Star Wars

Angus MacInnes (1947–2024), Star Wars’ Gold Leader

Angus MacInnes was a Canadian actor best known for playing Jon "Dutch" Vander, the Y-wing pilot Gold Leader in the original “Star Wars” film, as well as for giving audiences laughs in the comedy “Strange Brew.”

Greg Hildebrandt (1939–2024), iconic fantasy artist

Greg Hildebrandt was an artist best known for his works of fantasy and science fiction set in the worlds of Middle-earth, plus “Star Wars” and Magic: The Gathering, often created in partnership with his late twin brother, Tim Hildebrandt.

Bob Yerkes (1932–2024), Boba Fett stuntman

Bob Yerkes was a legendary stuntman and circus performer known for his work in “Return of the Jedi,” “Back to the Future,” and dozens of other movies.

John Cassaday (1971–2024), noted X-Men, Planetary comic book artist

John Cassaday was a comic book artist best known for his work with Joss Whedon on “Astonishing X-Men" and as the co-creator of “Planetary.” 

James Earl Jones (1931–2024), the voice of Darth Vader and Mufasa

James Earl Jones was the acclaimed actor whose deep, rich voice was featured as Darth Vader in several “Star Wars” films and as Mufasa in “The Lion King.”

Maria De Aragon (1942–2024), actress who played Greedo in Star Wars

Maria De Aragon was a Canadian actress who worked in B movies in the 1970s before landing her best known – and uncredited – role, playing Greedo in “Star Wars.” 

Michael Culver (1938–2024), Captain Needa in The Empire Strikes Back

Michael Culver was a British actor best known for playing the ill-fated Captain Needa in “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” and as a racist police inspector in 1984’s “A Passage to India.” 

Mark Dodson (1960–2024), Mogwai voice from Gremlins 

Mark Dodson was a longtime voice actor whose work appeared in “Gremlins,” “Day of the Dead,” and others, and was best known for providing the voice for Salacious Crumb, the pet sidekick of Jabba the Hutt in “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.” 

Carl Weathers (1948–2024), Rocky’s Apollo Creed

Carl Weathers was an actor best known for co-starring in the “Rocky” film series as boxer Apollo Creed.

Shawna Trpcic (1966–2023), Star Wars costume designer 

Shawna Trpcic was an Emmy-nominated costume designer for film and television who worked on popular science fiction shows like “Firefly,” the “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” spinoff “Angel,” and “Star Wars” shows like “The Mandalorian” and “Ahsoka.”

Mark Boudreaux (1955–2023), Star Wars Millennium Falcon toy designer

Mark Boudreaux was a longtime toy designer for Kenner and Hasbro, Inc., who designed the original “Star Wars” Millennium Falcon playset and all that followed, along with many other toys in the “Star Wars,” “Batman,” and “Jurassic Park” lines.

Ray Stevenson (1964–2023), star of Rome, Punisher: War Zone 

Ray Stevenson was an actor from Northern Ireland who starred in movies and TV shows including “Rome,” “Punisher: War Zone,” “Thor,” and many more.

Norman Reynolds (1934–2023), production designer for Star Wars

Norman Reynolds won two Academy Awards and was nominated for four others for his production design work on the Star Wars and Indiana Jones film franchises.

Richard Miller (1942–2022), creator of Princess Leia’s gold bikini

Richard Miller was a sculptor for Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) who built iconic props for movies including “Return of the Jedi” and “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.”

Gary Friedkin (1952–2022), Clarence the cook on “Happy Days”   

Gary Friedkin was an actor who played Clarence the cook on “Happy Days” and starred in the film “Young Doctors in Love.”

Greg Bear (1951–2022), sci-fi author and Comic-Con co-founder

Greg Bear was a science fiction author and a co-founder of the influential San Diego Comic-Con.

Colin Cantwell (1932–2022), designer of Star Wars’ X-Wing fighter and Death Star

Colin Cantwell was a concept artist whose designs for movies included the Death Star, X-wing fighter, and TIE fighter for “Star Wars.”

Rio Hackford (1970–2022), actor in “Treme,” “The Mandalorian”

Rio Hackford was an actor who played Toby in “Treme” and Grayden Nash in “Jonah Hex.”

