'Star Wars' Voice Actor Erik Bauersfeld Dies at Age 93
It's a sad day for all "Star Wars" fanatics as a veteran voice actor has passed away. As stated in The Hollywood Reporter, Erik Bauersfeld, who is best known for giving voice to the Rebellion's Admiral Ackbar in 1983 "Return of the Jedi" and 2015 "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," has died at the age of 93 years old. His manager, Derek Maki, confirmed his death on Sunday morning at his home in Berkeley, California.
Coolwaters Productions, the agency that represented Bauersfeld, shared that the radio dramatist died of natural causes. "Erik will be deeply missed by his family here at Coolwaters and our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends," said Maki who is also the spokesman for Coolwaters Production.
CNN detailed that Bauersfeld's character in the hit epic space opera franchise made an impact as the supreme commander of the Rebel Alliance. It was Admiral Ackbar who spearheaded major combat operations against the Galatic Empire. Aside from that, it was him who popularized the one-liner, "It's a trap," which is a line that has since gone on to create a number of popular internet memes.
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Bauersfeld also took part in Disney's latest "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" wherein he voiced Jabba The Hutt's right hand man, Bib Fortuna, as noted in Mirror UK. Moreover, he played the voice of Gardner in Steven Spielberg's 2001 film "A.I.: Artificial Intelligence" and a few of the "Star Wars" video games.
Rolling Stone detailed that even with the small role of Bauersfeld, the actor shared that he still received weekly fan mail from big "Star Wars" fans to ask for an autograph. He also divulged that he voiced the role of Ackbar with no direction from sound technician Ben Burtt. He said that he came up with the voice based on the character's peculiar, crustacean-like look.
Fans, including celebrities, of the late actor showed their support over at social media. "Glee" star Darren Criss posted: "RIP Erik Bauersfeld, who gave us Admiral Akbar's voice, and one of the best line readings in voiceover history. May the force be with you!"
