Space princesses, wookies, and bounty hunters — here are some of the stars we've lost from the galaxy far, far away.
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00:00 Space princesses, Wookiees, and bounty hunters, here are some of the stars we've lost from
00:05 the galaxy far, far away.
00:08 Before playing Balin's skull on Ahsoka, Northern Irish actor Ray Stevenson featured in HBO's
00:13 2005 series Rome, which brought him considerable fame stateside. In one interview, Stevenson
00:18 recalled 2005 as one of the major years of his life. He said,
00:22 "It made me sit down in my own skin and say, 'Just do the job. The job's enough.'"
00:27 Big years continued to shift for Stevenson with appearances in everything from Thor to
00:30 Vikings to RRR, the hit Telugu action film. He also made an early mark on Marvel fans
00:35 in Punisher Warzone, playing perhaps the definitive on-screen Frank Castle.
00:40 Then came Ahsoka, and though he didn't live to see the series premiere, it proved to be
00:44 another win for Stevenson, whose character has quickly become a fan favorite. On May
00:48 21, 2023, Stevenson died while filming a movie off the coast of Naples. The actor is said
00:54 to have been rushed to hospital, but no cause of death has yet been given. He was 58 years
00:58 old.
00:59 Colleagues paid tribute to Stevenson, including Rome co-star James Fearfoy, who called the
01:03 actor "a brilliant, gutsy, larger-than-life actor who filled every part he played right
01:08 up to the brim."
01:11 The inimitable Carrie Fisher first found fame playing Lorna in Shampoo, Hal Ashby's superb
01:15 sex comedy with Warren Beatty, Julie Christie, and Goldie Hawn. In 1977, however, Fisher's
01:21 life changed forever when she took the part of Princess Leia in Star Wars. Fisher reprised
01:25 the role throughout the original trilogy and twice more in The Force Awakens and The Last
01:28 Jedi. She has over 90 credits on IMDb in film, television, and video games, but her leading
01:35 role in one of the cinema's greatest franchises truly cemented the actress' reputation as
01:39 an all-time great.
01:41 Fisher was often candid about her mental health and issues with addiction. She suffered from
01:44 bipolar disorder, and her moods varied from low to high to psychotic. But she generally
01:49 spoke about these struggles with humor and honesty.
01:52 "It better get funny fast or it's just gonna be something that haunts you."
01:56 On December 23, 2016, Fisher suffered a heart attack during a flight from London to Los
02:00 Angeles. She died four days later on December 27, aged 60.
02:06 In the Star Wars franchise, Peter Mayhew played Chewbacca, an enduring character not just
02:10 among fans but also in the wider pop culture zeitgeist. Before 1977, Mayhew worked as an
02:15 orderly at King's College Hospital in London. But Chewbacca was not his first acting job.
02:19 He had already played Minutin in Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger, which brought him to
02:23 the attention of local producers. For Chewbacca, director George Lucas originally wanted David
02:27 Prowse, the 6-foot, 6-inch bodybuilder known for A Clockwork Orange. He quickly changed
02:32 his mind, however, when he met the 7-foot-3 Mayhew. Prowse, of course, would go on to
02:36 play Darth Vader.
02:38 Mayhew's height was the result of a condition called gigantism, with which he was diagnosed
02:41 at age 8. Mayhew also had Marfan syndrome, which can harm connective tissue throughout
02:46 the body. He became dependent on a wheelchair as he got older, but he was still able to
02:50 share the role of Chewbacca in The Force Awakens with Jonas Sotomo.
02:53 Peter Mayhew died of a heart attack in his Texas home on April 30, 2019. He was 74.
03:00 Born on February 16, 1945, Jeremy Bullock enjoyed a long career in film and TV from
03:04 the late 1950s all the way to 2016. The actor appeared in a cross-section of British culture,
03:10 starring James Bond in Doctor Who, before his career-making turn as the original Boba
03:13 Fett in The Empire Strikes Back. He reprised the role in Return of the Jedi.
03:17 Bullock returned to the franchise some 20 years later in Revenge of the Sith, in which
03:21 he played Captain Colton. Bullock's personality was quite the contrast to that of Boba Fett.
03:25 He claimed he got the role not due to any particular acting talent, but because the
03:28 costume fitted him well. The actor's geniality made Bullock a popular fixture of Star Wars
03:32 conventions around the world. Sadly, he stepped away from the convention circuit in 2018 after
03:37 receiving a Parkinson's diagnosis.
03:39 At the time, he told NBC,
03:40 "It has not been an easy decision to make. Boba Fett changed the entire direction of
03:45 my life in such a wonderful way. It has been a privilege to have had the opportunity to
03:49 inspire so many generations of Star Wars fans."
03:52 Jeremy Bullock died on December 17, 2020. He was 75 years old.
03:57 British actor Michael Sheard appeared in The Empire Strikes Back as Admiral Ozzel, a man
04:01 with significant power and an unfortunate reputation.
04:04 "He felt surprise was wiser."
04:06 "He is as clumsy as he is stupid."
04:09 Weirdly enough, Sheard was used to playing fascists on screen. He played Adolf Hitler
04:13 no less than five times in his life, most famously in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
04:18 In all, Sheard achieved some 180 credits in film and TV. His work as Admiral Ozzel resonated
04:24 among Star Wars fans, of course, but British audiences likely knew him best for his turn
04:28 as Mr. Bronson on Grange Hill, a popular high school drama that ran for 30 years.
04:33 Mr. Bronson loomed so large in Sheard's career that he named his 1997 autobiography, Yes,
04:38 Mr. Bronson? Memoirs of a Bum Actor. As Sheard told BBC News, he was scary, but as an actor,
04:44 Mr. Bronson was a lovely part to play. Michael Sheard died on August 31, 2005, at 67 years
04:50 old.
04:51 Born in 1911, Scottish actor Alex MacRindle played General Jan Dodonna in the original
04:56 Star Wars film. Before this, he was known for playing Scottish figures such as John
05:00 Knox, Robert Burns, and Walter Scott. He also reached a wide audience as Jock Anderson,
05:04 a charismatic fixture of the BBC radio show Dick Barton Special Agent.
05:08 In 1953, two years after Dick Barton concluded, MacRindle established the Scottish Committee
05:12 of Equity, the British Arts and Entertainment Union. His Equity colleagues attested to MacRindle's
05:17 character, too. Ian Cuthbertson said that MacRindle was a man of great truth and integrity,
05:21 adding,
05:22 "We would not be where we are today as actors without his great achievement."
05:25 MacRindle was visiting London on business when he died on April 20, 1990. He was 78.
05:30 [music]
05:34 you