It was a minute that changed the course of the “Star Wars” franchise. In “The Empire Strikes Back,” the now-celebrated 1980 sequel, audiences were treated to the first on-camera sighting of Emperor Palpatine.
After receiving only a glancing mention in the first movie, he could have looked and sounded like anything. A human. A Wookiee. A droid. A turtle. There was, instead, a disfigured, robed face — portrayed by the actress Marjorie Eaton — that terrified fans and etched the character into “Star Wars” lore.
But Palpatine’s voice — cool, crisp and commanding — belonged to Clive Revill, who in about 60 seconds set the stage for one of the most feared and infamous characters in science fiction. Mr. Revill died on March 11 in Sherman Oaks, Calif., his daughter, Kate Revill, said on Thursday. The cause, she said, was complications of dementia. He was 94.
Palpatine’s appearance, however brief, is pivotal. In the conversation with Darth Vader it is established that Vader, already an iconic villain, has a boss — one whom Vader himself fears. Additionally, Palpatine recognizes Luke Skywalker as a true threat.
In just a few lines, Mr. Revill established Palpatine as a cold, dominant figure.
When the original trilogy was rereleased in 2004, his voice was replaced by that of Ian McDiarmid, who played Palpatine in subsequent “Star Wars” films, starting with “Return of the Jedi” (1983). But in various iterations of Palpatine since the original — including the franchise films, the video game “Fortnite” and even Lego re-enactments — the character’s voice is built on Mr. Revill’s work.
“Those voices are all influenced by this first example,” said Greg Iwinski, a writer on the animated “Star Wars” series “Young Jedi Adventures.” “That was 45 years ago. That’s the importance of that legacy. He was the first guy to do it.”
The small choices Mr. Revill made in introducing Palpatine — for example, making him emotionless with a touch of regality — were anything but. Mr. Revill provided a first draft of a character that would be built on for decades. His performance projected power without raising his voice, while making it believable that Darth Vader could fear him.
“It was frightening and powerful and also reassuring in a way,” said Christopher Tramantana, an actor and an instructor at New York University. “I remember thinking, ‘Oh, Vader can be beaten.’ There’s something more powerful than him.”
“Also,” he added, “it was just such a cool voice.”
Keith Powell, a “Star Wars” fan and an actor best known for his work on the NBC sitcom “30 Rock,” said in an email that Mr. Revill’s voice was distinct and clear “while still somehow sending a chill down my spine.”
“How did he do that? I still don’t know,” Mr. Powell said.
Mr. Revill’s involvement in “The Empire Strikes Back” came about after he received a call from the film’s director, Irvin Kershner. Mr. Kershner and Mr. Revill had previously worked together on the 1966 film “A Fine Madness.” By then, the New Zealand-born Mr. Revill, who grew up intending to become an accountant, was a veteran actor. He had several Broadway credits to his name and had been nominated twice for a Tony Award: in 1961 for “Irma La Douce!” and in 1963 for “Oliver!” He was also nominated for a Golden Globe for best supporting actor for his performance in the film “Avanti!” (1972).
During the production of “The Empire Strikes Back,” Mr. Kershner invited Mr. Revill to a recording studio in Los Angeles.
“I’ve got a line here that I want you to think about because it’s got to be the right sort of thing,” Mr. Revill recalled Mr. Kershner saying in an interview at a 2017 fan event. “I said, ‘OK, fine.’ And he gave me a piece of paper and I said, ‘Irv, what do you want me to do with this?’ And he said, ‘Think about it.’”
The line, now often quoted in pop culture, was, “There is a great disturbance in the Force.” Mr. Revill said that it took him several tries to get the read right — each one progressively deeper and more deliberate.
Mr. Revill never expressed bitterness about being replaced as Palpatine.
“I was the original Emperor, but they wanted continuity with the later movies,” he told The Oklahoman in 2015.
Mr. Revill is on the list of “Star Wars” performers who made an indelible mark on the franchise, and pop culture generally, but didn’t become household names in part because their faces were not visible to audiences. It includes Peter Mayhew, who played Chewbacca, Han Solo’s Wookiee sidekick; and Jeremy Bulloch, who originated the role of the masked bounty hunter Boba Fett.
Palpatine wasn’t Mr. Revill’s only contribution to the “Star Wars” universe. In 1993, he lent his voice to the video game “Star Wars: X Wing.” He also returned to the franchise almost two decades later to voice multiple characters for the 2011 video game “Star Wars: The Old Republic.”
Clive Selsby Revill was born on April 18, 1930, in Wellington, New Zealand. In addition to his daughter, he is survived by a granddaughter.
Mr. Revill’s acting career began in 1950, shortly after he left Rongotai College in Wellington. Laurence Olivier encouraged him to pursue an acting career, and Mr. Revill moved to London and studied at the Old Vic Theater for two years with the help of a government grant.
His first professional job was on Broadway: a 1952 production of “Mr. Pickwick,” based on the Charles Dickens novel, before he moved back to England, where he worked steadily in television, film and theater. His television credits include “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” “Babylon 5” and “Murphy Brown.”
He worked often as a voice actor both for video games and in cartoons. Arguably his most famous role — other than Palpatine — was as the voice of Alfred in “Batman: The Animated Series,” alongside Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill, who voiced the Joker. He also voiced characters in cartoons like “Tom and Jerry” and “Alvin & the Chipmunks.”
It was “Star Wars,” however, that brought Mr. Revill the most fame and led him to occasionally attend fan conventions. In the interview with The Oklahoman, he described interactions with fans waiting to greet him: “They come up to me, and I tell them to get close and shut their eyes.”
Then, Mr. Revill said, he would do the voice.
“I say, ‘There’s a great disturbance in the Force.’ People turn white, and one nearly fainted!”
Hank Sanders contributed reporting.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/27/movies/clive-revill-star-wars-dead.html
