Danica Davidson
January 5, 2024 
There is sad news as reports come out on the death of actor Christian Oliver, who played Snake Oiler in the live-action 2008 Speed Racer.
Oliver, whose real last name was Klepser, died in a plane accident that is currently under investigation. He was on a small plane with three other people near a Caribbean island. Along with him were 51-year-old pilot Robert Sachs, and Oliver’s two daughters, 12-year-old Madita Klepser and 10-year-old Annik Klepser.
The plane was supposed to land on St Lucia, but then Sachs radioed the tower to say they were having difficulties and he was turning back around. Communication stopped after that. The plane took a nosedive into the sea.
“Fishermen and divers from Paget Farm went to the scene of the incident in their boats to render assistance,” the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force remarked in an official statement.
While fishermen and divers may have tried to help, it appears it was too late by then. The four bodies were recovered from the scene.
Oliver, who is originally from Germany, was in a number of TV shows and movies, both in German and English. This includes the films The Good German, Valkyrie, and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and the TV shows Saved By the Bell: The New Class and the German series Alarm for Cobra 11.
Warner Bros. gave this description for Speed Racer:
Born to race cars, Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch) is aggressive, instinctive and, most of all, fearless. His only real competition is the memory of the brother he idolized – the legendary Rex Racer, whose death in a race has left behind a legacy that Speed is driven to fulfill.
Speed is loyal to the family racing business, led by his father, Pops Racer (John Goodman), the designer of Speed’s thundering Mach 5. When Speed turns down a lucrative and tempting offer from Royalton Industries, he not only infuriates the company’s maniacal owner (Roger Allam) but uncovers a terrible secret – some of the biggest races are being fixed by a handful of ruthless moguls who manipulate the top drivers to boost profits.
If Speed won’t drive for Royalton, Royalton will see to it that the Mach 5 never crosses another finish line. The only way for Speed to save his family’s business and the sport he loves is to beat Royalton at his own game. With the support of his family and his loyal girlfriend, Trixie (Christina Ricci), Speed teams with his one-time rival – the mysterious Racer X (Matthew Fox) – to win the race that had taken his brother’s life: the death-defying, cross-country rally known as The Crucible.
Source: Deadline
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
