British actor Michael Culver died on March 13 at the age of 85. Alliance Agents, the agency that represented him, posted this short message Deadline): “We are very saddened to learn of the passing of our friend and client Michael Culver.
Culver’s face was known to pop culture fans for being the face of Captain Neda, who was briefly in Darth Vader’s service and force-suffocated by him in The Empire Strikes Back:
In this fifth episode of Star Wars, Captain Neda chases the Millennium Falcon near an asteroid field on the planet Hoth, but it eludes her, with Han Solo, Chewbacca and Princess Leia on board, among others. Captain Neda takes responsibility for this failure against Vader, who force-chokes him, all with a well-intentioned suggestion: “Apology accepted, Captain Neda.”
For VF fans, Captain Neda was voiced by French actor Daniel Rousseau at the time.
Culver made his film debut as an extra in the James Bond films From Russia With Love and Operation Thunder (in two different roles). We also see him in two versions of the series Bowler Hat and Leather Boots (English and American) and after 26 episodes playing squires in the family series Black Prince and many guest appearances, he gets a small role in The Empire Strikes Back. (1980).
He then returned to the small screen and found a recurring role in the monastic investigation series Cadfael, directed by Derek Jacobi. His last appearance dates back to 2016 in Paul Rashid’s The Servant’s Quarters, which was not released in France.
Source: Allocine
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