Andrew Jack Dies: ‘Star Wars’ Actor And Hollywood Dialect Coach Had Coronavirus Complications, Was 76
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Andrew Jack, who played Major Ematt in two Stars Wars films and had a voice role in a third, has died from complications related to COVID-19. He was 76 and died at a hospital in Chertsey, England, according to his agent, Jill McCullough. “Andrew lived on one of the oldest working houseboats on the Thames, he was fiercely independent but madly in love with his wife, also a dialect coach,” McCullough said. His wife, Gabrielle Rogers, also posted notice on social media: “Andrew Jack was diagnosed with coronavirus 2 days ago. He was in no pain, and he slipped away peacefully knowing that his family were all ‘with’ him.” Jack appeared in Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi and Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens. He also had a voice part in Solo: A Star Wars Story. Joonas Suotamo — who played Chewbacca — posted a tribute to Jack on Twitter.”Today we learned that a member of our Star Wars family, Andrew Jack, passed away due to complications from COVID-19,” Suotamo wrote. “In addition to playing Major Ematt in The Force Awakens, his work as a dialect coach on TFA, Solo, & other SW films revealed a man who was passionate & caring for both his work and those around him. My thoughts are with his family and friends.”
In addition to his acting work, Jack was a dialect coach in Hollywood. He worked with actors on Men in Black: International, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Thor: Ragnarok and two of the Avengers movies. He also worked with Christian Bale on his voice for Batman Begins and was going to work with Robert Pattinson on DC’s upcoming The Batman.
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“He had been a dialect coach for many years and was one of those people who promoted mentoring and supporting younger coaches and he was a pioneer in our industry — in that he demonstrated to producers that we were a necessary department and that the job was important,” McCullough said. “He loved his work and was funny, charming, and a joy to be around,” she went on. “He was a friend first and a client second, and I will miss doing silly voices and pissing around with him on set. Dialect coaching isn’t just about being good at accents, you need to make your actors feel safe and confident, and Andrew’s actors absolutely adored him.”
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