Angus MacInnes

Of Scottish descent, MacInnes was born and raised in Windsor, Ontario, the son of John and Kate MacInnes.^[2][1] He graduated from the University of Windsor's drama program in 1971,^[2] after which he moved to England on a scholarship to the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, the first Canadian to ever be admitted.^[2]

MacInnes played supporting parts in a variety of British, Canadian, and American productions from the 1970s through the 2010s. He worked in repertory theatre before making his film debut in Rollerball (1975), playing the bodyguard of James Caan's character. MacInnes later credited the positive experience of working with director Norman Jewison with convincing him to pursue film acting full-time.^[3] He said in a 2010 interview, "I spent a lot of time on set simply watching and learning. In one sense it was like doing a post grad crash course in the techniques and subtleties of acting for the camera. I fell in love with film work, it’s technical demands and creative possibilities."^[3]

In 1977, MacInnes played arguably his best-known role, as Rebel pilot Jon "Dutch" Vander (Gold Leader) in the original Star Wars.^[4][5] He remained closely identified with the part throughout the rest of his career, and was a fixture at Star Wars Celebration conventions and other fan events.^[4][5] He reprised the part nearly 40 years later, through a mix of archive footage and newly recorded audio, in the Star Wars spin-off Rogue One (2016).^[4][5]

MacInnes reunited with his Star Wars co-star Harrison Ford in two other films, as a US Army officer in Force 10 From Navarone (1978) and a corrupt cop in Witness (1985).

His other notable roles included gangster seeking stolen cocaine in Atlantic City, former hockey great Jean "Rosey" LaRose in the comedy Strange Brew, a detective in Hellbound: Hellraiser II, a Judge in the comic book adaptation Judge Dredd, a gateman in Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut, Sarge in Hellboy, a police captain in The Black Dahlia, and a Maersk Alabama crewman in Captain Phillips.^[6] He also appeared on the BBC Scotland soap River City as Sonny Munro. On the West End, MacInnes starred in The Glass Menagerie at the Cambridge Arts Theatre.^[7]

In addition to his acting career, MacInnes ran a pizzeria, Mamma's American Pizza, in Edinburgh.^[8] He had a wife, Katy, two children, and a granddaughter.^[2]