Original Boba Fett Actor Jeremy Bulloch Has Died
The actor who originally played the part of Boba Fett — the galaxy's most notorious bounty hunter in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back — has died at the age of 75.
Jeremy Bulloch's death was announced by actor Daniel Logan, who played a child-aged Boba Fett in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones.
"RIP LEGEND ILL NEVER FORGET ALL YOU'VE TAUGHT ME.!! I'LL LOVE YOU FOREVER.!!" Logan wrote on Instagram.
Bulloch received his most famous role when his half-brother, an associate producer on the film, went looking for an actor who could fit into the armor that had already been made for the character. Bulloch proved to have the right frame for the job. While the character's voice was dubbed by Jason Wingreen originally and Temuera Morrison later, it's Bulloch's presence, posture, and movement in the role. Bulloch said he based many of his mannerisms on Clint Eastwood's Man with No Name from Sergio Leone's legendary spaghetti Western trilogy — body language that turned the character from a small background player into one of the icons of the original trilogy. It's nearly a straight line from the effectiveness of Bulloch's performance all the way up to the present day of the series and the success of its newest installment, the streaming series The Mandalorian.
Bulloch also had multiple unmasked cameos in Star Wars films
Bulloch reprised the role in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, donning the armor in the desert for what would become his final scene as Boba Fett, not counting occasional appearances in fan films and charity releases. He also had un-helmeted cameos in two of the franchise's films, playing an Imperial officer on Cloud City and Captain Colton in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.
In addition to his roles in various Star Wars projects, Bulloch also appeared in three James Bond films — The Spy Who Loved Me, For Your Eyes Only, and Octopussy. He also had roles in multiple seasons of Doctor Who and played Edward of Wickham on the ITV series Robin of Sherwood.
But he would always be best known for playing the bounty hunter. Bulloch would appear in fellow Star Wars alum Mark Hamill's mockumentary Comic Book: The Movie and the 2015 documentary Elstree 1976, in addition to being interviewed for a number of TV specials devoted to the franchise. Later in life, he became a regular on the convention circuit as well.
The actor's death comes just weeks after the adult version of the character he helped bring into the world returned to live action in The Mandalorian, 40 years after his film debut and 37 years after the character's apparent death in the Sarlacc pit in Return of the Jedi. In that scene, Boba Fett is portrayed by Morrison, who later played the character's father, Jango Fett, in Attack of the Clones. The legacy of the character for which Bulloch will always be known lives on.