Space princesses, wookies, and bounty hunters — here
are some of the stars we've lost from the galaxy far, far away.
Before playing Baylan Skoll on Ahsoka, Northern Irish actor Ray Stevenson featured
in HBO's 2005 series Rome, which brought him considerable fame stateside. In one interview,
Stevenson recalled 2005 as one of the major years of his life. He said:
"It made me sit down in my own skin and say: 'Just do the job, the job's enough.'"
The gears continued to shift for Stevenson with appearances in everything from Thor to Vikings to
RRR, the hit Telugu action film. He also made an early mark on Marvel fans in Punisher: War Zone,
playing perhaps the definitive on-screen Frank Castle. Then came Ahsoka — and though
he didn't live to see the series premiere, it proved to be another win for Stevenson,
whose character has quickly become a fan-favorite.
On May 21st, 2023, Stevenson died while filming a movie off the coast of Naples. The actor is said
to have been rushed to hospital, but no cause of death has yet been given. He was 58 years old.
Colleagues paid tribute to Stevenson, including Rome co-star James Purefoy, who called the actor:
"A brilliant, gutsy, larger-than-life actor who filled every part he played right up to the brim."
The inimitable Carrie Fisher first found fame playing Lorna in Shampoo,
Hal Ashby's superb sex comedy with Warren Beatty, Julie Christie, and Goldie Hawn. In 1977, however,
Fisher's life changed forever when she took the part of Princess Leia in Star Wars.
Fisher reprised the role throughout the original trilogy and twice more
in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. She has over 90 credits on IMDb in film,
television, and video games, but her leading role in one of cinema's
greatest franchises truly cemented the actress' reputation as an all-time great.
Fisher was often candid about her mental health and issues with addiction. She
suffered from bipolar disorder, and her moods varied from low to high to
psychotic — but she generally spoke about these struggles with humor and honesty.
"It better get funny fast, or it's just gonna be something that haunts you."
On December 23rd, 2016, Fisher suffered a heart attack during a flight from London
to Los Angeles. She died four days later on December 27th, aged 60.
In the Star Wars franchise, Peter Mayhew played Chewbacca, an enduring character not just among
fans, but also in the wider pop culture zeitgeist. Before 1977, Mayhew worked as an orderly at King's
College Hospital in London — but Chewbacca was not his first acting job. He had already played
Minoton in Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger, which brought him to the attention of local producers.
For Chewbacca, director George Lucas originally wanted David Prowse, the 6-foot,
6-inch bodybuilder known for A Clockwork Orange. He quickly changed his mind, however,
when he met the 7-foot-3 Mayhew. Prowse, of course, would go on to play Darth Vader.
Mayhew's height was the result of a condition called gigantism,
with which he was diagnosed at age 8. Mayhew also had Marfan syndrome, which can harm connective
tissue throughout the body. He became dependent on a wheelchair as he got older, but he was
still able to share the role of Chewbacca in The Force Awakens with Joonas Suotamo.
Peter Mayhew died of a heart attack in his Texas home on April 30th, 2019. He was 74.
Born on February 16th, 1945, Jeremy Bulloch enjoyed a long career in film and TV from
the late 1950s all the way to 2016. The actor appeared in a cross section of British culture
including James Bond and Doctor Who before his career-making turn as the original Boba Fett
in The Empire Strikes Back; he reprised the role in Return of the Jedi. Bulloch returned
to the franchise some 20 years later in Revenge of the Sith, in which he played Captain Colton.
Bulloch's personality was quite the contrast to that of Boba Fett. He
claimed he got the role not due to any particular acting talent,
but because the costume fitted him well. The actor's geniality made Bulloch a popular
fixture of Star Wars conventions around the world; sadly, he stepped away from
the convention circuit in 2018 after receiving a Parkinson's diagnosis. At the time, he told NBC:
"It has not been an easy decision to make. Boba Fett changed the
entire direction of my life in such a wonderful way. It has been a privilege
to have had the opportunity to inspire so many generations of Star Wars fans."
Jeremy Bulloch died on December 17th, 2020. He was 75 years old.
British actor Michael Sheard appeared in The Empire Strikes Back as Admiral Ozzel,
a man with significant power and an unfortunate reputation.
"He felt surprise was—" "He is as clumsy as he is stupid."
Weirdly enough, Sheard was used to playing fascists on screen — he played Adolf Hitler
no less than five times in his life, most famously in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
In all, Sheard achieved some 180 credits in film and TV. His work as Admiral Ozzel
resonated among Star Wars fans, of course, but British audiences likely knew him best
for his turn as Mr. Bronson on Grange Hill, a popular high school drama that ran for 30
years. Mr. Bronson loomed so large in Sheard's career that he named his 1997 autobiography Yes,
Mr Bronson: Memoirs of a Bum Actor. As Sheard told BBC News:
"He was scary, but as an actor Mr. Bronson was a lovely part to play."
Michael Sheard died on August 31st, 2005, at 67 years old.
Born in 1911, Scottish actor Alex McCrindle played General Jan Dodonna in the original
Star Wars film. Before this, he was known for playing Scottish figures such as John Knox,
Robert Burns, and Walter Scott. He also reached a wide audience as Jock Anderson,
a charismatic fixture of the BBC radio show Dick Barton — Special Agent. In 1953,
two years after Dick Barton concluded, McCrindle established the Scottish committee of Equity, the
British arts and entertainment union. His Equity colleagues attested to McCrindle's character,
too. Iain Cuthbertson said that McCrindle was "a man of great truth and integrity," adding:
"We would not be where we are today as actors without his great achievement."
McCrindle was visiting London on business when he died on April 20th, 1990. He was 78.