Star Wars: Mark Hamill and More Pay Tribute to Max von Sydow

Sadly, iconic actor Max von Sydow passed away earlier this week at the age of 90. The actor was known for his collaborations with Ingmar Bergman, having appeared in 11 of the Swedish director’s movies over the years. The actor was also nominated for two Academy Awards throughout his career, one for Pelle the Conqueror in 1989 and another for Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close in 2011. In his later years, von Sydow became known for his role as the Three-Eyed Raven on Game of Thrones and for playing Lor San Tekka in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. After the news of von Sydow’s passing broke, some of the actor’s Star Wars co-stars took to social media to pay tribute to him. Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) and Joonas Suotamo (Chewbacca) both tweeted about von Sydow, and the official account for Star Wars also honored him.

“Farewell to a legendary artist of unparalleled depth and versatility,” Hamill wrote. “I’m very sorry to learn of Max von Sydow’s passing. I had the pleasure to meet him at The Force Awakens premiere. He was kind & a legendary actor. Even with his many achievements, he seemed so enthusiastic about his part in the new trilogy. My thoughts go to his family & friends,” Suotamo tweeted. “Today we celebrate the life of the legendary actor, Max von Sydow. To us, he’s royalty,” @StarWars added, quoting the actor’s line from The Force Awakens. You can check out the tweets below:

Sydow’s breakout role was in Bergman’s The Seventh Seal back in 1957. The film follows the journey of a man who, while seeking answers about life and what comes after, is brought face to face with the Grim Reaper during the Black Plague. Sydow’s other notable Bergman films include Wild Strawberries and The Virgin Spring.

One of Sydow’s most memorable roles came in 1973, when he portrayed Father Merrin in The Exorcist, regarded as one of the most important horror films in history. The actor reprised that role four years later in the film’s sequel, Exorcist II: The Heretic. Sydow also appeared in popular films like Flash Gordon, Conan the Barbarian, and Dune.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is currently available to stream on Disney+.