Star Wars actor Angus MacInnes dies two days before Christmas aged 77

An original Star Wars actor quietly passed away two days before Christmas with his devastated family only just making the news public.

Actor Angus MacInnes, known for his performance in the original Star Wars movie, has died. He was 77.

Beloved for his role as Gold Leader Jon “Dutch” Vander in Star Wars: A New Hope, MacInnes passed away on December 23, according to a statement posted on Monday by his family via the actor’s Facebook account.

“To all Angus’ fans around the world, with breaking hearts we write this: Angus MacInnes, beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, friend, and actor died on 23rd of December 2024,” the statement began.

Star Wars actor Angus MacInnes has died aged 77. Picture: Facebook

The family drew attention to MacInnes’ decades-spanning career, which included performances in the movies Witness, Judge Dredd and Captain Phillips among others.

“His work touched countless lives, and he took great pride in being part of these stories that continue to resonate with audiences worldwide.”

His loved ones continued, “For Angus, the fans of Star Wars held a special place in his heart. He loved meeting you at conventions, hearing your stories, and sharing in your passion for the saga. He was continually humbled, delighted, and honoured by the admiration and passion of the fans and convention community.”

The actor is best known for his role as Gold Leader Jon “Dutch” Vander in Star Wars: A New Hope. Picture: Twentieth Century-Fox

“Angus was more than an actor—he was a kind, thoughtful, and generous soul who brought warmth and humour into the lives of everyone who knew him. He will be deeply missed by his family, friends and fellow actors but also by his fans around the world – his family thank you all.”

Fans poured out their love for MacInnes on Facebook after learning of his death.

“I had the privilege of getting to know Angus personally, for which I am very grateful,” one person wrote. “RIP Goldleader.”

Another fan commented, “So sorry for your loss. I had the honour of meeting him back in 2002 or so and often interacted on his posts. He was very kind.” They added, “I will raise a glass to Gold Leader, on his wing.”

“[I] had the pleasure of meeting [A]ngus many times at cons, he was such a lovely man, RIP,” wrote a third fan.

Born on October 27, 1947 in Ontario, Canada, MacInnes was immortalised by his performance as the Y-wing squadron rebel commander.

He discussed learning his lines for the role and his interactions with director George Lucas during an interview in 2014.

MacInnes pictured in the 1980 film Atlantic City. Picture: CBS via Getty Images

“I got into the cockpit to do this scene and George [Lucas] said, ‘Have you learnt your lines out of sequence?’ and I said ‘What are you talking about?’ and he said ‘Just your lines,’ and I said, ‘No… I’ve learnt my lines with the cues,’ you know, somebody cues me and I talk,” MacInnes told The Telegraph.

“He said ‘No, just do your lines.’ And so we started shooting and it was just a nightmare.”

The actor added, “I mean, it turned into a s—storm because I couldn’t remember anything without the cues.”

The actor starred alongside Harrison Ford in the 1985 thriller Witness. Picture: Paramount Pictures

“I needed that other voice to respond to, so I kept drying. I knew the lines perfectly well, I just couldn’t remember them,” he said, laughing.

“I thought, ‘What am I going to do here?’ and I started sweating, so I needed a make-up artist there with a mop. I mean, I was sweating; buckets.”

MacInnes continued, “I was in a flat panic and [George] came and said ‘Well, can you read them?’ and I said ‘Yeah, let’s do that.’ I was so panicked at that point that I would have done anything. If he’d said, ‘You need some heroin,’ I would have rolled my sleeve up.”

“So, I had a piece of script on this leg, a piece of script on this leg and I had a chunk of script above me and a chunk of script over here. So, we shot the whole thing and I read the stuff off [them]. There’s no performance – in that sense – at all. It’s just reading lines and I thought, ‘I don’t care. I’ve just got to get out of here.’”

This article originally appeared in New York Post and was reproduced with permission