Star Wars Actors We Lost Too Soon
With the notable exception of the beloved Carrie Fisher, many of the iconic lead actors in the "Star Wars" saga are still with us. Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, and Natalie Portman are all going strong, and so are the stars of the space opera's most recent episodes. Some of the actors from the original film who were already veterans at the time, like Alec Guinness and Peter Cushing, died some years ago, but both enjoyed long lives beyond the average age.
Sadly, this cannot be said of numerous other actors involved in the big screen franchise and its recent TV spin-offs. Performers have died in their 70s, 60s, and 50s, many of them leaving us wishing we could have seen more years of great performances from them. Whether they had spotlight roles or were hidden behind alien masks, here are the "Star Wars" actors we lost too soon.
Jack Purvis
Jack Purvis played the Chief Jawa in "Star Wars," the Chief Ugnaught in "The Empire Strikes Back," and an Ewok named Teebo in "Return of the Jedi." At 4 feet, 2 inches tall, Purvis was taller than his good friend Kenny Baker, who fit his 3-foot, 8-inch frame into R2-D2's iconic shell.
Purvis and Baker met at a theater in London during a tour with "The Midget Review," which consisted of dance and novelty music. The pair spent some 20 years on the road, performing as "The Mini-Tones” in countless dingy clubs across the country. "Jack and I were the only musical dwarf act in the business," Baker told The Guardian, "so we always attracted good audiences."
Purvis maintained a film career outside of the touring act, appearing in several films directed by Terry Gilliam, including "Time Bandits," "Brazil," and "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen." However, Purvis' career ended in 1991 when his car fell on top of him as he worked on the exhaust, paralyzing him from the neck down. Purvis died several years later on November 11, 1997. He was 60.
Alex McCrindle
Born in 1911, Scottish actor Alex McCrindle played General Jan Dodonna in the original "Star Wars" film. Before this, played numerous Scottish characters 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 the "Dick Barton" role concluded, McCrindle established the Scottish committee of Equity, an arts and entertainment trade union. His Equity colleagues attested to McCrindle's character. "His death is a sad loss," Mary Picken told The Herald. "He was a constant source of ideas and inspiration.
Iain Cuthbertson echoed these comments, adding that McCrindle was "a man of great truth and integrity ... 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 20, 1990. He was 78.
Eiji Kusuhara
Eiji Kusuhara appeared in "Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi" as Lieutenant Telsij, a member of the Grey Squadron. It is a small role, but Kusushara did not have a small career. The United Kingdom-based actor had over 80 credits in film and TV, appearing in "The Elephant Man," "Doctor Who," and "Tenko," a WWII TV drama in which he played a sadistic camp commandant.
Kusuhara arrived in the U.K. from Tokyo, where he studied and worked in the late 1960s after growing up in Hokkaido, the northern prefecture where he was born on January 2, 1947.
Kusuhara's career in the U.K. began in avant garde theatre, namely a production of "The Man from the East," a commentary of Japanese life that toured Paris, London, wider Europe, and the United States in the early 1970s. Later, in the '90s, Kusuhara presented "Hello London" and "Living in England," which allowed the actor to indulge his offbeat sense of humor. Kusuhara died on April 23, 2010. He was 63.
Michael Sheard
British actor Michael Sheard appeared in "The Empire Strikes Back" as Admiral Ozzel, a man with significant power but minimal reputation. Sheard was used to assuming tyrannical personalities — he played Adolf Hitler five times in "Rogue Male," "The Dirty Dozen: Next Mission," and, most famously, "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade." He also played Heinrich Himmler three times and gave a single performance as Hermann Goering on the British sitcom "'Allo 'Allo," which Sheard considered his "worst performance" (via BBC).
In all, Sheard achieved some 180 credits in film and TV. His work as Admiral Ozzel resonated with throngs of "Star Wars" fans, 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."
"He was scary," Sheard said to BBC News, "but as an actor Mr. Bronson was a lovely part to play." Michael Sheard died on August 31, 2005. He was 67.
Gary Friedkin
Gary Friedkin was born on November 23, 1952 in Youngstown, Ohio. Standing four feet tall, he was an active musician during high school and played piano and percussion for numerous bands. Friedkin took his natural talent to Youngstown State University and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Music.
From there, Friedkin pursued not music but acting, appearing in "Under the Rainbow" as Wedgie and "Happy Days" as Clarence before donning an Ewok costume for "Return of the Jedi" in 1983. After that, Friedkin performed in a variety of film and television projects, including 1987's "Snow White," "Chicago Hope," and "Mothers Day." He was also a proponent of Little People of America, a non-profit that advocates people of short stature and their families.
Friedkin died in Youngstown on December 2, 2020. He had been in hospice care for over three weeks due to complications related to COVID-19. He was 70.
Peter Sumner
Peter Sumner played Death Star officer Lieutenant Pol Treidum in the first "Star Wars" film. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Sumner was the only Australian involved in the original film, which earned him £120 for two days' work.
