‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ proclaims the end of the saga
The final trailer for “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” the final movie in the 42-year Skywalker saga, is here.
USA TODAY
Clive Revill, a prolific stage and screen actor known to “Star Wars” fans as the original voice of the iconic villain Emperor Palpatine, has died, according to reports. He was 94.
The actor’s daughter, Kate Revill, confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter and The New York Times that he died on March 11 after battling dementia.
Revill voiced Emperor Palpatine in the original version of “The Empire Strikes Back” released in 1980, before Ian McDiarmid was cast in the role. In a scene from the “Star Wars” sequel, Darth Vader speaks with the emperor, who appears over a hologram and tells the Sith Lord that “there is a great disturbance in the Force.”
This scene was “Star Wars” fans’ introduction to the emperor, who ranked No. 13 on USA TODAY’s list of the series’ 75 greatest characters. But the emperor did not appear in the flesh until the sequel, 1983’s “Return of the Jedi,” in which McDiarmid took over the role.
McDiarmid continued to play the emperor for decades to come, returning for the “Star Wars” prequel trilogy and 2019’s “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.” A 2004 DVD release of “The Empire Strikes Back” replaced Revill’s original scene with a new version where McDiarmid voiced the emperor instead in order to maintain consistency with the rest of the franchise. This modified scene has appeared on every subsequent release, including the Disney+ version.
But Revill’s career went far beyond just “Star Wars.” He was a Tony-nominated theater star who racked up dozens of credits in movies like “The Legend of Hell House” and “Avanti,” earning a Golden Globe nomination for the latter. He had previously worked with “The Empire Strikes Back” director Irvin Kershner on 1966’s “A Fine Madness.”
Outside of the emperor, Revill did plenty of other voice acting work throughout his career. He voiced Alfred Pennyworth in early episodes of “Batman: The Animated Series,” as well as various characters in animated shows like “The Transformers,” “Alvin and the Chipmunks” and “DuckTales.”
In a 2015 conversation with The Oklahoman, part of the USA TODAY Network, Revill said the “Star Wars” franchise made “a good choice” by casting McDiarmid as the emperor. But he noted that even though his “Star Wars” scene was replaced, fans still lined up to see him at conventions.
“They come up to me and I tell them to get close and shut their eyes,” he said. “Then I say (in the Emperor’s haunting voice), ‘There is a great disturbance in the Force.’ People turn white, and one nearly fainted!’”
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