Clive Revill, the New Zealand-born actor whose career took him from Shakespeare to Star Wars, has died at the age of 94. He passed away March 11 in Sherman Oaks after a battle with dementia.

Theatre-goers on three continents will mourn the death of the Tony-nominated actor who brought Fagin to life in Oliver!, and several Shakespearian roles, Ratty in Toad of Toad Hall, Sci-Fi.Radio fans will remember Revil as the wizard Vector in Wizards & Warriors, the emperor in The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and the Centauri nobleman Takris in Babylon 5 as well as his many cartoon and video game voices.

Voice Actor

Clive Revill was perhaps best known for his voicework, including Alfred Pennyworth in Batman the Animated Series, Kickback and Jetfire in Transformers. Many times, alas, he was credited merely as additional voices. Although he began doing voice roles early in his career (find out when), after the 1990s Revill limited himself to voice roles. His last in front of the camera role were Hendricks in Murphy Brown, John Scott in the movie The Queen of Spain (2016).

Here’s a list of his many, many voice roles. You’re sure to have seen at least some of them.

Alfred, Bruce Wayne’s butler and confidant in Batman the Animated Series Emperor Palpatine in The Empire Strikes Back Narrator, Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas Additional voices, The New Scooby- and Scrappy-Doo Show Additional voices, Alvin and the Chipmunks Galio Seaworthy, Snorks Kickback, The Transformers Shedlock Jones, Duck Tales Storyteller, Dragon’s Lair Additional voices, Mighty Mouse the New Adventures The Mighty Om, The Legend of Prince Valiant Sorcerer Blowfish, The Little Mermaid King Midas, Adventures from the Book of Virtues Hustus McPhil, Godzilla: the Series Hunter, Harpooner, The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest

King Claudius, Pinky and the Brain General Dodonna, Star Wars: X-Wing video gameBagheera, Jungle Book video game Docyor Doom, Marvel Ultimate Alliance video game Admiral Davros, Admiral Riserre, & Darth Gravus, Star Wars: the Old Republic video game Thorin Oakenshield, The Hobbit video game Duke of Bedford, Jeanne d’Arc video game Jetfire, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen video game Announcer/narrator, Peter Pan’s Flight ride at Disneyland British officer, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End video game W, in Johnny Bravo Potsworth in Midnight Patrol: Adventures in the Dream Zone William Shakespeare in Tiny Toon Adventures Additional voices, Paddington Bear Narrator, Return to Never Land (2002)

Personal Data

Revill was recruited into acting by Laurence Olivier himself, who encouraged the young actuary to study at the Old Vic Theatre School in Bristol. That gamble led to a rich career across stage, screen, and television—one that included Broadway roles, Tony nominations, collaborations with Billy Wilder, and a memorable turn as the original voice of Emperor Palpatine in The Empire Strikes Back.

He was endlessly adaptable. He played cops in Otto Preminger’s Bunny Lake Is Missing and Jack Smight’s Kaleidoscope, two wildly different roles in Modesty Blaise, and a physicist confronting ghosts in The Legend of Hell House. He thrived on the stage, earning Tony nods for Irma La Douce (1961) and Oliver! (1963), and appeared in Marat/Sade, Sherry!, Sherlock Holmes, and Edward Albee’s Lolita.

Revill had a knack for memorable supporting roles. Billy Wilder cast him as a duped ballet representative in The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes and a beleaguered hotel manager in Avanti! (1972), which earned him a Golden Globe nomination. And in 1980, Empire Strikes Back director Irvin Kershner called on him to voice the Emperor. Though his performance was later replaced in the DVD re-release, Revill’s fans never forgot it.

Revill’s voice would be replaced on the 2004 DVD release of the film by Ian McDiarmid’s, who went on to play the character in Return of the Jedi (1983) and the franchise’s three prequels — but he had his fans just the same.

