'Gremlins' and 'Star Wars' Actor Mark Dodson Dead at 64

Mark Dodson, the actor who gave voice to some of the little creatures in "Gremlins," has died ... TMZ has learned.

The voice actor also brought to life characters for "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi," "Day of the Dead" and countless video games -- and still made appearances at fan conferences. In fact, Mark's daughter tells TMZ he died while in Evansville, Indiana, to attend Horror Con.

She says Mark had flown to Indiana for the event, and checked into his hotel ... and that's where he suffered a "massive heart attack" while sleeping.

Dodson's first big break in Hollywood came in 1983 -- he was the voice of Salacious Crumb, the little creature with the high-pitched voice that was always seated dangerously close to Jabba the Hut in 'Return of the Jedi.'

And, as it turned out, 'Star Wars' opened the door for another iconic role the next year.

In "Gremlins," Mark was the voice of Mogwai ... and, inadvertently, had kids everywhere -- who saw the movie in 1984 -- imitating his voice.

Mark worked continuously for several decades in film, video games, radio and commercials. As his rep tells us, Mark added "his unique voice and sound to each character and script he touched."

His daughter, Ciara, says Mark "never ceased making me proud" and his legacy will live on through his grandchildren and her.