Erik Bauersfeld
Erik Bauersfeld | |
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![]() Bauersfeld at Rhode Island Comic Con in 2015 | |
Born | Brooklyn, New York City, U.S. | June 28, 1922
Died | April 3, 2016 Berkeley, California, U.S. | (aged 93)
Occupation | Radio dramatist, voice actor |
Years active | 1961–2015 |
Erik Bauersfeld (June 28, 1922 – April 3, 2016) was an American radio dramatist and voice actor. His most notable role was providing the voices of Admiral Ackbar and Bib Fortuna in the third film of the original Star Wars trilogy, Return of the Jedi (1983),[1] the former of which he subsequently reprised in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015).[2]
Early life[]
Bauersfeld was attracted to radio work at a very young age. During World War II, he served in the United States Navy. His post-secondary education included time studying at Cooper Union in New York, and then at the University of California, Berkeley, where he concentrated on aesthetics and painting.[3]
Career[]
Bauersfeld was teaching at the San Francisco Art Institute, when he began working at Pacifica Radio station KPFA-FM in Berkeley, beginning in 1961.[4] He served as the Director of KPFA's Drama and Literature Department for 31 years.[5] Outside of radio, he dabbled in voiceover work in films and video games.
Bauersfeld was working at Lucasfilm on a radio project,[2] with sound designer Randy Thom, when eventually he was approached by Star Wars sound designer Ben Burtt. Burtt asked him to read for the part of Ackbar. According to Bauersfeld, he was shown a picture of Ackbar and instantly came up with the character's voice.[5] Ackbar's lines, including the memorable exclamation "It's a trap!", took an hour for Bauersfeld to record.[5] He then spent an additional 30 minutes reading for the voice of Bib Fortuna, who was Jabba the Hutt's majordomo.[5] Both of his vocal parts were added to the finished production of Return of the Jedi, but Bauersfeld received no screen credit at the time.[5]
He was the last person to read for the part of Yoda, a role that eventually went to puppeteer Frank Oz.[6]
He also voiced several characters in the 1979 Highbridge audio productions of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
Bauersfeld reprised his role as the voice of Admiral Ackbar in several video games (including Star Wars: X-Wing and Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron), as well as in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.[citation needed]
Personal life and death[]
He was a close friend of poet and activist Lawrence Ferlinghetti.[5] In 2015, he attended the Star Wars Celebration at Anaheim.[7]
Bauersfeld died at his home in Berkeley, California, on 3 April 2016, at the age of 93.[8][9]
Filmography[]
Films[]
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
1983 | Return of the Jedi (voice) | Admiral Gial Ackbar / Bib Fortuna | [citation needed] | |
2001 | A.I. Artificial Intelligence | Gardener (voice) | [10] | |
2015 | Crimson Peak | Additional voices | [citation needed] | |
Star Wars: The Force Awakens | Admiral Gial Ackbar (voice) | Final role | [10] |
Video games[]
Year | Title | Voice role | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
1993 | Star Wars: X-Wing | Admiral Gial Ackbar | [10] |
2009 | Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron | [citation needed] |
References[]
- ^ Hartlaub, Peter (July 14, 2015). "Let this 93-year-old voice Admiral Ackbar in the new "Star Wars"". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Adam Withnall (5 April 2016). "Admiral Ackbar voice actor Erik Bauersfeld dies aged 93". independent.co.uk. The Independent. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
- ^ "California School of Fine Arts | The Faculties". Register - University of California. Vol. II. University of California Press. 1956. p. 12.
|volume=
has extra text (help) - ^ Moyer, Justin Wm. (April 5, 2016). "'Star Wars' actor Erik Bauersfeld — 'It's a trap!' — dead at 93". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Hartlaub, Peter (September 20, 2011). "Admiral Ackbar speaks: Erik Bauersfeld a force in 'Star Wars' cosmos". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
- ^ Admiral Ackbar speaks: The Erik Bauersfeld interview. 14 February 2012 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Star Wars Celebration 2015: Ian McDiarmid and More Confirmed". starwars.com. StarWars.com. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
- ^ Hayden, Erik (April 4, 2016). "Erik Bauersfeld, Admiral Ackbar Voice Actor in 'Star Wars' Films, Dies at 93". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
- ^ "Erik Bauersfeld, who immortalized, 'It's a trap' as Admiral Ackbar in Star Wars, dies". The Guardian. 5 April 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "Erik Bauersfeld (Visual voices guide)".
External links[]
- 20th-century American male actors
- 21st-century American male actors
- 1922 births
- 2016 deaths
- American male voice actors
- American radio personalities
- Male actors from New York City
- Male actors from Berkeley, California
- Pacifica Foundation people
- People from Berkeley, California
- People from Brooklyn
- University of California, Berkeley alumni
- United States Navy personnel of World War II