Jeremy Bulloch, Boba Fett actor in THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK & RETURN OF THE JEDI, dies at age 75

Actor portrayed the body of fan favorite Boba Fett

Jeremy Bulloch, the actor best known for portraying intergalactic bounty hunter Boba Fett in the first Star Wars trilogy. According to Bulloch’s website and confirmed by his reps, the actor died following health complications, including several years living with Parkinson’s disease. He was 75.

Born in Leicestershire in 1945, Bulloch started his acting career in 1958 with commercials before making the leap to film and television. He got his first big break at 17, starring  in the 1963 Sir Cliff Richard vehicle Summer Holiday, directed by Peter Yates.

Bulloch became a household name in his native England when he went on to star in a BBC soap opera The Newcomers which ran for three years from 1965 to 1968, playing the son of the central Cooper family, Phillip Cooper. During the 1970s, Bulloch also had bit parts in the James Bond series, playing an HMS Ranger Crewman in 1977’s The Spy Who Loved Me, and Q’s assistant Smithers in the 1981 and 1983 installments For Your Eyes Only and Octopussy, respectively.

In 1978, while starring in the television comedy series Agony, Bulloch received the call that would change his career when he was asked to portray Boba Fett in The Empire Strikes Back. In Bulloch’s own words, he only even got the Boba Fett call on something of a fluke; his half-brother Robert Watts was an associate producer on the film, and suggested he put in for the part. Sure enough, the suit fit, although he only portrayed the physical body, as Fett’s voice was provided by character actor Jason Wingreen. Bulloch reprised the role in 1983’s Return of the Jedi, where he met his end by falling into the deadly Sarlacc pit. However, the character proved to be so popular that Fett somehow survived, and is currently being portrayed by New Zealand actor Temuera Morrison in The Mandalorian.

Bulloch became a fixture on the Star Wars convention circuit over the years and would reply to all the fan mail sent to him. He retired from public appearances in 201 due to his Parkinson’s, writing on his website:

“It is with a heavy heart that I have decided to stop attending conventions and hang up the Fett helmet. It has not been an easy decision to make. In 1979 I was called onto the set of Empire Strikes Back to play Boba Fett, and since that day it has changed the entire direction of my life in such a wonderful way. It has been a privilege to have had the opportunity to inspire so many generations of Star Wars fans. I have had over 20 years of travelling with my wife Maureen to some amazing countries and have met so many wonderful fans. Thank you all so much and we will miss you all.”

Bulloch’s other credits include the British TV series Robin of Sherwood and Doctor Who, and a cameo as a spaceship captain in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.

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