"There's this strange little American sci-fi movie," Sumner's English agent told him. "There are a couple of days' work in it." It may have seemed like a minor gig at the time, but intense "Star Wars" fandom followed the Aussie actor for the rest of his life, resulting in extensive convention tours and thousands of letters. "I've spent 10 times (more than £120) answering letters from fans around the world," Sumner commented, appreciatively.
Outside of "Star Wars," Sumner performed in Australian productions such as "Ned Kelly" and "The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith." He also worked on TV, with roles on "Spyforce" and "The Dismissal," and contributed to numerous Shakespeare productions. Peter Sumner died on November 22, 2016 after a long illness. He was 74.
Peter Mayhew
Peter Mayhew played Chewbacca, an enduring character not just among "Star Wars" fans, but wider popular culture. Before 1977, the towering British actor was working 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.
Director George Lucas had originally wanted David Prowse, the 6-foot, 6-inch bodybuilder known for "A Clockwork Orange." However, when Lucas raised his head to Mayhew's 7-foot, 3-inch frame, he knew he'd found Chewbacca. Prowse, of course, would go on to play Darth Vader.
According to the Peter Mayhew Foundation, the actor's towering height was caused by gigantism, with which he was diagnosed at age 8. Mayhew also had Marfan syndrome, which can harm connective tissue throughout the body. Mayhew became dependent on a wheelchair as he got older, but he was able to share the role of Chewbacca in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" with Joonas Suotamo.
Peter Mayhew died of a heart attack in his Texas home on April 30, 2019. He was 74.
Paul Grant
Paul Grant was just 16 years old when he appeared as an Ewok in "Return of the Jedi." By the end of the 1980s, Grant had performed in other dwarf roles in several fantasy films including "Legend," "Labyrinth," and "Willow." His last role was that of a goblin in 2001's "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone."
Sadly, in the years after "Harry Potter," Grant's use of drugs and alcohol became fodder for the tabloid press. In early 2023, Grant was interviewed outside King's Cross station by Christian YouTuber Revelation 22:13. The actor collapsed in the same area just three weeks later on March 16 and died March 20, aged 56.
His daughter Sophie Jane Grant told The Guardian, "I'm heartbroken. No girl deserves their dad to be taken away. He was so well known and loved. He's gone too soon."
Ray Stevenson
Before his role of Baylan Skoll on "Ahsoka," Northern Irish actor Ray Stevenson performed in 2005's "Rome," which brought him fame in the United States. In an interview, Stevenson recalled 2005 as "one of the major years of his life ... it made me sit down in my own skin and say: 'Just do the job, the job's enough'" (via Sky News).
The gears continued to shift for Stevenson with appearances in "Thor," "Dexter," "Vikings," and "RRR," the hit Telugu action film. He also made an impact 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 Disney+ series premiere, it was another win for Stevenson. As the villainous Baylon, he commands the screen with his broad frame, pale blue eyes, and shock of grey hair.
On May 21, 2023, Stevenson died while filming "Cassino in Ischia" off the coast of Naples. The actor is said to have been rushed to hospital, but no cause of death has been given. He was 58. Colleagues paid tribute to Stevenson, including "Rome" peer James Purefoy, who called the actor a "brilliant, gutsy, larger-than-life actor who filled every part he played right up to the brim" (via BBC).
Jeremy Bulloch
Born on February 16, 1945, Jeremy Bulloch enjoyed a long, 109-credit career in film and TV from the late 1950s all the way to 2016. The Leicestershire-born actor appeared in a cross section of British culture including "O Lucky Man!" and "Doctor Who" before his career making turn as the original Boba Fett in "The Empire Strikes Back," a role he reprised in "Return of the Jedi." He made his own return 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 because of any acting ability but due to the costume fitting him well. Such modesty made Bulloch a popular fixture of "Star Wars" conventions around the world, from which he sadly withdrew in 2018, owing to a Parkinson's diagnosis.
"It has not been an easy decision to make," Bulloch told NBC about his withdrawal from public life. "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 17, 2020. He was 75.
Carrie Fisher
Carrie Fisher's first credit was "Girl Scout" in her mother's 1969 musical TV movie "Debbie Reynolds and the Sound of Children." Six years later came the character of Lorna in a very different film, "Shampoo," Hal Ashby's excellent sex comedy with Warren Beatty, Julie Christie, and Goldie Hawn. In 1977, Fisher's life changed forever with the character of Princess Leia in "Star Wars."
She reprised the role throughout the original trilogy and twice more in "The Force Awakens" and "The Last Jedi." She made dozens of appearances in some 93 films — including "The Blues Brothers," "Hannah's Sisters," and "When Harry Met Sally" — but her leading role in one of cinema's greatest franchises would dominate the actress' reputation.
Fisher was candid about her mental health and substance addiction. In 2001, she spoke to Psychology Today about her bipolar disorder, which she managed with some two dozen pills a day (and many illicit drugs, to boot). Her moods varied from low to high and sometimes became psychotic, such as the time she believed she was both the serial killer Andrew Cunanan and the police who were pursuing him. She spoke about these struggles with humor and honesty.
On December 23, 2016, Fisher suffered a heart attack during a flight from London to Los Angeles some 15 minutes before landing. She died four days later on December 27, aged 60.