Ed Gale, ‘Chucky’ and ‘Howard the Duck’ Actor, Dies at 61

Ed Gale, best known for playing Chucky, a doll possessed by a serial killer, in Child’s Play and other infamous 1980s movie characters, has died. He was 61.

Gale’s niece Kayse Gale on Facebook addressed the passing of her uncle, who was about 3-foot-4, on Tuesday in Los Angeles. She did not specify a cause of death.

“It is with a heavy heart and a surprisingly light coffin (see what I did there?) that we announce the sudden passing of our uncle, Ed Gale,” she wrote. “Ed Gale has taken his final bow and is now headlining in the afterlife. Ed hitched a ride to California when he was twenty years old, with $41 and a dream, and he never looked back.

“Over the course of his career he appeared in over 130 movies, TV shows, and commercials. With this wide ranging body of work, he leaves behind legacy full of questionable lighting and amazing one-liners.”

Besides his star turn in the 1988’s original Child’s Play movie, Gale also worked in the 1990 sequel. But his big break in Hollywood came with the 1986 Universal comedy adventure film Howard the Duck, where he was cast as a Howard suit performer, while Chip Zien voiced the character.  

“I was very excited to get the role, but I had no idea who Howard the Duck was or that he was a Marvel comic book character. Yes, I was in the suit every day for nearly 10 months. I was the only actor who played the role of Howard the Duck,” Gale recalled in a 2018 interview with Rediscover the 80s.  

Gale also appeared in Mel Brooks’ Spaceballs and Chopper Chicks in Zombietown.

Born on Aug. 23, 1963 in Plainwell, Michigan, Gale traveled across the country before he landed in Hollywood. After earlier breakout roles, he worked on Mom and Dad Save the World, with Teri Garr, The Little Rascals and Wes Craven’s New Nightmare in the 1990s.

His other credits included Unstrung Heroes, where he appeared opposite Andie MacDowell, the George Clooney crime drama O Brother, Where Art Thou? and Mikeyboy in 2013.