Felix Silla (1927–2021), actor who played Cousin Itt on “The Addams Family”

Felix Silla was an actor and stuntman known for roles including the hairy Cousin Itt on TV’s “The Addams Family.”

Jeremy Bulloch (1945–2020), original Boba Fett actor

Jeremy Bulloch was the British actor who played bounty hunter Boba Fett in 'The Empire Strikes Back' and 'Return of the Jedi.'

David Prowse (1935–2020), original Darth Vader actor

David Prowse, the English actor who appeared in the original Star Wars trilogy as Darth Vader, has died at the age of 85, his agent announced early Sunday morning.

Max von Sydow (1929–2020), actor known for “The Exorcist,” “The Seventh Seal”

Max von Sydow  was a Swedish actor whose well-known films include “The Exorcist” and “The Seventh Seal.” He was known for the gravitas he brought to his roles, beginning in his early career as he was mentored by, and became a favorite star of, legendary Swedish director Ingmar Bergman. He would go on to appear in more than 100 movies and television shows over the course of 70 years. Von Sydow was nominated for two Academy Awards, for “Pelle the Conqueror” (1987) and “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” (2011).

Tom Lyle (1953–2019), comic book artist known for “Spider-Man” and “Robin”

Tom Lyle was a comic book artist for both Marvel and DC, known for co-creating “Starman” and working on “Spider-Man” and the “Robin” miniseries and its sequels.

Star Wars Actors We've Lost

When died in April 2019, the "Star Wars" family lost their beloved Chewbacca, and costars mourned alongside fans and friends. It's a fandom that's still hurting from the 2016 loss of , the actress, writer, and activist they first came to know as . These icons, like their "Star Wars" comrades, have been woven into the cultural fabric of our lives since 1977, as familiar to us as any childhood fairy tale. Join us as we take a look back at some of the brilliant stars, gone too soon, whose talents were responsible for bringing us to a galaxy far, far away.

Peter Mayhew (1944–2019), Chewbacca in “Star Wars”

Beloved as the loyal friend and co-pilot of Han Solo.

Vonda McIntyre (1948–2019), author who gave George Takei's Mr. Sulu his name

Wrote novelizations of Star Trek films including “Search for Spock.”

Gloria Katz (1942–2018), “American Graffiti” screenwriter

Script doctor for “Star Wars” who gave Princess Leia her strength.

Before Star Wars: Classic Sci-Fi Filmmakers (video)

A video tribute to sci-fi filmmakers who blazed a trail for Star Wars.

Carrie Fisher (1956–2016), iconic Star Wars star

Carrie Fisher, the actress whose role as Princess Leia in the original "Star Wars" trilogy and helped George Lucas’ space-fantasy epic redefine Hollywood blockbusters for a new generation of moviegoers, died Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2016. She was 60.

Carrie Fisher and Leia: A Legacy of Strength

I had just finished writing the first scene of my new novel when I heard the news about . I’d dared to imagine she might read my story someday, or see it adapted for the big screen. After all, without her, I might not be writing science fiction today.

Freddie Mercury vs. Darth Vader

Twenty-five years after Freddie Mercury’s death, he’s more Google-able than ever. We reflect on the legacy of one of rock’s all-time greatest singers.

Kenny Baker (1934–2016), R2-D2 actor

Kenny Baker, the British actor who played R2-D2 in “Star Wars,” died Aug. 13, 2016, after a long illness, according to The Guardian. He was 81.

Jason Wingreen (1920–2015), original voice of Boba Fett

Jason Wingreen, who first provided the voice of “Star Wars” bounty hunter Boba Fett, in 1980’s “The Empire Strikes Back,” died on Dec. 25.

Akira Kurosawa's Samurai Movies Inspired Hollywood Classics

If you like these classic movies, you'll love the Akira Kurosawa films that inspired them.

100 Years Ago Today: The Voice of E.T.

Pat Welsh brought E.T. to life with her unforgettable voice.

Peter Cushing: Doctor, Villain, Vampire Hunter

In the course of his long career, Peter Cushing was lucky enough to be part of three wildly popular entertainment institutions: Hammer Films, "Doctor Who" and "Star Wars"...

More than a Yoda collector

The man with the No. 1 collection of Yoda treasures in the U.S. will be remembered for more than memorabilia.

The Death of Obi-Wan... and Other Fictional Tragedies

The deaths of fictional characters can have a greater impact on us than we expect.