(KTLA) – British actor Michael Culver has passed away at 85 years old.
Alliance Agents, a booking agency, announced his passing in a March 12 post on Facebook.
“We are very sad to confirm the passing of our friend and client Michael Culver,” the post read.
“A career spanning over 50 years with notable roles in ‘Sherlock Holmes,’ ‘A Passage to India,’ ‘Secret Army’ and of course one of the most memorable death scenes in the ‘Star Wars’ franchise,” the statement continued.
Culver famously played Captain Needa in “Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back.” His character was telekinetically strangled by Darth Vader when he lost track of Han Solo’s Millennium Falcon.
Culver was also known for his theater work, as well as his TV roles as Major Erwin Brandt in the 1970s BBC drama “Secret Army” and Prior Robert in the 1990s ITV mystery series “Cadfael.”
The statement explained that Culver “gave up acting in the early 2000s to concentrate on his efforts into his political activism.” But he didn’t retire from the profession completely.
In 2003, Culver starred in the first episode of “New Tricks.” Five years later, in 2008, he starred in a guest role in the first episode of “Wallander.” In 2016, he appeared in the movie “Servants’ Quarters” according to IMDB.
“It’s been an honor to have represented Michael for for the last decade and to have taken him to some of the best ‘Star Wars’ events in the UK and Europe,” the post read. “A real highlight was taking Michael to Celebration in Chicago in 2019. He was lost for words when he saw his queue line with nearly 200 people waiting to see him.”
The agency said they last worked with Culver just “three weeks ago at his last home signing with our friends at Elite Signatures.”
Born on July 16, 1938, in Hampstead, London, Culver is the son of actor Roland Culver. The New York Times reports that Culver is survived by a wife and three children.