck musical special and was seen by an American producer, who signed her to star in revue at the Las Vegas Sands Hotel. After a six-month engagement, she moved to Los Angeles and made her home there, making guest appearances on various television series. Trisha returned to Australia briefly in the early 1970s and starred in the stage musical 'Sweet Charity'. After seven years of marriage, she and Allan divorced and she threw herself into her work. Upon her return to the United States, she worked extensively in television series, miniseries and feature films. In 1976, she wed American model Scott MacKenzie and the following year gave birth to their son, Patrick. However, after four years of marriage, the couple divorced in 1980.
Despite personal setbacks, Trisha's acting career continued to thrive as she co-starred with Don Knotts and Tim Conway in The Private Eyes (1980) and she landed the role of Detective Rosie Johnson in the Aaron Spelling/Robert Stack police drama Strike Force (1981). In 1983, her father, Buster, had a heart attack and was not expected to live long. She decided to leave her successful acting career in Hollywood to return home to Australia to be with her family. She enjoyed seven years with her father before his death in July 1990. In 1985, Trisha married pharmaceutical scientist Peter Field and started a mineral-water business, Noble Beverages. Several years later, though, her third marriage ended in divorce and the business fell on hard times. At that point, she decided to sell the business and get back to her first love, show business.
In 1997, a 25-song CD collection of her early 1960s recordings was released: "The Story of Patsy Ann Noble: Hits & Rarities". In August 1997, she filmed a small role in the CBS miniseries Blonde (2001) and was cast in a secret role in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002). Shortly thereafter, Trisha was cast to co-star with David Campbell in the musical 'Shout!' as Thelma O'Keefe, mother of Australian rock 'n' roll star, Johnny O'Keefe. The musical opened on January 4, 2001, in Melbourne, and a cast recording followed in March. To top it all, she was nominated in May for an Australian Entertainment MO Award in the category: Female Musical Theatre Performer of the Year for her role in 'Shout!' Her last film credit was Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005). One of her most recent roles was playing Miss Jacobs/Mrs Crown in the Australian stage production of 'Ladies in Black' in 2017.
Trisha Noble died after an 18 month battle with mesothelioma on January 23, 2021, aged 76. The location of her death has not been revealed.Jobal Naberrie (III) 1944-2021- Actor
- Stunts
Prolific and ubiquitous British bit player and supporting artist Harry Fielder was born on April 26, 1940 in Islington, London, England. Fielder was a GPO messenger boy, made Christmas crackers, and dyed feathers before going on to work for Anderson's Timber Yard in Islington from 1958 to 1966. Moreover, Harry was the lead singer and guitarist for different rock bands that performed in various bars and pubs while still working at the timber yard. Fielder met his wife Mary Fielder at one gig in South London; the couple married in 1963 and had three children. After doing some initial work as an extra on a couple of TV shows in 1966, Harry was advised by William Roache to join the extra's union the Film Artists Association/Central Casting. Fielder acquired his probationary Equity card in the wake of being featured in a TV commercial.
Harry's career in both film and television alike really took off in 1967 and continued going strong well into the late 1990's. Among the notable directors Fielder appeared in movies for are Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, Ken Russell, Stanley Kubrick, George Lucas, David Lynch, Terence Fisher, Ken Hughes, Warren Beatty, John Landis, Mel Brooks, Guy Hamilton, Carol Reed, and Roy Ward Baker. After his run in both films and television reached its end in the late 1990's, Harry went on to work at a garden centre in Hemel Hempstead before eventually deciding to retire and collect a pension. He lived in Watford, Hertfordshire, England.Corporal Grenwick (IV) 1940-2021- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Special Effects
Phil Eason was born on 5 May 1960 in Birmingham, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999), Little Shop of Horrors (1986) and Lost in Space (1998). He died on 5 April 2021.Yaddle (I) 1960-2021- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Director
Rio Hackford was born on 28 June 1970 in Los Angeles County, California, USA. He was an actor and director, known for Jonah Hex (2010), Raising Helen (2004) and Deja Vu (2006). He died on 14 April 2022 in Huntington Beach, California, USA.Riot Mar (The Mandalorian) 1970-2022- Actor
- Soundtrack
An imposing figure (standing at 6'3") with intense, penetrating eyes and possessed of a larger-than-life personality, the actor George Raymond Stevenson began life as one of three sons, born in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, to a British pilot in the Royal Air Force. Raised near Newcastle in England after the family relocated, he initially studied art and worked for some time as an interior designer. However, after seeing a play with John Malkovich at the West End, Stevenson became inspired to study drama at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. By the time of his graduation in 1993, he had already made his debut on the stage at the Barbican Theatre in London in the plays Temptation and Revenger's Tragedy.
