Actor Mark Dodson, who brought to life iconic puppet creatures from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi and Gremlins as well as multiple video game characters and quite a view zombies, died unexpectedly March 2. Dodson’s daughter, Ciara, told TMZ that the 64-year old was in Evansville, Indiana to attend Horror Con and suffered a “massive heart attack” in his sleep.
Horror Con posted in memoriam to its Facebook page, writing, “Mark was not only a talented voice actor but also a cherished member of the horror community” who “will be remembered and missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing [him] and experiencing [his] talent.”
Among Dodson’s most memorable roles are Salacious B. Crumb, the Kowakian monkey-lizard who acts as Jabba the Hutt’s jester/pet first seen in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983). The quick-witted creature with a distinctive laugh became a fan favorite, making appearances throughout the Star Wars story and consumer products universes and gaining his own lore. Crumb’s species was notably represented in Season 3 of the hit Disney+ series, The Mandalorian.
Dodson furthered his cult film status by providing vocals for the Mogwai/Gremlins in the 1984 classic Gremlins and Gremlins 2: The New Batch, as part of a cadre of cartoon voice over pros including Frank Welker, Peter Cullen and Bob Bergen as well as Police Academy‘s Michael Winslow (Howie Mandel voiced Gizmo).
Over his several-decades career, Dodson worked across film, TV animation, commercials, shorts, radio and video games. His toon contributions include Professor Moliarty’s “henchmoles” in Darkwing Duck and The Locomotive Kid in Bonkers. Dodson also had a flair for zombie growls, for Toking with the Dead shorts series and the games Killing Floor 2 and Duke Grabowski, Mighty Swashbuckler as well as uncredited work for George A. Romero’s Day of the Dead (1985). He recently reprised the Crumb cackle for LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (2022).
Dodson is survived by his grandchildren as well as his daughter, who told TMZ that the unique performer “never ceased making [her] proud.”
You can watch a 2023 interview with Dodson conducted by Diabolic Shrimp below.
[Sources: TMZ, Deadline, IMDb]
