Erik Bauersfeld, the actor who voiced the classic ‘Star Wars’ line that became an internet meme sensation… “It’s a trap!” … has died at the age of 93.
Bauersfeld was the voice of rebellion fleet commander Admiral Ackbar in 1983’s ‘Return of the Jedi’ and reprised his role in 2015 for ‘The Force Awakens.’
Bauersfeld died quietly Sunday morning at his home in the San Francisco Bay Area, away from prying eyes. Bauersfeld’s other roles included voice work in last year’s Guillermo Del Toro film Crimson Peak and Steven Spielberg’s 2001 film A.I. Artificial Intelligence.
He would anonymously voice multiple characters in the ‘Star Wars’ universe with little fanfare for his contributions, and is even credited with voiceover work for the Ackbar character in Star Wars: X-Wing, a 1993 flight simulator video game.
The nerdiest of ‘Star Wars’ fans have pointed out that he was also the voice of Jabba the Hutt’s right hand man, Bib Fortuna.
May the Force be with you, Erik, wherever you are.
