- "An honor to be introduced into the Star Wars universe. Awaited character, Captain Gilad Pellaeon makes his entrance tonight on #themandalorianseason3 🙌 Long Live the Empire!"
- ―Xander Berkeley
Xander Berkeley (born Alexander Harper Berkeley on December 16, 1955) is an American actor who portrayed Captain Gilad Pellaeon in a 2023 episode of the live-action series The Mandalorian's third season. He later reprised the character in the 2024 animated anthology Star Wars: Tales of the Empire.
Biography[]
- "I had to shave the beard but keep the tashe. (My new oeuvre appears to be basing my look on a comic book)"
- ―Xander Berkeley, on preparing for the role of Pellaeon
Xander Berkeley was born as Alexander Harper Berkeley[2] on December 16, 1955[1] in Brooklyn,[2] New York City, United States.[3] He[4] is an American actor, painter,[2] sculptor, and writer.[5] Berkeley portrayed the Imperial Captain Gilad Pellaeon in "Chapter 23: The Spies,"[8] the seventh episode of the Disney+ original series The Mandalorian's third season that premiered on April 12, 2023.[9]
Gilad Pellaeon is portrayed by Xander Berkeley in The Mandalorian.
To bring Pellaeon to life in live-action, albeit in hologram form,[8] Berkeley shaved his beard but retained his mustache,[7] aligning with the character's depiction in the Star Wars Legends storytelling.[10] Expressing his lifelong dream of joining the Star Wars universe[11] and his hopes of reprising his role in the future,[12] Berkeley thanked everyone involved in the series and shared his portrayal of Pellaeon from The Mandalorian—alongside an illustration of the character[11] from the 2009 reference book The Essential Atlas[10]—on social media.[6][11]
Berkeley's portrayal of Pellaeon in The Mandalorian was praised by author Timothy Zahn,[13] who originally created the character for his 1991 novel Heir to the Empire.[14] The actor later voiced Pellaeon in the animated anthology Star Wars: Tales of the Empire's second episode, "The Path of Anger,"[15] released on May 4, 2024.[16]
Works[]
Filmography[]
| Year | Title | Series | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | "Chapter 23: The Spies" | The Mandalorian | Gilad Pellaeon[8] |
| 2024 | "The Path of Anger" | Star Wars: Tales of the Empire | Gilad Pellaeon[15] |
Sources[]
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Celebrity birthdays for the week of Dec. 10-16 on Associated Press News (December 4, 2023): "Dec. 16: […] Actor Xander Berkeley ('The Walking Dead') is 68." (archived from the original on March 19, 2024)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 'Walking Dead' actor Xander Berkeley is also a painter, his exhibit opened here in Chicago by Rick Kogan on Chicago Tribune (November 11, 2019): "Born Alexander Harper Berkeley in Brooklyn, […]" (archived from the original on March 6, 2024)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Brooklyn by Jeff Wallenfeldt on Encyclopædia Britannica (March 19, 2024) (archived from the original on March 20, 2024)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 About Xander on xanderoriginal.com (archived from the original on May 29, 2024)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2
Xander Berkeley (@xanderberkeleyoriginal) on Facebook: Intro: "Actor, painter, sculptor, writer, husband, father." (backup link)
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Xander Berkeley (@xanderberkeleyoriginal) on Facebook: Gilad Pellaeon's introduction in The Mandalorian (April 12, 2023): "An honor to be introduced into the Star Wars universe. Awaited character, Captain Gilad Pellaeon makes his entrance tonight on #themandalorianseason3 🙌 Long Live the Empire!" (backup link)
- ↑ 7.0 7.1
Xander Berkeley (@xanderberkeley) on Twitter (April 12, 2023): "Hmmm… I wonder what pop culture genre classic I'll pop up in today? Hint: I had to shave the beard but keep the tashe. (My new oeuvre appears to be basing my look on a comic book) I mean Graphic Novel! 😅" (content now obsolete; backup link)
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2
The Mandalorian — "Chapter 23: The Spies"
- ↑
"Star Wars: The Mandalorian Season Three Companion" — Star Wars Insider 222
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 The Essential Atlas
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2
Xander Berkeley (@xanderoriginal) on Instagram: Gilad Pellaeon's introduction in The Mandalorian (April 13, 2023): "So psyched to join the #starwars universe 🙌. Been sitting on this news until episode 23 of @themandalorian introduced #giladpellaeon (and dreaming of entering this spacescape for a lifetime) 💥 🙌 Thank you to everyone involved!" (screenshot)
- ↑ Xander Berkeley (@xanderberkeley) on Twitter (April 12, 2023): "Thanks. Me too! :)" (content now obsolete; backup link) (In response to: "Hoping to see a lot more of you as Pellaeon in the future!")
- ↑
INTERVIEW WITH TIMOTHY ZAHN on the La Tribune de Coruscant YouTube channel (May 4, 2023): "I liked the actor and his portrayal." (backup link) (In response to: "[…] what was your reaction when you saw Pellaeon in The Mandalorian?")
- ↑ The Essential Reader's Companion
- ↑ 15.0 15.1
Star Wars: Tales of the Empire — "The Path of Anger"
- ↑
Tales of the Empire on StarWars.com: "Release Date: May 4, 2024" (backup link)
External links[]
- Official website (backup link)
- Xander Berkeley (@xanderberkeleyoriginal) on Facebook
- Xander Berkeley (@xanderoriginal) on Instagram
Xander Berkeley (@xanderoriginal) on Threads- Xander Berkeley (@xanderberkeley) on Twitter (content now obsolete; backup link)
- Xander Berkeley Official on YouTube
Xander Berkeley: Movies, TV, and Bio on Amazon.com (backup link)
Xander Berkeley on Goodreads' official website (backup link)
Xander Berkeley on TV.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
Xander Berkeley on Wikipedia
Xander Berkeley at the Internet Movie Database
Xander Berkeley on MobyGames
