Voiceover actor Mark Dodson, best known for his roles in the ‘80s films Star Wars: Return of the Jedi and Gremlins, has died. He was 64.
Dodson passed away on Saturday, talent agency Stellar Appearances first shared in an Instagram post on Sunday.
“Mark worked on dozens of movies, video games, commercials and advertisements, adding his unique voice and sound to each character and script he touched,” Stellar Appearances’ post read. “Mark leaves behind a wonderful family, close friends, and adoring fans around the world. The family asks for privacy during this difficult time.”
Dodson’s daughter said the actor reportedly died of a “massive heart attack” during his stay in Evansville, Indiana, for the event Evansville Horror Con, according to TMZ.
In a 2020 interview with “Screaming Soup!,” Mr. Dodson explained how he had gotten the Crumb role by accident.
He was auditioning for Adm. Ackbar, a leader during the Clone Wars, but was so nervous that he asked for a break to compose himself, he said. He was then overheard using a deranged voice that the casting director thought was perfect for Crumb.
That led Mr. Dodson to voice several of the Mogwai in Gremlins, the 1984 comedy-horror film about a young man who accidentally unleashes a horde of malevolently mischievous monsters on a small town on Christmas Eve.
“Let’s say I did get Ackbar — I never would’ve gotten the ‘Gremlins,’” he said. “The ‘Gremlins’ came because the ‘Gremlins’ were made by the same guys who made Salacious. That’s why it came up, ‘They look a lot the same. Wouldn’t it be great for the Gremlins to have that same voice! Who is that guy?’”
Mr. Dodson continued working in both franchises, voicing characters in the 1985 television movie Ewoks: The Battle for Endor and Gremlins 2: The New Batch in 1990.
He voiced a scavenger in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) and appeared as an uncredited zombie in George Romero’s Day of the Dead (1985).
From all of us here at Outer Rim News, we send our condolences to Mark’s family.
