Alan Harris, the actor responsible for multiple minor (but no less significant) Star Wars roles, including the lizard-headed bounty hunter Bossk in The Empire Strikes Back, has died.
SYFY Wire obtained a comment from Harris’ appearance manager, stating that the actor had been dealing with undisclosed health problems but “loved and lived every moment to the fullest.”
Cathy Munroe, who similarly played the bounty hunter Zuckuss in Empire Strikes Back, issued a statement, saying Harris was “an incredible courageous man” whose “legacy will live on and he will always be fondly remembered.”
Harris is most widely known for playing Bossk, the Trandoshan bounty hunter who joined Boba Fett and several others (including the robotic IG-88) in the hunt for Han Solo. That was far from Harris’ only Star Wars role, though. According to the actor’s IMDB page, the man also portrayed a member of Leia’s Rebel escort, as well as a Bespin security guard who can be briefly seen helping transport a frozen Han Solo. He also played an uncredited role as a stormtrooper in Return of the Jedi. Harris also doubled for Anthony Daniels as C-3PO. All this would make him one of the few actors outside of the core cast to appear in all three of the original trilogy movies.
Harris also got to play the role of a vervoid, a plant-like humanoid alien, over the course of several Doctor Who episodes. When the Star Wars prequel trilogy finally rolled around, Harris returned to double as the actor Terence Stamp, who played Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum.
Though his acting career mainly comprised of playing an extra, Harris managed to do it in some of the biggest franchises and films in Hollywood. His IMDB page also lists minor credits for Flash Gordon, The Shining, Superman, and A Clockwork Orange.
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Harris spent much of his retirement on the convention circuit, where he proved popular among diehard Star Wars fans, sharing stories of his time on Empire Strikes Back.
Original Boba Fett actor Jeremy Bulloch shared a statement on Facebook reflecting on his friendship with Harris, according to the Boba Fett Fan Club Twitter page.
“We were so sorry to hear about Alan Harris – he was one of the nicest guys we have met – and he was so modest and so very good with all the fans – he will be greatly missed,” a statement from Jeremy and wife Maureen Bulloch read.
Harris was 81 years old.
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Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer for IGN.
Source: IGN.com Alan Harris, the Actor Behind Star Wars Bounty Hunter Bossk, Has Died