The man who originally wore the Boba Fett armor, Jeremy Bulloch, has passed away at the age of 75. A post on the actor’s Facebook page says he passed peacefully after health complications. Born in 1945 in Leicestershire in the United Kingdom, Bulloch began his acting career in 1958. Back then he starred in television commercials. He soon transitioned to film and other TV acting roles. Aside from playing Boba Fett in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, he also portrayed Hamlet, appeared in Doctor Who, and Robin of Sherwood. Bulloch had parts in the James Bond franchise too in The Spy Who Loved Me, For Your Eyes Only, and Octopussy.
Lucasfilm
Bulloch came to the role of Boba Fett by happenstance. His brother Robert Watts was an associate producer on The Empire Strikes Back. And he knew that Jeremy would be an ideal candidate to fill out the Mandalorian armor. On his brother’s recommendation, Bulloch auditioned and the rest is history. Although Boba Fett famously has minimal screen time in the original trilogy, Bulloch gave the character a physical presence. The actor based Boba’s walk and posture on Clint Eastwood from the Man With No Name trilogy.
Boba Fett became the cult icon of the original trilogy. This led to a long and successful career for Bulloch on the Star Wars convention circuit for many decades. The 501st Legion even inducted Bulloch as an Honorary Member in 2002. He often cosplayed in his Boba Fett costume and made public appearances with them. He was also a frequent guest at Star Wars Weekends at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. In 2005, he returned to the on-screen Star Wars galaxy for a brief role as the Alderaanian pilot Captain Colton in Revenge of the Sith.
Lucasfilm
Bulloch’s last announcement on his website was in August of 2018, when he informed his fans he would no longer appear at conventions. As the character of Boba Fett is more popular than ever thanks to his featured role on season two of The Mandalorian, let us all take a moment to honor the man who made us love the galaxy’s most notorious bounty hunter in the first place.