Clive Revill

Clive Revill, a Tony- and Golden Globe Award-nominated stage and screen actor best known in pop culture as the original voice of Emperor Palpatine in the "Star Wars" movie series, died March 11, 2025, of complications from dementia in a care facility in Los Angeles at the age of 94.

Revilll began acting in 1950 and moved to London to pursue a career on the stage, where he won acclaim performing with the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre Company. He made his Broadway debut in 1952, where performances in "Oliver!" and "Irma la Douce" earned him Tony Award nominations. His work on screen also spanned dozens of roles, including a Golden Globe nominated performance in 1972's "Avanti!" and turns on "Murder, She Wrote," "Star Trek: The Next Generation," and others. In pop culture, Revill is best known as the original voice of Emperor Palpatine in "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back." His voice was replaced in later versions of the movie.

At the news of his passing, fans online celebrated his kindness. David Pressman noted on the social media platform X that "he was always so lovely to me and told the best stories," while Lowell Renold stated on Facebook that "for someone who played the ultimate villain, even briefly, he could not have been kinder."

(Image: Bobby Bank/WireImage)