Star Wars and Gremlins actor dies

US actor Mark Dodson, who provided voices for creatures in the Star Wars and Gremlins movies, has died aged 64.

His daughter Ciara said he had suffered a “massive heart attack” while sleeping, reported TMZ, which said it had spoken to her.

Dodson was the voice of Salacious Crumb, a scruffy monkey-lizard character who was a cackling court jester and pet of gangster Jabba the Hutt in the 1983 film Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi.

A year later, he did the voice for mogwai in another Hollywood movie, Gremlins.

The main mogwai, called Gizmo, was friendly and docile, but when a friend of the main character Billy Peltzer accidentally spilled water over Gizmo, five more mogwai came out of him, who were more troublesome and led by the aggressive Stripe.

After being fed after midnight, the mogwai formed cocoons and then emerged as mischievous monsters called Gremlins.

Dodson is credited on movie website IMDb as being one of the mogwai other than Gizmo.

Dodson also did voices for zombies in the 1985 movie Day Of The Dead.

His daughter said he “never ceased making me proud”.

Dodson died in Evansville, Indiana, where he had been due to attend a fan convention.

The Evansville Horror Con posted a tribute on Facebook, saying: “We are heartbroken to announce the sudden passing of Mark Dodson last night.

“Mark was not only a talented voice actor but also a cherished member of the horror community. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and fans during this incredibly difficult time.

“We hope that you can take a moment out of your day to reflect on the joy and laughter that Mark brought into the world. His legacy will live on through his work.”

The Peter Mayhew Foundation, named after the actor who played Chewbacca in the Star Wars film series, wrote on X: “It is with the heaviest of hearts that we learn of the passing of Mark Dodson.

“Mark was genuine and funny and the characters he brought to life will always be as iconic as he was kind. Thank you for everything Mark, you are missed.”

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Dodson worked continuously for several decades in film, video games, radio and commercials as a voice artist.

He is survived by his daughter and grandchildren.