Michael Sheard has passed away

"You have failed me for the last time, Admiral." And with those words from Darth Vader, Admiral Ozzel - Michael Sheard's character in The Empire Strikes Back - went down in history as the first of many victims of Vader's deadly "Force choke".

I met Sheard a few times, the most recent being at Star Wars Celebration III in Indianapolis a few months ago. I knew he played Ozzel and he was the guy who played Adolf Hitler in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade but I didn't know 'til today that he'd been in a TV show over in Britain called Grange Hill and by all accounts his character on that show was a wild success. He also did a few episodes of Doctor Who.

So it is that I must sadly report his passing away yesterday. That and just wanted to say that he was a really neat actor and all-around nice guy.