May The 4th Be With You! Since its very inception in 1977, it was clear that Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope would constitute a cinematic classic. Through over 40 years, the legendary franchise has continued to bring joy to legions of fans and completely reshaped moviegoing and pop culture. May 4th has become a special day for fans to celebrate their love for the franchise, given how similar the date sounds to the signature catchphrase “May the force be with you.” Unfortunately, some of the original actors have been lost to death along the way.
May The 4th is a great occasion to celebrate fandom for the iconic film franchise, and even some of the film’s stars have gotten in on the fun. Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker, has made jokes about it on social media, including creating a full calendar in 2018 of “May The” dates for fans to follow along with, which he’s tweeted and posted on his Instagram. Besides looking back on the classic movies, it’s also a great opportunity to pay tribute to the stars who have been lost.
May The Fourth Be With [YOUR NAME HERE]
— Mark Hamill (@MarkHamill) May 4, 2018
After the first installment, the franchise endured and then some, spawning two sequels Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983) in the immediate aftermath. Years later, a prequel trilogy hit theaters with Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999), Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002), and Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005).
Fans were nowhere near done with the franchise, and it continued with the sequel trilogy, Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi (2017), and Star Wars: Episode IX (2019). Finally, the anthology includes Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) and Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018). That’s not to mention its offshoots, including the animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) and the popular Disney + series The Mandalorian, beginning in 2019.
The memory of the actors who lost their lives after filming this iconic series of movies continues to this day. Here is our definitive list of the most beloved actors from the Star Wars franchise who have gone on to new frontiers.
Paul Grant was a beloved actor, appearing in a wide variety of movies throughout his career. In the Star Wars franchise, he played one of the most beloved characters, as an Ewok in the 1983 film Return of the Jedi. While the Ewoks are a smaller role than some of the main series, they’re still some of the most iconic characters in the film. Aside from his work in Star Wars, Paul also had roles in Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone (2001). He also appeared in Labyrinth (1986) and did stunts for Willow (1988) and Legend (1985), per IMDb.
