‘Star Wars,’ ‘Gremlins’ voice actor dies at 64

Mark Dodson, a veteran Hollywood voice actor known for his contributions to the “Star Wars” and “Gremlins” movies, has died. He was 64.

Dodson’s talent agency, Stellar Appearances, confirmed the performer’s death March 2 on social media. He reportedly suffered a heart attack in his sleep while he was in Evansville, Ind., where he was scheduled to appear that weekend at Evansville Horror Con.

“Mark truly loved his fans and enjoyed meeting them at conventions around the world,” read a statement on the Stellar Appearances Facebook page.

“Mark leaves behind a wonderful family, close friends, and adoring fans around the world. The family asks for privacy during this difficult time.”

During a career that spanned more than four decades, Dodson lent his vocal talents to radio stations, commercials, films, TV shows and video games. He was most famous for voicing creatures, including the cackling Salacious Crumb from “Return of the Jedi,” as well as the musical, cuddly mogwai and malevolent, reptilian title monsters in “Gremlins” and “Gremlins 2.”

Dodson returned briefly to the “Star Wars” universe in 2015 to make a vocal cameo as a scavenger at the Niima Outpost on the desert planet Jakku in “The Force Awakens.”

He made his mark on Hollywood by “adding his unique voice and sound to each character and script he touched,” his talent agency said.

Dodson’s film and TV credits also include the 1985 horror flick “Day of the Dead,” the History Channel treasure-hunting series “Legend of the Superstition Mountains” and the 1990s Disney cartoon “Darkwing Duck.” According to IMDb, his final projects were the 2023 video game “Ghostrunner II” and the upcoming video game “Phantasmat: Insidious Dreams.”