Richard Donat, who played Deej in the 1985 Star Wars TV show, Ewoks, passed away last month. He was 84 years old.
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According to his obituary, the late actor died on March 28, with his partner, Maggie Thomas, and their two sons, Owen and Morgan Donat, by his side.
Born in June 1941, Donat went into acting in the early 1970s. His first TV role was Lamont in Dr. Simon Locke. He later appeared as Joe Dortmunder in Little House on the Prairie.
He was later cast in Ewoks. In the Star Wars show, Donat portrayed Deej Warrick, the father of Wicket, Weechee, Willy, and Wonda Warrick. His wife was Shodu. The character has been described as a “very respected warrior” of the Ewok tribe.
Donat went on to star in the supernatural drama Haven. In which he appeared in 61 episodes as Vince Teagues.
Along with TV shows, Donat appeared in films such as Gas, Martin’s Day, The Weight of Water, The Conclave, and The Healer.
In addition to acting, Donat was a director. He won the Mecca Award in 2004 for directing the film The Drawer Boy.
Donat is survived by Thomas, their sons, and four grandchildren: Charlize, Nadia, Mira, and Taran. He is preceded in death by his brother, fellow actor Peter Donat.
Donat Once Opened Up About His ‘Haven’ Role
During a 2012 interview, Donat spoke in more depth about his role at Haven.
“Vince, well, I just love him since he is such a quirky guy,” he explained. “Partly because he has a lot of hidden aspects, which will hopefully be coming out as the show progresses.”
While continuing to discuss the dynamics between Vince and his brother, Dave, who John Dunsworth portrayed, Donat said, “Well, we have been sort of at odds. But we always seem to get back together. In terms of the progress, I won’t able to say too much now but there is definitely a couple of things that happen.”
He further pointed out, “We don’t know what are story arc is. At the end of season three, which is my favorite season so far, we were throw some real curves. I thought I had it figured out…but it was the complete opposite. There are so many different possibilities.”
Regarding his time on the set, Donat added, “The whole cast is made up of some really great people. We all get along great. Thank God! When you work in those conditions, it is nice to be able to work well with people. There is no sort of LA thing, everyone is great.”