Original Emperor Palpatine actor Clive Revill has died

His daughter confirmed he had died earlier this month

The veteran performer, who was born in Wellington in 1930, appeared in many acclaimed productions throughout his career, including voicing the villainous Emperor Palpatine in the 1980 movie Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.

The live action and voice actor also worked on the 1986 Transformers movie, Batman The Animated Series and Star Trek: The Next Generation.

His death was confirmed by his daughter Kate who revealed to The Hollywood Reporter that he passed away on March 11 in the Los Angeles suburb of Sherman Oaks.

Revill's celebrated career began in the early '50s when he met legendary actor Laurence Olivier and his wife Vivien Leigh, who were touring New Zealand. 

Impressed by Revill, they invited him to England to study drama at the Old Vic Theatre School in Bristol.

After taking them up on the offer and spending years refining his craft, he began his long career in television.

He was known for his memorable roles in The Twilight Zone, Columbo, and Lois and Clark.

His final role was in the 2016 movie The Queen of Spain, opposite Penélope Cruz, after which he retired from the industry.