Xander Berkeley

For other uses, see Xander.

"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[6]

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 Star Wars: 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[7]

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 Star Wars: The Mandalorian's third season, which premiered on April 12, 2023.[9]

Gilad Pellaeon is portrayed by Xander Berkeley in The Mandalorian.

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] In honor of May 4 in 2025, Berkeley posted behind the scenes images of himself in costume to his Instagram.[17]

Works

Filmography

Year Title Series Contribution
2023 "Chapter 23: The Spies" Star Wars: The Mandalorian Gilad Pellaeon[8]
2024 "The Path of Anger" Star Wars: Tales of the Empire Gilad Pellaeon[15]

Sources

This article has an associated index page with page numbers and/or timestamps.

Notes and references

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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Premium-Era-real 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." (backup link archived on March 19, 2024)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Premium-Era-real '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, […]" (backup link archived on March 6, 2024)
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Premium-Era-real Brooklyn by Jeff Wallenfeldt on Encyclopædia Britannica (March 19, 2024) (backup link archived on March 20, 2024)
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Premium-Era-real About Xander on xanderoriginal.com (backup link archived on May 29, 2024)
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Facebook icon Xander Berkeley (@xanderberkeleyoriginal) on Facebook: "Actor, painter, sculptor, writer, husband, father." (backup link)
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Facebook icon Xander Berkeley (@xanderberkeleyoriginal) on Facebook (post on 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. ↑ 7.0 7.1 TwitterLogo Xander Berkeley (@xanderberkeley) on Twitter (post on 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! 😅" (original link is obsolete)
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 The-Mandalorian-logo Star Wars: The Mandalorian — "Chapter 23: The Spies"
  9. ↑ SWInsider "Star Wars: The Mandalorian Season Three Companion" — Star Wars Insider 222
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 The Essential Atlas
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Instagram-Logo Xander Berkeley (@xanderoriginal) on Instagram (post on 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)
  12. ↑ TwitterLogo Xander Berkeley (@xanderberkeley) on Twitter (post on April 12, 2023): "Thanks. Me too! :)" (original link is obsolete) (In response to: "Hoping to see a lot more of you as Pellaeon in the future!")
  13. ↑ YouTube 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?")
  14. ↑ The Essential Reader's Companion
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 TalesoftheEmpire-logo Star Wars: Tales of the Empire — "The Path of Anger"
  16. ↑ StarWars.com Tales of the Empire on StarWars.com: "Release Date: May 4, 2024" (backup link)
  17. ↑ Instagram-Logo Xander Berkeley (@xanderoriginal) on Instagram (post on May 4, 2025): "May the 4th Be with You ! (But Long Live the Empire!!). Doll by @hasbro choreography by @jwhitbrook" (backup link)

External links