Actor Michael Culver, Capt. Needa in second ‘Star Wars’ movie, dies at 85

Michael Culver, the British actor best known as the man Darth Vader choked to death telepathically in a “Star Wars” film, died on Feb. 27.

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Culver was 85.

The announcement of Culver’s death was confirmed by Alliance Agents, which posted a statement to social media on Tuesday, The New York Times reported. No cause of death was given, though his agent, Thomas Bowington, said Culver had battled cancer for several years.

Culver had roles in numerous TV shows and films, including the 1984 film “A Passage to India,” and two “James Bond” films with the actor Sean Connery — “From Russia With Love” and “Thunderball,” according to IMDb.com.

But his role as Captain Needa in “The Empire Strikes Back” will likely be his best remembered. Needa, after losing track of Han Solo’s Millennium Falcon, apologizes to Darth Vader, who promptly chokes him to death telepathically.

“Apology accepted, Captain Needa,” Vader says, walking around the captain’s body.

According to a 2023 interview, Culver said he “knew nothing about” the blockbuster first “Star Wars” movie before auditioning for the second one.

“When I did ‘Star Wars,’ it just seemed to be, ‘Oh, they’re doing a movie about starships.’ So I did it. I just thought, ‘Well, I hope it’s successful,’” he said, adding: “You don’t expect 40 years later to be still signing autographs for it.”

Culver is survived by his second wife, Amanda Ward Culver, and his children, Roderic, Sue and Justin Culver.

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