It saddens me to report that Star Wars voice actor Erik Bauersfeld has passed away at the age of 93. The performer died on Sunday morning at his home in Berkeley, California.
Bauersfeld, who delivered Admiral Ackbar's iconic "It's a trap!" line from RETURN OF THE JEDI, reprised his voice role as the Rebel Alliance Commander in THE FORCE AWAKENS, and for several video games, including the 1993 flight simulator Star Wars: X-Wing. The radio dramatist also provided the voice of Bib Fortuna (Jabba the Hutt's creepy looking assistant), did voice work for Steven Spielberg's A.I. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE and Guillermo del Toro's CRIMSON PEAK, and was the director of KPFA's drama and literature department for 31 years.
On the website for his non-profit organization Bay Area Radio Drama, Bauersfeld wrote, "The voice work I did in movies was accidental. I was working with Randy Thom on radio dramas at his technical quarters at Lucasfilm. One day Ben Burtt, sound designer for Star Wars, came by and asked if I would audition for a voice in the movie."
R.I.P. Erik Bauersfeld (1922-2016)
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