Clive Revill, the actor known for voicing Emperor Palpatine in “The Empire Strikes Back” (1980), died March 11 in Sherman Oaks, Calif. He was 94.
Revill’s death after a long battle with dementia was confirmed to Variety by his daughter Kate.
Over the years, Revill starred in “Kaleidoscope” (1966) alongside Warren Beatty, “The Assassination Bureau” (1969) with Oliver Reed and Diana Rigg and played the fire marshall in “Robin Hood: Men in Tights” (1993). Revill worked with director Billy Wilder on both “The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes” (1970) and “Avanti!” (1972), which starred Jack Lemmon. Revill received a Golden Globe nomination back in 1973 for his supporting role in “Avanti!”
In addition to his versatile film career, Revill also appeared and guest starred in numerous television shows, including “Columbo,” “The Twilight Zone,” “Murder, She Wrote,” “Alfred Hitchcock Presents,” “MacGyver,” “Magnum, P.I.,” “The Fall Guy,” “Wizards and Warriors,” “Remington Steele” and “Three’s a Crowd.” Notably, his 1978 “Columbo” episode marked Peter Falk’s last appearance on the show. Revill also lended his voice to five episodes of “The Transformers” back in the ’80s and “The Transformers: The Movie” (1986) as Kickback.
Born in 1930, the New Zealand-raised actor got his start after being recruited by director Laurence Olivier. Revill made his Broadway debut in 1952’s “Mr. Pickwick” after traveling to England before joining the Royal Shakespeare Company. He ended up appearing on Broadway seven times throughout his career, receiving Tony nominations for playing Bob-Le-Hotu in “Irma la Douce” (1961) and Fagin in “Oliver!” (1963).
In 2017, the actor said that he struggled being away from home. He told the Dallas Observer: “I had my doubts at one point when I thought, ‘I can’t do it. I can’t do this. I can’t find it within myself.’”
The actor’s last on-screen credit was 2016’s “The Queen of Spain,” where he appeared alongside Penélope Cruz and Antonio Resines. Revill is survived by his daughter, Kate, and granddaughter Kayla.
