In her late 70s she played The Emperor in
Star Wars: Episode V - Das Imperium schlägt zurück (1980), making her the first person to essay the role. She wore heavy makeup, applied by
Rick Baker, with chimpanzee eyes later superimposed onto her image, and a voice provided by
Clive Revill. She was not credited in the film, so her identity was anonymous for many years. It was widely misreported that
Elaine Alexander (Rick Baker's then wife) had appeared in the role, when in fact she was only used for makeup tests. Many years after her death it was confirmed that it was in fact Eaton that played the role.
