R.I.P. Michael Culver, the guy Darth Vader chokes to death in Empire Strikes Back
A veteran actor with hundreds of TV and theatrical roles, Culver was, nevertheless, known best for his very abrupt death in Empire
Aux News Darth Vader
Michael Culver has died. A veteran actor of both stage and screen, Culver had more than 100 film and television credits to his name, and an incredibly robust theatrical resumé —but is best known to millions, basically inevitably, for less than a minute of screen time in 1980's The Empire Strikes Back, in which his character, Captain Needa, becomes the fatal recipient of one of Darth Vader’s infamous Force Chokes. (He’s the guy who gets the “Apology accepted” quip as a sort of very quick post-mortem comedy cut, not the one who gets choked out via viewscreen; Darth Vader is not a good boss.) Appearing in Shakespearean tragedies, long-running sitcoms, James Bond films, and hundreds of other projects, and with a long history as an anti-war activist in his later years, Culver worked steadily from the 1950s through the mid-2010s, with a CV that stretches far beyond a memorable bit part in one very successful film. (Although, we’ll note, he’s very believable in said bit part!) Per The New York Times, Culver died on February 27. He was 85.
Born into an acting family, Culver came up in British theater, working as a regular part of the Old Vic and in a variety of Shakespearean parts. He quickly migrated into the world of British television, where he worked relentlessly throughout the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s. (Like many upper-crust British types, he had a knack for playing both foreign villains and the bad guys in mystery plots.) A leading role in true-life spy drama Philby, Burgess And Maclean (as Maclean) got him his first taste of genuine recognition, and helped him land a small part in the sequel to one of the biggest science fiction films of all time, when casting for Empire began circa 1980 His appearance as Captain Needa in the sequel film is, essentially, textbook Imperial stooge: That blend of poshness, arrogance, and “Why me?” hangdoggedness that seems to sit on all of the Empire’s flunkies, right before the magical hand starts to squeeze—mixed with a very committed performance to the actual “getting choked” bit that still impresses more than 40 years later.
When he wasn’t getting murdered by Darth Vader, Culver continued to work, with almost no pause, in TV, film, and in the theater. Three of his biggest roles in the latter world came in the 1990s, when he appeared in an unofficial trilogy of plays at the U.K.’s Tricycle Theater, all centered on the Nuremberg trials. Among other things (and per The Guardian), Culver’s trio of appearances in the plays reportedly sparked his own political radicalization; he spent the rest of his life as a vocal opponent of his native country invading other nations—most especially the 2000s-era invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan.
Culver is, in other words, one of those guys who worked constantly, built up a massive body of well-loved work, had his own particular interests, and whose career just happened to intersect, every so briefly, with a blockbuster phenomenon. (Not that he seemed to mind—he was a regular on the Star Wars convention circuit until the last years of his life, often showing up with several of the other older British Imperial guys.) He was far more than just “the guy Darth Vader chokes because he let the Millennium Falcon get away,” but, he was also exactly that guy, and doesn’t seem to have minded the legacy. He seems to have had a robust, full, and fascinating life, for all that most audiences only got to experience a rather grisly 60 seconds of the whole.
27 Comments
Being choked is a hard one to trot out as a party piece. I once heard an interview on the radio of a 90-year old Erik (Admiral Akhbar) Bauersfield. In a 20 minute segment, he must have said “It’s a trap” about 30 times, unbidden.
He knew what put bread on the table.
Depends on the party.
Good point.
Why no Steve Lawrence eulogy?
Or Kurt Wallinger? Or Terence Davies? Or, hell, even Deadspin? (Well, at least I know the answer to that one, but still.)
Fuck, “Karl,” not “Kurt.” I mentally transposed “Karl Wallinger” and “Kurt Waldheim,” which really, nobody in arguable possession of their faculties should be doing.
Have you never heard of Karl Wallenda?
If I got Karl Wallinger’s first name mixed up with Karl Wallenda’s, we wouldn’t even be here now! Just like Karl Wallinger’s obit! Karl Wallinger, of The Waterboys and World Party and The Flying Wallingers fame! Shit, wait.
No.
Wait, Karl Wallinger died?
It’s 2024 so here’s a list of Star Wars actors we’ve lost this year . . . so far . . .
Click to start slideshow.
I always thought he was the stand up one. He took full responsibility and kept his men safe for another… 15 min or so
Sounds like a good argument for avoiding the draft.
You’d think they’d at least bother to train the Storm Troopers. Worst shots I’ve ever seen.
“Close the blast doors!
Open the blast doors! Open the blast doors!!!”
Captain Needa is the only example where Vader should not have choked out an officer.
Allegedly a British actor, and yet he never appeared on Doctor Who. Strange
I was thinking for sure he had but apparently not. I’m pretty sure one of those Imperial guys did.
He did appear on Doctor Strange. Who
He did the other thing.
Was he in a Harry Potter or a Game of Thrones?
Sounds like a mensch. RIP.
whoever wrote that hed is a piece of shit. “oh, we’ll wink at the people who want to reduce his career to the star wars thing while acting archly like we’re above it.” fuck this site. you guys ruined something good and i come here sporadically to see if it’s gotten any better and i always leave disappointed. i’d take his career over any of yours, you fucking hacks.
I wonder how he felt about trans people.
If only Vader knew it was all fake: