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May The 4th Be With You! Ever since its launch in 1977, it was quite evident that Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope would emerge as a motion picture masterpiece. Spanning over 4 decades, this fabled saga has brought delight to countless devotees and drastically altered the landscape of cinema and popular culture. May 4th has evolved into a celebrated occasion for admirers to express their fondness for the series, owing to the date’s close resemblance to the famed saying “May the force be with you.” Sadly, some of the pioneering performers have passed away.
May The 4th is a fantastic chance to commemorate the following of the renowned movie series, with even some of the film’s stars participating in the festivities. Mark Hamill, who embodied Luke Skywalker, has jested about it via social media, notably creating a complete calendar in 2018 of “May The” dates for followers to engage with, which he’s disseminated on Twitter and Instagram. Apart from reminiscing about the classic films, it’s also an excellent moment to honor the actors who are no longer with us.
May The Fourth Be With [YOUR NAME HERE]
— Mark Hamill (@MarkHamill) May 4, 2018
Following the initial movie, the franchise persevered and exceeded expectations, giving rise to two sequels Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983) in short order. Years down the line, a prequel trilogy debuted in cinemas with Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999), Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002), and Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005).
Enthusiasts were far from finished with the series, and it carried on with the sequel trilogy, Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi (2017), and Star Wars: Episode IX (2019). Lastly, the anthology features Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) and Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018). This excludes its byproducts, such as the animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) and the well-received Disney + show The Mandalorian, since 2019.
The actors who passed away after acting in this remarkable set of movies are still remembered to this day. Below is our conclusive catalog of the most cherished actors from the Star Wars universe who have ventured into new territories.
Paul Grant
Paul Grant was a distinguished actor, participating in a diverse assortment of films during his profession. Inside the Star Wars series, he embodied one of the most well-liked figures, as an Ewok in the 1983 feature Return of the Jedi. Despite the Ewoks’ role being less prominent compared to the main characters, they still rank among the most recognizable personalities in the movie. Aside from his contribution to Star Wars, Paul also obtained parts in Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone (2001). He further showed up in Labyrinth (1986) and performed stunts for Willow (1988) and Legend (1985), according to IMDb.
Paul fell to the ground outside King’s Cross station in London on March 20, 2023. Shortly thereafter, he died, and no cause of death has emerged, according to The Guardian. He was 56 years old. He leaves behind his partner Maria Dwyer as well as his son, two daughters, stepchildren, and grandchildren.
Alex McCrindle
Alex McCrindle became known for his portrayal of General Jan Dodonna in the 1977 Star Wars. The Scottish actor, born in 1911, also played parts in other films and TV shows, (including All Creatures Great & Small), yet his profession was primarily marked by George Lucas‘ superb film. Based on his Wikipedia entry, he had three daughters. He died at the age of 78 on April 28, 1990, in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Harry Fielder
English actor Harry Fielder, born in 1940 in London, was a mainstay of British television and movies throughout the 1960s-1990s decades. He had the minor role of Corporal Grenwick in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Although he never secured a major starring role, he was steadily employed for many years, featuring in major studio films like 101 Dalmatians and The Man Who Knew Too Little, amongst other projects. He passed away about a year and a half ago on February 6, 2021, at the age of 80.
Alec Guinness
Alec Guiness as Obi-Wan-Kenobi (Everett Collection)
English actor Alec Guiness was elevated to legendary status when he portrayed Obi-Wan-Kenobi in the original 1977 Star Wars. The actor, 62 when taking on the character, received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role that year. This would turn out to be the only Oscar acting nomination in the whole original trilogy. Alec received a prostate cancer diagnosis in February 2000, and tragically died months afterwards on August 5, 2000. Just days ahead of his passing at age 86, he was also found to have liver cancer.
Alec, the father of one son named Matthew Guiness, (also an actor), was laid to rest in the UK.
Jack Purvis
British film actor Jack Purvis appeared in A New Hope as Chief Jawa and as Chief Ugnaught in The Empire Strikes Back in 1980. Jack had dwarfism, with a height of just over 4 feet, 2 inches, and was cast in iconic movies including The Dark Crystal, Time Bandits, Willow, and Labyrinth. In 1990, he became a quadriplegic when an auto repair incident unfortunately resulted in a broken neck, and he died in England on Nov 21, 1997. He had only reached 60 years of age.
Jason Wingreen
Born in 1920 in Brooklyn, New York, Jason played one of The Empire Strikes Back’s most unforgettable and memorable characters — without ever showing his face. He was the voice of bounty hunter Boba Fett in the 1980 blockbuster. He was a seasoned actor of stage, film, and television, known notably for his portrayal of Harry Snowden on the 1970s sitcom All In The Family.
Jason died on Christmas day in 2015 at the age of 95 in the entertainment heartland — Los Angeles, California.
Peter Cushing
Peter Cushing as Grand Moff Tarkin (Everett Collection)
Peter Cushing, another British actor, was featured in A New Hope in 1977 as Grand Moff Tarkin. Although he was in the running for a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor, his career record really speaks for itself. It encompassed the Hammer Frankenstein and Dracula movies, along with others, and during his appearance on the 1976 set of A New Hope, he was actually one of the cast’s more recognizable and established actors. In 1982, the respected actor was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He pushed on, but eventually died on August 11, 1994, in England at 81 years of age. He had been in over 100 films.
Carrie Fisher
Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia (Everett Collection)
It’s likely that Carrie Fisher is among the most dearly loved, and deeply mourned, figures of the Star Wars series. The daughter of Hollywood celebrities Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher cemented her professional legacy as Princess Leia in the initial Star Wars trilogy, and came back to the part in 2015 with Star Wars: The Force Awakens and again posthumously in 2017’s The Last Jedi. Previously unreleased material of her also appeared in The Rise of Skywalker in 2019.
