Star Wars Actors You May Not Know Passed Away

The first "Star Wars" film came out over four decades ago, and it probably seemed unlikely at the time that stories about the Skywalkers and the Jedi would only be growing in popularity this far down the line. But the franchise hasn't only survived — it's thrived, changing everything from the cinematic landscape to the world of merchandising. But with as long as the series has been around, it's a sad reality that we've lost many of our favorite actors who've appeared in a galaxy far, far away.

In 2016, Carrie Fisher passed away at the age of 60. The Guardian praised the actress for her "mix of candor, sweetness, and wit," going on to say that, "No matter how hard her life was, or how poor some of her personal choices had been, her wry observations always seemed suffused with hope." However, Fisher isn't the only "Star Wars" actor who's passed away. Today, we'll be taking a look at some of the lesser-known names from the franchise who've died. They may not have all played as big a role in the series as Princess Leia, but each of these actors helped bring the magical world of "Star Wars" to life.

Admiral Ackbar had a small role in the original "Star Wars" trilogy. He only appeared in "Return of the Jedi," and even then, he only had a few minutes of screen time. Even still, the character's appearance and iconic line — "It's a trap!" — made him a fan favorite, leading many to mourn the passing of voice actor Erik Bauersfeld.

In 2016, The Hollywood Reporter wrote that Bauersfeld, who also did work on films like "A.I. Artificial Intelligence" and "Crimson Peak," died at the age of 93. Interestingly, he argued that his movie voice work was always a secondary career that he stumbled into, as opposed to his work as a radio producer. He wrote, "The voice work I did in movies was accidental. I was working with Randy Thom on radio dramas at his technical quarters at Lucasfilm. One day Ben Burtt, sound designer for "Star Wars," came by and asked if I would audition for a voice in the movie."

Bauersfeld also voiced Bib Fortuna, one of Jabba the Hutt's associates. And he returned to the role of Admiral Ackbar in "The Force Awakens," which released just months before he passed away.

One of the more famous entries on this list, Peter Cushing was a massive star when he was cast as Grand Moff Tarkin in "A New Hope." He brought an immediate gravitas to the film, oozing menace and calm. He somehow came off as every bit as intimidating as Darth Vader himself, despite Vader being one of the all-time greats in the world of movie villains.

Before appearing in "Star Wars," Cushing was actually an icon in horror. He appeared in many of the "Dracula" and "Frankenstein" Hammer horror films of the '50s and '60s, and he also portrayed Sherlock Holmes in a few movies. Cushing passed away in 1994 at the age of 81. Despite this, he actually reprised his role as Tarkin in "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," even though the film came out over 20 years after his death. Cushing was recreated in the film with state-of-the-art CGI, nearly defeating the uncanny valley (but not quite).

A powerhouse English actress, Shelagh Fraser died in 2000 at the age of 79. She was in a small but memorable role in "A New Hope," as Luke's aunt, Beru. The character dies very early in the film, so Fraser was unable to contribute a ton to the film. However, Beru's murder spurs Luke into action, driving his character arc through much of the trilogy.

Fraser was mostly known as a stage actress in England, although she had several notable television and film roles that brought her quite a bit of fame. And even though her role in "Star Wars" is small, some would argue that she's indirectly responsible for Luke becoming the hero he winds up being. At a New York Comic-Con panel, author Meg Cabot argued that very thing, saying Aunt Beru's kindness and caring for Luke helped him overcome the Dark Side and defeat the Empire. It also helped him find the compassion to look for the good left in Darth Vader, without whom he never would have stopped Emperor Palpatine. So yeah, nice work, Aunt Beru.

Drewe Henley appeared in the "Star Wars" franchise as Red Leader, the pilot who led Luke's squadron in the strike against the Death Star at the climax of "A New Hope." Sadly, he was accidentally credited as "Drewe Hemley" at the end of the film, but hey, at least he appeared in "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" through archival footage and unused audio clips, as it was filmed shortly after his death.

