Star Wars actor Michael Culver dies, aged 85

Michael Culver

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The performer who starred in Star Wars, Michael Culver, has passed away at the age of 85.

The performer was recognized for a plethora of stage performances and his unforgettable part in the follow-up film The Empire Strikes Back back in 1980. As of late, he had been battling with health problems. Regrettably, he passed away on the 27th of February.

The representative of Culver made public that Michael Culver has passed away on Wednesday, 13th March. The agent expressed their deep sorrow and confirmed that Culver was their friend and client.

He has had a successful career for more than 50 years, with remarkable performances in Sherlock Holmes, A Passage to India, Secret Army, and, without a doubt, one of the most unforgettable death scenes in the Star Wars series.

According to the announcement, Culver decided to shift his focus from acting to political activism in the early 2000s. The statement also expressed gratitude for the past ten years of representing him and accompanying him to top-notch Star Wars gatherings in the United Kingdom and Europe.

Culver appeared in The Empire Strikes Back as Captain Lorth Needa, an experienced fleet officer in charge of an Imperial Star Destroyer under Darth Vader's command.

Darth Vader uses his telekinetic abilities to strangle this character to death.

According to the representative of the actor, Culver was left speechless upon seeing the sight of around 200 fans waiting eagerly to meet him in a queue during a Star Wars event held in Chicago back in 2019.

In ‘The Empire Strikes Back’, Michael Culver played a character.

Between 1959 to 1961, Culver participated in numerous shows with Dundee Repertory Theatre. Afterwards, he then went on to feature in seven different Shakespeare plays at the Old Vic in London.

After appearing without receiving recognition in the early James Bond movies From Russia with Love (1963) and Thunderball (1965), Culver gained a plethora of TV appearances during the 1970s. Some of those include The Adventures of Black Beauty, BBC drama Secret Army, and an individual episode of The Sweeney.

During the 1980s, he obtained a lesser part in The Empire Strikes Back and played one of the main characters in A Passage to India, an acclaimed historical drama directed by David Lean that received 11 Oscar nominations.

Culver also made appearances on several British shows including Casualty, The Darling Buds of May, Emmerdale, and New Tricks in 2003. His last time on screen was in an episode of Wallander in 2008.

The performer got hitched twice, initially to actor Lucinda Curtis in the year 1962, and subsequently to sculptor Amanda Ward in 2004.

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