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Jason Wingreen, the original voice of the Star Wars bounty hunter Boba Fett, has died. He was 95.
Fett was by far the best-known role for Wingreen, whose television and film acting career from the 1950s to the late 1980s landed him consistent work and decent money, but few recognizable roles. Fett was portrayed in body by the British actor Jeremy Bulloch but, as he was a fully masked character, Lucasfilm took the opportunity to have him voiced by another person.
Boba Fett was touted as "the next major villain" when The Empire Strikes Back was promoted before its 1980 release. Yet Boba Fett was given very little screentime, and Wingreen spoke only four lines.
As you wish.
(In the scene aboard the Star Destroyer where Darth Vader contracts out Han Solo's capture to bounty hunters.)
He's no good to me dead.
(While Solo is being tortured for information aboard Cloud City.)
What if he doesn't survive? He's worth a lot to me.
(In the carbon freezing chamber of Cloud City.)
Put Captain Solo in the cargo hold.
(As the carbonite-encased Solo is delivered to Fett's ship, the Slave I.)
Boba Fett had no speaking lines in Return of the Jedi. The character's voice was later re-dubbed by Temeuera Morrison, who played Jango Fett in 2002's Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, to make the films canonically consistent. Jango Fett's son, Boba, is actually his clone, as are the original clone stormtroopers of the Republic.
The Hollywood Reporter noted that Wingreen originally auditioned for the voice role of Yoda, who was ultimately voiced by his puppeteer, Frank Oz. Wingreen said his work as Fett comprised "no more than 10 minutes" and he was uncredited for the role until 2000.
The role that paid off, however, was as the supporting character Harry Snowden, a bartender in All In The Family. He appeared in more than 100 episodes of the groundbreaking CBS sitcom, from 1976 to 1983.
Wingreen's film debut was in the 1958 western The Bravados, which starred Gregory Peck. Wingreen is survived by a son, two grandchildren and his sister.