He made his first recurring screen appearances in the TV crime drama Band of Gold (1995) (acting alongside his future wife Ruth Gemmell) and as DI Tony Baynham in the BBC procedural police series City Central (1998), which was briefly touted as a rival to The Bill (1984). Though Stevenson first attracted international attention as a dependable Knight of the Round Table in the motion picture King Arthur (2004), it was his charismatic performance as the rascally, hedonistic soldier Titus Pullo in HBO's historical series Rome (2005) which truly put him on the map.
More vigorous or pugnacious warrior roles soon came his way, beginning with a starring turn as the titular anti-hero vigilante Frank Castle in the ultra-violent Punisher: War Zone (2008), for which Stevenson put himself through strenuous martial arts and weapons training under the direction of U.S. Force Reconnaissance (FORECON) Marines. Among his subsequent gallery of colourful characters were the powerful Asgardian warrior Volstagg in Marvel's Thor (2011), Thor: The Dark World (2013), and Thor: Ragnarok (2017); the relentless enforcer Redridge in The Book of Eli (2010); an Irish mobster challenging the Cleveland Mafia for control of the city's criminal underworld in Kill the Irishman (2011); Porthos, one of the The Three Musketeers (2011); the much feared Blackbeard in Starz's excellent swashbuckling Black Sails (2014), and the enigmatic Anglo-Saxon missionary and explorer Othere in Vikings (2013).
Stevenson reserved one of the most compelling performances for the strangely sympathetic Russian gangster Isaak Sirko, chief antagonist in season seven of Dexter (2006), overshadowing even that of the star Michael C. Hall (definitely no mean feat!). Add to that another acting standout as the obsessed, revenge-driven Commander Jack Swinburne in the German-produced World War II drama series Das Boot (2018).
Having first joined the Star Wars universe as a voice actor (the Mandalorian Gar Saxon in Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)), Stevenson was later cast in the villainous role of dark Force user Baylan Skoll doing battle with the indomitable Ahsoka (2023) Tano (Rosario Dawson), complete with orange/red lightsaber. Stevenson said in a 2020 interview that he had drawn much of his inspiration from veteran tough guys like Lee Marvin and Gene Hackman: "Never a bad performance, and brave and fearless within that caliber. It was never the young, hot leading man; it was men who I could identify with."
Tragically, this supremely accomplished and charismatic actor died in Italy on 21 May 2023 while filming Cassino in Ischia, in which he was cast as a fading movie action hero attempting to revive his career. At the time of his passing he was just 58.Gar Saxon (The Clone Wars, Rebels), Baylan Skoll (Ahsoka) 1964-2023- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
John Beasley was born on 26 June 1943 in Omaha, Nebraska, USA. He was an actor, known for The Purge: Anarchy (2014), The Sum of All Fears (2002) and The General's Daughter (1999). He was married to Judy Beasley. He died on 30 May 2023 in Omaha, Nebraska, USA.Bartender (The Mandalorian) 1943-2023- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Carl Weathers was born on January 14, 1948, in New Orleans, Louisiana. A famous and successful football star at San Diego State, he played with the Oakland Raiders and retired from the sport in 1974, in order to give full attention to his goal: to be a real actor.
Weathers first played small parts in two blaxploitation flicks, Friday Foster (1975) (in which he played "Yarbro") and Bucktown (1975) (playing "Hambone"), both made in 1975 and directed by Arthur Marks. However, his big break came the following year when producers Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff chose him to play "Apollo Creed" in the blockbuster "sleeper" Rocky (1976) (real-life boxing legend Ken Norton was originally signed for the part, but it eventually went to Weathers). He went on to play "Creed" in three other "Rocky" movies, and the characters' adversarial relationship eventually evolved into a warm friendship. After Creed's death in Rocky IV (1985), Weathers met with producer Joel Silver and agreed to play an important supporting role in Predator (1987), an action film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The following year, Silver produced Action Jackson (1988), a first starring role for Weathers, but it performed poorly at the box office and was panned by the critics.
During the 1990s, Weathers starred in four In the Heat of the Night (1988) two-hour TV specials that were much better received by critics and viewers alike. In 1996, he played the part of "Chubbs Peterson" in the blockbuster Adam Sandler comedy Happy Gilmore (1996). He returned to his "action roots" in two TV-movies with Hulk Hogan: Assault on Devil's Island (1997) and Assault on Death Mountain (1999).
In addition to his acting career, Weathers is also a member of the Big Brothers Association and the U.S. Olympic Committee, handling the career of athletes of various sports such as gymnastics, wrestling, swimming and judo.Greef Karga (The Mandalorian) 1948-2024- Michael Culver was born on 16 June 1938 in Hampstead, London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980), A Passage to India (1984) and Breakaway (1980). He was married to Amanda Ward and Lucinda Curtis. He died on 27 February 2024.Captain Needa (V) 1938-2024