Remembering Gold Leader, Angus McInnes (1947 – 2024)

Hollywood history is full of “that guy” (or “that woman”), an actor who pops up all over the place and is recognizable by many, even if they’re not aware of his name. In the case of Angus McInnes, who died on December 23 at the age of 77, he was able to turn one of his bit parts into a lifetime of Star Wars fans saying, “Oh, hey, it’s Gold Leader!”

Our sincere condolences go out to Angus’s friends, family, and everyone else who knew him.

A statement released by his family on Facebook said, in part: “Angus MacInnes, beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, friend, and actor died on 23rd of December 2024. He left us peacefully, surrounded by his family and love … Angus was more than an actor — he was a kind, thoughtful, and generous soul who brought warmth and humor into the lives of everyone who knew him. He will be deeply missed by his family, friends and fellow actors but also by his fans around the world — his family thank you all.”

Of his role as Jon “Dutch” Vander, also known as the Y-Wing pilot Gold Leader, in Star Wars, they said: “For Angus, the fans of Star Wars held a special place in his heart. He loved meeting you at conventions, hearing your stories, and sharing in your passion for the saga. He was continually humbled, delighted, and honoured by the admiration and passion of the fans and convention community.”

A steady stream of acting roles

Born in Windsor, Ontario, Canada on October 27, 1947, McInnes’s first movie role was an uncredited one in 1975’s Rollerball. He also scored a part in an episode of the British TV series Space: 1999 (Star Wars fans know that one because of its influence on the design of the Millennium Falcon) before being cast in another small part that would change the trajectory of his life.

Working in England at the time, McInnes was one of several actors who were cast in the roles of various X-Wing and Y-Wing pilots for the attack on the Death Star in Star Wars. The job consisted of sitting in a cockpit and reciting lines, so many of them likely thought of it as just another acting gig, but when Star Wars became a worldwide phenomenon in 1977, fans began paying attention to the people who played those roles.

Unfortunately, McInnes’s character died during that battle, so roles in the sequels weren’t in the cards, but he was one of many people, like Colin Cantwell, who had the chance to trade their notoriety for an income stream in their later years. He made many appearances at conventions, signing autographs and enjoying appreciation from fans. He was even immortalized as an action figure by Hasbro in 2004, with an upgraded version arriving in 2015.

However, his character was able to appear again in a Star Wars movie: 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which takes place before the events of the 1977 film, featured footage of McInnes and other 70s era X-Wing and Y-Wing pilots in the battle over a planetary shield. Many of the shots had been excised from the original movie and were brought back, sometimes with newly recorded dialogue, as his character was.

McInnes was also able to parlay his Star Wars fame into a steady stream of acting roles, with his last one as a member of the Maersk Alabama crew in the 2013 film Captain Phillips. He also played roles in Force 10 From Navarrone, Superman II, Outland, Witness, Judge Dredd, Eyes Wide Shut, and Hellboy, among many others. He also had a handful of TV credits.