Erik Bauersfeld

Erik Bauersfeld (June 28, 1922 – April 3, 2016) was an American radio dramatist and voice actor.

He worked at radio station KPFA-FM over 30 years, where he created The Black Mass, a horror radio series. He was also noted for providing the voices of Admiral Ackbar and Bib Fortuna in Return of the Jedi (1983), the third film of the original Star Wars trilogy. He subsequently reprised the Ackbar role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015).

Early life Bauersfeld was attracted to radio work at a very young age. During World War II, he served in the United States Navy. His post-secondary education included time studying at Cooper Union in New York, and then at the University of California, Berkeley, where he concentrated on aesthetics and painting.

Career Bauersfeld was teaching at the San Francisco Art Institute, when he began working at Pacifica Radio station KPFA-FM in Berkeley, beginning in 1961. He served as the Director of KPFA's Drama and Literature Department for 31 years. While at KPFA, he created and starred in the 1960s radio horror series The Black Mass. Outside of radio, he dabbled in voiceover work in films and video games. Severe stage fright prevented his planned career in theatre or live action film, but Bauersfeld found voice and radio work more rewarding. Following his death in 2016, the role of Ackbar was taken over by veteran Star Wars voice actor Tom Kane for Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

Personal life and death He was a close friend of poet and activist Lawrence Ferlinghetti.

Bauersfeld died at his home in Berkeley, California, on 3 April 2016, at the age of 93.

Filmography

Films

Year Title Role Notes 1983 Return of the Jedi Admiral Gial Ackbar / Bib Fortuna (voice) 2001 A.I. Artificial Intelligence Gardener (voice) 2015 Crimson Peak Additional voices Star Wars: The Force Awakens Admiral Gial Ackbar (voice) Final film role

Video games

Year Title Voice role 1993 Star Wars: X-Wing Admiral Gial Ackbar 2009 Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron