Before They Were Stars: John Ratzenberger in “The Empire Strikes Back”

I’ve spent the last few days doing “Before They Were Stars” features on those who made early acting appearances in Star Wars films, and it’s only appropriate that I close things off with the fourth highest-grossing box office star of all time. No, I’m not kidding about that! If you were to look at the filmography of every actor in history and tally up the combined box office gross of their work, Cliff Clavin himself comes in at #4! Of course, those high numbers are due in large part to the fact that John Ratzenberger has lent his voice to every single Pixar film ever made. It also helps that before he made it big on Cheers, Ratzenberger had bit parts in some pretty major money-making blockbusters, including Superman I & II and, yes, The Empire Strikes Back. You can see him here in the role of Major Derlin, a Rebel officer at their secret base on Hoth.