Star Wars connections and reused actors

During the late '70s and early '80s, both the STAR WARS and SUPERMAN films were produced in England, and this afforded some actors to find work in small supporting roles or cameos throughout their production runs. How well can you spot them?

This material based in part of a section that originally on Greg Oshel's Superman website dating back to 1997. At the time most of this information was obtained, there was little reliance on using The Internet Movie Database (as cast and crew information for the listed films there weren't as comprehensive as it is today. What you see below was data contributed by a few viewers (including yours truly) who had too much time on their hands. :)

Observant viewers may notice that for the most part, the voices for these actors do not match in either series. While the STAR WARS movies was filmed in England, most of the post-production was done back in the United States. And since dialogue is usually re-recorded (or looped), it wasn't cost effective to ship over an actor just to record a couple of lines (especially if the person had only a small role). So other actors were hired to replace the voices. Apparently the voices you hear in the SUPERMAN films are what the actors really sound like, at least for the most part.

This is a rundown of the known actors who have appeared in that "galaxy far, far away" and also in the world of D.C. Comics.

RICHARD LePARMENTIER: Was married to Sarah Douglas. He played the reporter in SII who is next to Ursa and Zod in the small town, who says the whole planet is watching. In SW he has the famous part of challenging Vader in the board room - "This Death Star is now the Ultimate power in the Universe", after which Vader responds "I find your lack of faith disturbing"


BRUCE BOA: General Rieekan in the TESB, and in the extended TV version of S-I, he plays a general whose demeanor changes when he finds out what's happened with the missiles ("It can't happen here, it can't happen here. Get me the pentagon!"). It seems like Boa's trademark is playing military personnel, as he's had roles in other films like FULL METAL JACKET and OCTOPUSSY (his scene, also as a general, is in the circus where James Bond tries to inform him about a bomb, but he laughs, thinking it's a part of the show).

PHIL BROWN: As Luke's bitter Uncle in SW, he was the senator in S-I who gets a firsthand look at the awry military missiles. He is easy to miss because he has a different hairstyle, more facial hair and wears horn-rimmed glasses. One of his lines is, "Can't you knock them down?"

RAY HASSETT: In S-I, he played Harry, the detective who pursues Otis throughout Grand Central Station, but "catches" a train at the hands of Lex Luthor. In TESB, he was the rebel officer who implores Han not to go out to find Luke: "Your tauntaun will freeze before you reach the third marker." He has a moustache in this movie.

JOHN HOLLIS: Lando's trusty right-hand man in TESB, and he appears in S-I and S-II as a Krypton Elder. In the latter you can see him recite about odes of poet Joyce Kilmer. He had a part in S-IV as a Russian General, but apparently his scene was not used in the theatrical or extended cut. Probably featured in the 134min cut.

WILLIAM HOOTKINS: While this is a less interesting connection given the gap between the two film series, Hootkins was Porkins (the first casualty during the Death Star run in SW). In S-IV, he was one of the black arms dealer contacted by Lex Luthor.

ANGUS MacINNES: In SW, he was Y-Wing squadron's Gold Leader. In S-II, he was the prison guard who was keeping a watchful eye on Lex and Otis' hologram.

JOHN MORTON: Dak was Luke's trusty gunner in the TESB and was Nate in S-II, the astronaut inside the lunar module. Alas, in both films, he gets crushed to death while inside a space vehicle (first by a AT-AT and then at the hands of Non).

JOHN RATZENBERGER: We all know him as Cliff from "Cheers" but he also can be seen as Major Derlin in TESB and as a controller in S-I ("Function negative, sir!") and as a NASA controller in S-II ("What's a curl?").

SHANE RIMMER: In SW, you see him in the rebel hangar helping Luke with his X-Wing ("This Artoo unit of yours seems a little beat-up. Do you want a new one?"). In S-II, he's one of the NASA controllers alongside John Ratzenberger. In S-III, he is the Smallville patrol officer that informs a driver to pull over the bus (which Clark and Jimmy are riding on) due to the impending acid storm from a nearby lab.

TERENCE STAMP: This also doesn't really count, but between playing the tough General Zod in S-I and S-II, he played Supreme Chancellor Valorum, whose loss of power in THE PHANTOM MENACE will eventually bring the galaxy into turmoil.

BURNELL TUCKER: In SW, he stands next to Princess Leia throughout the Death Star battle in the rebel control room, but has no lines. In TESB, he is seen at monitoring station and says lines like "General, there's a fleet of Star Destroyers coming out of hyperspace in sector four..." In the extended TV version of S-I, he's the secret service agent on the golf course.

Here is a list of actors to have appeared more than once in the SUPERMAN series as different characters:

ROBERT BEATTY: Oil tanker captain in S-III; U.S. President in S-IV. I guess you don't need a background in politics to become one of the most powerful person in the world.

PAMELA MANDELL: In S-II, she was the waitress in the diner where Clark is done in by the Rocky the Bully, and in S-III she played Mrs. Stokis (who along with her husband, went on a rather less-than-pleasant vacation in Peru courtesy of the Daily Planet sweepstakes).

GORDON RAWLINGS: He played the fisherman in boat and sees Zod walking on water in S-II. In the opening scenes of S-III, he gets caught up in a few mishaps, like getting paint dumped on him, falling into a manhole, and getting stepped on.

AARON SMOLINSKI: He was baby Clark Kent in S-I, but also had quick and uncredited cameo in S-III. He's the little kid that Superman runs into at the photo booth.

PETER WHITMAN: The small town deputy in S-II and the gleeful bank customer who graciously accepts endless money from a malfunctioning ATM machine in S-III.