By Mark Gray
11:24am PST, Jan 6, 2024
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Christian Oliver, an actor who appeared in "Speed Racer," "Valkyrie" and several other prominent films, died alongside his two daughters after their plane crashed into the ocean on Jan. 4.
The tragedy occurred shortly after the plane took off from the small Caribbean island of Bequia en route to St. Lucia. The pilot of the plane also perished.
"It seems as though the power cut out or the engine failed and then I came out from under the tree and looked at the plane," a witness told iWitness News. "It seems as though it was turning to head back to the airport but then with the wind, because I don't think it had reached the [cruising] altitude so it was apparently going back to the airport. That's when the wind took control of it and it came down and plunged into the water."
Keep clicking for more on the crash…
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Reports claim that the small plane Christian Oliver — a 51-year-old actor also worked on the crew of films including "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" — and his young daughters were flying in experienced an unknown issue during their short flight and went down quickly into the waters off Bequia, which is part of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, around noon on Jan. 4.
St. Vincent-based news outlet Searchlight reported that the pilot, Robert Sachs, radioed the Bequia airport tower after takeoff to tell them he was experiencing trouble and was turning back.
The water at the crash site is about 70 feet deep.
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Video of the plane crash was captured by residents of Bequia. "The plane crashed! Call the Coast Guard!" one person can be heard saying in a video of the incident.
After the accident, local fishermen and recreational swimmers who were in the area helped in the initial search for actor Christian Oliver, his daughters and the pilot, police said in a statement.
On Jan. 5, Christian's widow and the girls' mother, Jessica Klepser, shared a statement through her employer, WundaBar Pilates, where she's a regional manager, in which she shared her grief.
"Madita, a vibrant 7th-grade student at Louis Armstrong Middle School, was known for her lively spirit and excelled in academics, dance, singing, and performances. Annik, a 4th-grade student at Wonderland Ave Elementary School, was recognized for her gentle yet strong demeanor. She was always the first to offer a kind word or a comforting hug. Her passions included basketball, swimming, and various forms of art," the statement read. "The deep bond, infectious laughter, and adventurous spirit shared by Madita and Annik will be profoundly missed in their communities."
The statement also praised Christian, "an actor in Europe and the US, and a real estate agent with a broad network of close friends worldwide," noting that "his loss will be deeply felt by all who knew him."
A GoFundMe was set up to "help cover the cost of returning Christian and the girls home, funeral and memorial services [and] legal expenses."
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Local fisherman took it upon themselves to retrieve the bodies of Christian Oliver, his daughters, Madita and Annik, and pilot Robert Sachs.
A fisherman spoke to iWitness News about the Coast Guard response.
"We explained to them that the tide was now starting to run so if you left [the wreckage] there, it was a [possibility] that we wouldn't find the plane again, that it would drift off," the man said.
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Christian Oliver was the stage name used by Christian Klepser. He appeared in "Valkyrie" and had a lengthy stint on "Saved by the Bell: The New Class." He recently finished filming scenes for "Forever Hold Your Peace," which he also produced.
Chinese actress Bai Ling, who stars in the upcoming film, took to social media to pay tribute to Christian.
"With tears in my eyes I cannot express the sorrow I felt when our direct[or] Nick called me not long ago, that the plane he took had crashed, including his beautiful 2 daughters and the pilot had all passed! In the Caribbean's. He was having holidays," she wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of herself with Christian. "I just could not believe it is the truth, the last we worked filming in #hollywood was December 20th 2023, just right before Christmas. We supposed to have one day pick up shot tomorrow….
"I cried cried, it was our first and last film together, I loved working with him so much, but luckily you can see our #film it's called #foreverholdyourpeace."
She added, "He was so nice, works so hard and such a brave #actor and a beautiful gentle person, we played #lovers in this film, just so so so sad ……. And his daughters were so so young ….."
Christian's girls were note yet teenagers: Madita was 10 and Annik was 12, according to reports.
