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

Mark Dodson, who provided the voices for characters like Salacious B. Crumb in “Return of the Jedi” and the Mogwai in “Gremlins” has died at the age of 64.

His death was announced on social media by his agent, Peter DeLorme, of Stellar Appearances. His daughter told TMZ that he had a heart attack in his sleep while attending a horror convention over the weekend.

Dodson began his career as the voice of Crumb, Jabba the Hutt’s odd-looking pet that had a crazy laugh, in 1983’s “Jedi.”

He said he got the role because the casting director overheard him using that voice during a break while he was auditioning for the part of Admiral Ackbar, The New York Times said.

That role directly led to him voicing several of the little mogwai creatures in the 1984 film “Gremlins.”

“Let’s say I did get Ackbar — I never would’ve gotten the ‘Gremlins,’” he said in a 2020 interview. “The ‘Gremlins’ came because the ‘Gremlins’ were made by the same guys who made Salacious. That’s why it came up, ‘They look a lot the same. Wouldn’t it be great for the Gremlins to have that same voice! Who is that guy?’”

He later went on to voice characters in “Ewoks: The Battle for Endor,” “Gremlins 2: The New Batch,” and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”

In addition, he did voice work for numerous commercials and cartoons such as “Darkwing Duck” and “Bonkers.” He also can be heard in video games like “Star Trek Online,” “Ghostrunner,” “Bendy and the Dark Revival,” and “Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga.”