Mark Dodson — a voice actor known for playing the critters in Gremlins and a beloved character in Star Wars — has died, his daughter told TMZ on Sunday. He was 64.
Dodson’s daughter named the cause of death as a “massive heart attack” suffered during his sleep. She added that he’d been traveling for Horror Con in Evansville, Indiana.
The actor’s agency, Stellar Appearances, confirmed the actor’s death.
“Mark truly loved his fans and enjoyed meeting them at conventions around the world,” Stellar Appearances said in a Sunday statement posted to Facebook. “Mark leaves behind a wonderful family, close friends, and adoring fans around the world.”
Dodson, a working actor, experienced a breakout after 1983’s Star Wars Return of the Jedi. In “Episode VI,” Dodson played Salacious Crumb, a character known for its high-pitched voice.
The following year, Dodson capitalized on this momentum by appearing in Gremlins. He voiced the character Mogwai, and he prompted viewers everywhere to imitate the critter’s voice.
In the same movie, he voiced one of the titular gremlins, a species of reptile monster. He reprised that role in Gremlins 2 six years later.
Dodson attracted attention for a cameo as a Niima Outpos scavenger in 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but he never stopped working.
On IMDb, Dodson was credited with a role in 1985’s seminal Day of the Dead, part of the Night of the Living Dead franchise.
Plus, he remained a prolific actor in video games. He reportedly voiced characters in last year’s “Ghostrunner II” and the upcoming “Phantasmat: Insidious Dreams.”
The Dodson family has requested privacy, according to the statement from Stellar Appearances.
The agency credited him with “adding his unique voice and sound to each character and script he touched.”
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