“They come up to me, and I tell them to get close and shut their eyes,” he said in a 2015 interview. “Then I say [in the emperor’s haunting voice], ‘There is a great disturbance in the Force.’ People turn white, and one nearly fainted!”

Born Clive Selsby Revill in Wellington in 1930, he was the son of a carpenter and an opera singer. It was Olivier and Vivien Leigh, touring New Zealand, who first spotted his potential. He made it to England in 1950, fought through early doubts, and found his grounding thanks to a mentor who told him to “go within and find the truth”—advice he never let go of.

Revill debuted on Broadway in Mr. Pickwick in 1952 and went on to build an eclectic career across genres. His film credits included The Assassination Bureau, The Black Windmill, Zorro: The Gay Blade, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, and Dracula: Dead and Loving It. He guest-starred on shows like Columbo, Murder, She Wrote, Magnum, P.I., Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Babylon 5. In animation, he voiced Alfred in Batman: The Animated Series and reprised roles in Star Wars video games.

Clive Selsby Revill was born April18, 1930, in Wellington, New Zealand. Revill was married twice. First to Valerie Nelson, from 1971 to 1977, then to Susan (Suzi) Lenora Schor from 1978 to 1988. This marriage also ended in divorce, but produced one daughter, actress Kate Selsby.

Ethnic Roles

Revill was noted for his ability with accents, and played many ethnic roles, from Italian to Russian to Scottish to Chinese. He played a Chinese spy in Disney’s One of Our Dinosaurs is Missing (1975) in one of Hollywood’s last yellowface roles, before the custom thankfully died out.

• Finlay Perkin (Scottish) Centennial
• Sheik Abu Tahir (Arab) and McWhirter (Scottish) in Modesty Blaise (1966)
• Carlo Carlucci in Avanti!(1972)

Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Horror, & Espionage Roles

• Horatio in The Adventures of Robin Hood in the 1957 episode “Too Many Earls”
• the Earl of Ambrose in The Headless Ghost (1959)
• Sheik Abu Tahir and McWhirter in Modesty Blaise (1966)
• Sergi Serapkin in Fathom (1967)
• Frank Wheatley in The Double Man (`967
• Charles Harrison in Italian Secret Service (1968)
• Cesare Spado in The Assassination Bureau (1969)
• Rogozhin in The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970)
• Dr. Barrett in The Legend of Hell House (1973)
• Alf Chesterman in The Black Windmill (1974)
• Quon in One of Our Dinosaurs is Missing (1975)
• Mark in The New Avengers in the 1977 episode “Dead Men Are Dangerous”
• Emperor Palpatine in The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
• Garcia in Zorro, the Gay Blade (1981)
• Vector in Wizards & Warriors (1983)
• Kickback in Transformers the Movie (1986)
• Frank, Rockne’s agent in The Twilight Zone 1986 episode “Personal Demons“
• King William in The Frog Prince (1986)
• Sir Guy of Gisbourne in the Star Trek: The Next Generation 1991 episode “Qpid”,
• Alfred Pennyworth in Batman: the Animated Series, 1992
• King Nof in The Thief and the Cobbler (1993)
• Takris in the Babylon 5 episode “Born to the Purple” 1994
• Sorcerer in Lois &Clark: the New Adventures of Superman in the 1996 episode “Soil Mates”
• King Richard in Tom and Jerry: Robin Hood and His Merry Mouse (2012)

Awards and honors

Clive S. Revill was twice nominated for a Tony Awardas Best Featured Actor in a Musical as Bob-Le-Hotu in Irma La Douce in 1960 and nominated again in 1963 for Best Actor in a Musical for Fagin in Oliver!

In 1973, he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor as Carlo Carlucci in Avanti!

Perhaps you have enjoyed his performances as the wizard Vector in Wizards & Warriors, Dr. Barrett in The Legend of Hell House, one of his many video game roles? Or maybe you lucky enough to see him perform live on stage. His body of work and his contributions to both film and stage are substantial.

Our condolences to his family and his many colleagues. May his memory be a blessing.