Star Wars fans everywhere are in mourning after one of the stars of the original film passed away last week.
Angus MacInnes, best known for playing Y-wing pilot Jon “Dutch” Vander in Star Wars: A New Hope, died two days before Christmas. He was 77 years-old.
MacInnes Passes Away
MacInnes’ death was announced by his family on Monday in an emotional Facebook post.
“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,” MacInnes’ family began. “He left us peacefully, surrounded by his family and love.”
“Angus’ career spanned decades, with unforgettable roles in films such as Star Wars: A New Hope (as Gold Leader, Jon ‘Dutch’ Vander), Witness, Judge Dredd, Captain Phillips, and many others,” they continued. “His work touched countless lives, and he took great pride in being part of these stories that continue to resonate with audiences worldwide.”
Indeed, you aren’t like to come across a Star Wars fan who doesn’t love Gold Leader!
MacInnes Loved His Star Wars Fans
MacInnes’ family went on to talk about how much his Star Wars fans meant to him throughout his life.
“For Angus, the fans of Star Wars held a special place in his heart,” the actor’s family added. “He loved meeting you at conventions, hearing your stories, and sharing in your passion for the saga. He was continually humbled, delighted, and honored by the admiration and passion of the fans and convention community.”
“Angus was more than an actor—he was a kind, thoughtful, and generous soul who brought warmth and humor into the lives of everyone who knew him,” they concluded. “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.”
Tributes have been pouring in for MacInnes in the wake of his passing.
“I will raise a glass to Gold Leader, on his wing,” one fan commented. Another added, “So sorry for your loss. I had the honor of meeting him back in 2002 or so and often interacted on his posts. He was very kind.”
“I had the privilege of getting to know Angus personally, for which I am very grateful,” a third Star Wars fan commented. “RIP Goldleader.”
MacInnes was born in 1947 in Ontario, Canada. While he has 81 film and television credits on his extensive IMDB page, he will always be best remembered for playing Y-wing squadron rebel commander “Dutch” in the first Star Wars movie.
Check out MacInnes’ Star Wars scenes in the video below.
MacInnes Recalls Filming Star Wars
Back in 2014, MacInnes opened up about what it was like to film Star Wars. Indeed, he never forgot filming his main scene under the direction of the legendary George Lucas.
“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.”
MacInnes went on to recall that this quickly went downhill because he “couldn’t remember anything without the cues.”
“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 added with a laugh. “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.”
Related: Carrie Fisher Of ‘Star Wars’ Fame To Receive Major Honor Seven Years After Her Death
MacInnes ‘Was In A Flat Panic’
MacInnes’ anxiety over the situation only worsened from there.
“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,” MacInnes admitted. “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,” he concluded. “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.’”
Watch MacInnes talk more about his experience filming Star Wars in the video below.
While it’s devastating that MacInnes is no longer with us, he will always live on through Star Wars and his other iconic film roles.
Rest in peace, Angus MacInnes.
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