Carrie’s untimely death struck by surprise while she was on a plane ride from London to LA on December 23, 2016, and endured a medical crisis. CPR was given, and she was transported to UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center in LA to be placed on a ventilator. She died at 60 years of age on December 27. Fellow performer Harrison Ford, who embodied Han Solo, issued a statement after the sad announcement. “Carrie was one-of-a-kind… brilliant, original. Funny and emotionally fearless. She lived her life, bravely,” he said at that time, according to Billboard. “My thoughts are with her daughter Billie, her mother Debbie, her brother Todd, and her many friends. We will all miss her.”
Carrie’s mom Debbie, overwhelmed with sorrow from her daughter’s death, notably died of a stroke one day later on December 28. Carrie’s daughter Billie Lourd, 30, has proceeded with the family heritage through prominent roles in Scream Queens and American Horror Story, to name a few. Carrie’s cause of death was confirmed to be cardiac arrest.
Christopher Lee
Christopher Lee as Count Dooku (Everett Collection)
British actor Christopher Lee is a multiple icon. He took the role of Hammer Dracula, Saruman in The Lord Of The Rings trilogy, and of course, Sith Lord Count Dooku in Attack Of The Clones, Revenge Of The Sith, and The Clone Wars. His voice acting in animated projects and video games was just as famous as his physical presence, and his intimidating size lent importance to roles like Willy Wonka’s rigid dentist father in Charlie & The Chocolate Factory.
Shortly after his 93rd birthday, Christopher suffered heart failure and died at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital on June 7, 2015.
John Hollis
John Hollis (Everett Collection)
John Hollis played Lobot in The Empire Strikes Back, but his background includes plenty of experience in iconic film series. Born in 1927 in England, he as well appeared in the original Superman series with Christopher Reeve, and in the James Bond series, around the Roger Moore period. He died at the age of 77 in England on October 18, 2005.
Felix Silla
Felix Silla, an Italian stuntman and actor, played a Hang Glider Ewok in Return Of The Jedi. Furthermore, he played Cousin Itt on The Adams Family and was on Battlestar Galactica. He passed away from pancreatic cancer on April 16, 2021, in Las Vegas, NV. He was 84 years of age.
Ed Asner
Ed Asner has been cast in numerous significant characters, like Santa Clause in Elf. Ed as well provided the voice for Jabba The Hutt in the radio version of Return of the Jedi. He further lent his voice to a Jedi master character in two Star Wars games. He was 91 when he passed away at his residence in Tarzana, Los Angeles due to natural causes on August 29, 2021.
Gerald Home
Irish actor Gerald Home played Tessek in Captain Verrack in Return of the Jedi, even though sadly both roles go uncredited. He additionally worked as a puppeteer on the 1986 cult classic Little Shop Of Horrors. Gerald succumbed to liver cancer on October 6, 2021. He was only 70 years of age.
Peter Mayhew
Peter Mayhew (Everett Collection)
Peter Mayhew remarkably took on the role of Wookiee Chewbacca, one of the series’ most cherished personalities, in the original trilogy. He would revive the celebrated role a number of times, most notably in Revenge of the Sith and The Force Awakens in 2015, which would become his final film credit. He died of a heart attack at age 74 on April 30, 2019, in Texas. According to CBS News, his family communicated the news. “The family of Peter Mayhew, with deep love and sadness, regrets to share the news that Peter has passed away,” they shared in a formal announcement. “He left us the evening of April 30, 2019 with his family by his side in his North Texas home.”
Kenny Baker
Kenneth George Baker was another one of director George Lucas’ favored British actors. Born in England in 1934 with dwarfism, he made his way up in acting to become the legendary R2-D2 in the original and prequel Star Wars trilogies Standing at a reported 3 feet, 8 inches tall, he amplified the character and launched it into cinematic history.
Kenny passed away on August 13, 2016, in Lancashire, England, at 81 years old. Per CNN, his niece Abigail Shield explained at the time that he was not expected to “live past his teenage years because he was a ‘little person,’ so it is pretty amazing he lived this long.”
Trisha Noble
In Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Australian born actress Trisha Noble was cast as Jopbal Naberrie, Padme Amidala’s mother. She had originally appeared in the role in Attack of the Clones, but it only surfaced on the DVD version after having been omitted from the final cut.
While she landed numerous parts in film and television, she gained fame because of her singing career as well — as a teen sensation in the 1960s, she was referred to as Patsy Ann Noble. She died on January 23, 2021, at the age of 76 following an 18-month fight with mesothelioma.
Phil Eason
Phil Eason was a British puppeteer who controlled the character Yaddle in The Phantom Menace in 1999. Per Looper, he also contributed to Muppet Treasure Island, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and cult horror movie Little Shop of Horrors. Leading up to his death in 2021, he had most recently worked on Netflix’s The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. He passed away on April 5, 2021, at 60 years of age. His colleague, Darrel Worbey, made the sad announcement on Twitter. “Saddened to share the tragic news that our long-term collaborator and friend Philip Eason passed this weekend,” he wrote. “Phil was an amazing puppeteer and designer – his untimely death leaves a huge void in our industry. His body of work however leaves a remarkable legacy ”
Shelagh Fraser
Shelagh Fraser is remembered for playing Luke Skywalker’s Aunt Beru in Star Wars. Other than the groundbreaking part, she was recognized for the TV series A Family At War, and she maintained a fruitful acting career in both film and television. Shelagh died in London on August 29, 2000, at 79 years old.