Iconic “Star Wars” actor dead with 94

Less than seven months after the death of James Earl Jones on September 9, 2024, the Star Wars universe lost another of its legendary language actors. Clive Revill, the original voice of the emperor Palpatine in The empire strikes backhas died. He was 94 years old.

Kate Revill, the daughter of the actor, told The Hollywood reporter that her father died on March 11 after a long fight against dementia in a medical care in Sherman Oaks, California.

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Revill, who was born in Wellington, New Zealand, began his professional career as an accountant. He always had a love of actors and said Sir Laurence Olivier when he hit the legendary actor while working at a bank.

Olivier encouraged Revill to pursue his passion by moving to London and studying Old Vic Theater in the legendary Old Vic. In 1950 Revill did exactly that. He appeared in several productions of the Royal Shakespeare Company (then known as Shakespeare Memorial Theater Company), including hamletPresent The work of love is lostPresent The Venice dealerAnd Julius Caesar.

In 1952 Revill gave his Broadway debut in The Pickwick Papers; In the following decade he received two Tony Award nominations – for 1961 Irma La Douce and 1963 Oliver! He performed in several films in the 1960s and 1970s, including a role in Olivier in the 1965s Bunny Lake is missing and in 1966 A good madness For Irvin Kershner with Sean Connery and Joanne Woodward. Revill caught the attention of Billy Wilder, who occupied him in two films: 1970s The private life of Sherlock Holmes and 1972 Avanti!The latter earned him a nomination of Golden Globe.

Kershner again asked his old colleagues for a small but central voice output in the 1980s Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire beats backWork on Jones’ Darth Vader.

Like so many other parts of the star Wars Universe, George Lucas would later tinker with Revill’s role. In 2004, Revill’s voice was replaced by the Ian McDiambid, who played the emperor in 1983 Return of the Jedi And the Prequel trilogy. Nevertheless, committed fans of the Revill film series knew as the first and true emperor.

In an interview with the spectrum from 2015, Revill announced that he had participated in many fan congresses in which he told the fans that he “closed and closes his eyes. Then I say (in the urgent voice of the emperor):” There is a big disorder in force. “People become white and one was almost passed on.”