The Australian Peter Sumner played Lieutenant Pol Treidum in the 1977 original.
Sumner was best known for his small role in the original Star Wars film – later retitled Episode IV: A New Hope – in 1977. The Sydney-born actor played the part of Imperial officer Lieutenant Pol Treidum, and was the only Australian to be cast in the film.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Sumner passed away on November 23 after battling a “long illness.” He was 74.
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As the Herald reports, Sumner was only paid £120 (at least Php7,500) for his two days of filming, but the short role helped him become immortalised in Star Wars legend – he was invited to attend Star Wars conventions for many years after the film was released.
His widow Lynda Stoner paid tribute to her late husband, highlighting his diverse career. “He was best known for Star Wars and [Australian TV show] Play School but he did so much more. He did many Shakespearean plays on stage. He did a lot of comedies. He did a lot of dramas. In the seventies, he was barely off the ABC doing one show or another.”
Sumner reportedly joked last year that “TK-421, do you copy?”, his famous line in Star Wars would be engraved on his tombstone.
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