In the film, Red Leader nearly destroys the Death Star. He launches his torpedoes at the exhaust port, but his aim is slightly off. Not long after his miss, his ship is destroyed, and the poor guy is killed. Henley, on the other hand, was a well-respected actor when he was cast in "A New Hope," but he had to retire not long after the film released due to his struggles with bipolar disorder. After working through his mental illness, he apparently settled down to run a bed and breakfast with his wife. Henley died in 2016 at the age of 75.

William Hootkins is one of those actors that you just know you've seen before. He had a very definitive look, and he often appeared as significant background characters in movies. Besides his role as Porkins in "A New Hope," he also had roles in movies like "Flash Gordon," "Raiders of the Lost Ark," and "Superman IV." Outside of "Star Wars," his most well-known role probably came in 1989's "Batman," where he played corrupt Gotham Police Lt. Max Eckhardt. He was also a prolific voice actor, as he frequently lent his voice to radio plays and audiobooks.

In "A New Hope," Porkins was a part of Luke's Red Squadron during the assault on the Death Star. He flew as Red 6, and unfortunately, he couldn't contribute much to the battle. His ship malfunctioned early in the fight, and unable to maneuver, he was quickly shot down by Imperial forces. As for the actor, Hootkins died from pancreatic cancer in 2005. He was 57 years old.

Peter Mayhew is an actor who, despite never showing his face, became one of the most iconic characters in the "Star Wars" franchise. He played Chewbacca, Han Solo's (Harrison Ford) friend and companion, and he helped bring humanity to a character where many other actors could've disappeared.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Mayhew was a hospital orderly when he auditioned for the role. He even kept that job until after "Return of the Jedi" was released, and the 7'3" actor essentially made his living off of the one role for the rest of his life, going to conventions as a fan favorite for decades. He even reprised the role in 2015's "The Force Awakens."

Nearly everyone who worked with Mayhew on the "Star Wars" franchise had nothing but kind things to say about him. For example, on Twitter, Mark Hamill wrote that Mayhew "was the gentlest of giants" and "a big man with an even bigger heart," adding that, "I'm a better man for just having known him." Mayhew died in April 2019 at the age of 74.

With its many alien races of all sizes, the "Star Wars" films have often had unique casting requirements. Jack Purvis was one of Hollywood's most well-known little person actors, so it's no surprise that George Lucas cast him in more significant roles across his original trilogy. Interestingly, Purvis actually played three different characters in each of the three original "Star Wars" films.

He played the head Jawa in "A New Hope," the chief Ugnaught in "The Empire Strikes Back," and Teebo the Ewok in "Return of the Jedi." He was no stranger to the entertainment scene when he was cast in the film, as Purvis had been in a touring musical group with fellow "Star Wars" actor Kenny Baker (R2-D2). The duo traveled to many bars and clubs with their musical-comedy show.

Purvis also appeared in several other memorable films, mostly in the 1980s, such as "Time Bandits," "Willow," "Brazil," and "Labyrinth." Purvis died at the age of 60 in 1997.

Larry Ward might not be the most famous "Star Wars" actor. In fact, the man only has two movies to his credit: "A New Hope" and "Return of the Jedi." But he loaned his voice to two of the franchise's most memorable baddies. In the original film, he played the notorious bounty hunter Greedo. And in "Return of the Jedi," he provided the dialogue for everybody's favorite space gangster, Jabba the Hutt.

Even more important than giving the giant slug his voice, however, was helping to develop the entire language he spoke. The foundation for "Huttese" (yes, that's what it's called) was laid down by sound designer Ben Burtt. He based the language on Quechua, the language of a group of indigenous Peruvians. Burtt played Quechua recordings for Ward, then told the actor to improvise dialogue that sounded like it. Thus, Huttese was born. Sadly, Ward passed away in 2007 at the age of 63.

In March 2020, TMZ reported that Andrew Jack — a veteran actor and dialect coach for over 30 years — had passed away from complications due to COVID-19 on the morning of the 31st. Andrew Jack contributed to the "Star Wars" franchise in multiple ways. Fans might recognize him as Caluan Ematt, a major in the Resistance forces in "The Force Awakens" and a general in "The Last Jedi." He was also the voice of Moloch in "Solo: A Star Wars Story." However, Jack's real contribution to "Star Wars" (and cinema in general) came as a dialect coach.

