Sad news for the Star Wars community today. Jeremy Bulloch, the actor who originally portrayed the iconic bounty hunter Boba Fett in both The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, has passed away at age 75. Reports of Bulloch’s death bounced around the fan community on Thursday afternoon before being officially confirmed by the actor’s website, which announced that he died peacefully with his wife and two of his sons by his side:
Jeremy had a long and happy life as an actor and was best known for his roles in the films Summer Holiday, Star Wars and James Bond; TV series the Newcomers, Doctor Who, Agony and Robin of Sherwood, and several West End theatre productions. Away from the screen Jeremy was a talented footballer and cricketer. He also supported a number of charities including Great Ormond Street Hospital who saved his granddaughter’s life. He was devoted to his wife, three sons and ten grandchildren, who all love him dearly and will miss him terribly.
Actor Daniel Logan, who played young Boba Fett in Attack of the Clones, also posted a tribute to Bulloch on Instagram.
Bulloch’s death arrives just as Boba Fett is undergoing a massive revival, due to the Disney+ series The Mandalorian. Despite the character seemingly being devoured by the Sarlacc Pit during the opening moments of Return of the Jedi, Temuera Morrison is now playing the classic bounty hunter, and Star Wars fans have been losing their minds over getting more of the character that Bulloch first brought to life.
In late November, Bulloch’s fellow Star Wars actor David Prowse also passed away at the age of 85. While his face was never seen in the films, Prowse was the towering body under Darth Vader’s armor in the original trilogy.
(Via JeremyBulloch.com)