‘Star Wars’ actor Clive Revill, original voice of Emperor Palpatine, dies at 94

Clive Revill, the original voice of Emperor Palpatine in “Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back,” has passed away. He was 94 years old.

His daughter, Kate Revill, told The Hollywood Reporter that he passed away on March 11 at a care facility in Sherman Oaks, California, after a battle with dementia.

Aside from Kate, he is also survived by his granddaughter, Kayla.

Revill is a versatile actor from New Zealand, having appeared in films like “The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes” and “Avanti!” and voiced Kickback in “The Transformers: The Movie.”

He is best known for being the original voice of Emperor Palpatine in “Star Wars Episode V,” which premiered in 1980. Meanwhile, Marjorie Eaton and Elaine Baker acted as the Emperor under heavy makeup.

Revill’s lines happen during a short scene where Darth Vader speaks to Palpatine, who appears as a hologram.

Revill said the Emperor’s now-iconic line, “There is a great disturbance in the Force.”

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The scene also saw Palpatine warning Vader about Luke Skywalker. “The Force is strong with him,” he said.

Revill’s voice would be replaced in the DVD release of the film in 2004 by Ian McDiarmid, who then played Emperor Palpatine in “Return of the Jedi” and in the prequel trilogy.

The New York Times credits Revill for giving Emperor Palpatine his classic cold yet commanding voice.

Aside from Emperor Palpatine, Revill also voiced other “Star Wars” characters in video games.

Revill also appeared seven times on Broadway. He was a two-time Tony Award nominee for his roles as Bob-Le-Hotu in “Irma la Douce” and as Fagin in “Oliver!” — Nika Roque/LA, GMA Integrated News