Jack helped many of the actors in the later "Star Wars" films perfect their accents. As TMZ noted, it's very likely that Jack taught John Boyega how to hide his British accent for the part of Finn. He also helped the actors learn to speak fictional languages. As original "Solo" director Christopher Miller explained (via USA Today), he and Phil Lord "asked [Jack] to teach Alden [Ehrenreich] to speak Shyriiwook," and Miller said he'd "always remember listening to them gargle-roar at each other back and forth."

Outside of the "Star Wars" franchise, Jack worked on accents in some of the biggest films ever made, including "Avengers: Endgame" and the "Lord of the Rings" series. He leaves behind quite a legacy, and our condolences go out to his friends and family.

Things might've gone better for the Empire if General Tagge had been involved in overseeing the Death Star, rather than Darth Vader and Grand Moff Tarkin. At the very least, the character deserves the "I told you so" award. Played by Don Henderson, Tagge is also in the scene in "A New Hope" where Vader chokes Motti, cautioning his fellow Imperial officers to take the Rebels' theft of the Death Star schematics seriously. Tagge also expresses dismay when Tarkin announces the Imperial Senate's dissolution, but neither Motti nor Tarkin pay much heed to the heaping helping of common sense Tagge flings at them.

While "Star Wars" gained the British actor recognition outside of the U.K., Henderson himself hadn't realized how memorable he'd been to fans until many years later. The actor even admitted to former "Star Wars: The Official Magazine" contributor Iain Lowson that his involvement in "A New Hope" had slipped his mind until he saw it with his son in the movie theater. That didn't stop him from having a healthy acting career that lasted nearly three decades, particularly gaining acclaim and attention in the U.K. for portraying quirky law enforcement officer George Bulman in "The XYY Man." Henderson passed on June 22, 1997, just a few months after his "Star Wars" character returned to theaters in the Special Edition version of "A New Hope."

Given how many characters in "Star Wars" wear armor or are outright aliens, there are plenty of actors from the saga whose faces you never see in the films. Such is the case with Des Webb, who is the Wampa that Luke and his poor tauntaun have the unfortunate coincidence of running into while making the rounds on Hoth. While Webb himself isn't visible to viewers, as he's inside a big hairy costume, fans of the unaltered original trilogy may recall that the Wampa doesn't appear on-screen quite as much before 1997. Blame Webb's costume, which was just too cumbersome for the actor to pull off all the Wampa's feats, as detailed in "Star Wars Insider" No. 33. The 1997 Special Edition version of "Empire" added more Wampa footage, but rather than summon Webb to don a now more practical version of the suit, Howie Weed, who helped put the new Wampa costume together, stepped into the fuzzy costume.

Webb's acting roles were few and low-key. Interestingly, however, the final film he's credited in, "Morons from Outer Space," has an intro that emulates the scene in "A New Hope" where Darth Vader's Star Destroyer first appears. Webb died on May 21, 2002 — a mere five days after "Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones" made its U.S. debut.

Ray Stevenson isn't actually a stranger to the "Star Wars" franchise. He first ventured into a galaxy far, far away in "Star Wars: Rebels" as Gar Saxon before reprising his role in "Star Wars: The Clone Wars." He was the Mandalorian leading the corrupt Prime Minister Almec's troops in battle against the Republic as well as carrying out Darth Maul's dirty work.

Stevenson's reinsertion into the franchise, however, carries a great sadness, as he passed away on May 21, 2023 — only three months before the debut of his next "Star Wars" project, "Ahsoka." There he portrays corrupted Jedi Baylan Skoll, who, along with Nightsister Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto) and Skoll's young apprentice, Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno), have their hopes set on tracking down the Grand Admiral feared in canon and Legends lore alike, Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen). Yet they find opposition in Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) and her estranged Padawan, Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo), who hope tracking Thrawn's location can bring them to "Star Wars Rebels" star Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi), as the two were last seen together dealing with some pretty dire circumstances. While Stevenson is not alive to see fans' reaction to "Ahsoka," he's expressed great joy in taking part, telling Screen Rant Plus he considers the series "sprinkled with pixie dust."