Mark Dodson, known for voicing peculiar puppet creatures in iconic movies like “Star Wars” and “Gremlins,” passed away at the age of 64. Dodson lent his voice to characters such as Salacious B. Crumb, the cackling monkey-lizard belonging to Jabba the Hutt, and various Ewoks in “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.” His death was announced on social media by his agent, Peter DeLorme, and the Evansville Horror Con, where he was set to make an appearance. The cause of death has not been disclosed.
Dodson’s foray into voice acting began in 1983 when he unwittingly landed the role of Salacious B. Crumb after initially auditioning for Adm. Ackbar. This led to him voicing Mogwai characters in “Gremlins,” a popular 1984 holiday horror comedy. Dodson shared in an interview that his nervousness during the audition inadvertently led to him securing the Crumb role.
Dodson’s career spanned beyond these two franchises, with appearances in other projects like “Ewoks: The Battle for Endor” and “Gremlins 2: The New Batch.” He also voiced a scavenger in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and made an uncredited appearance as a zombie in George Romero’s “Day of the Dead.”
Born on February 1, 1960, Dodson originally hails from St. Louis. He entered the film industry after relocating to Los Angeles post-high school in 1978 and initially worked as a production assistant and carpenter. Dodson stumbled into his voice acting career while helping construct a sound studio for George Lucas’s Industrial Light & Magic, where his knack for creating sounds caught the attention of a sound designer.
Although Dodson didn’t secure the role he auditioned for, the experience led to his audition for “Return of the Jedi.” Over the years, Dodson’s distinctive voice was featured in various media, including radio, commercials, cartoons like “Darkwing Duck” and “Bonkers,” and as a narrator on TV shows. He also provided voices for video game characters in titles such as “Star Trek Online” and “Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga.”
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