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R.I.P. Jason Wingreen, The Original Voice of Boba Fett in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back


Jason Wingreen, the actor who provided the voice of the fan-favorite bounty hunter, Boba Fett in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, just passed away at the age of 95.

Ned Wingreen, Jason's son, confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that his father had died on Christmas Day at Los Angeles home. Jason Wingreen was born in Brooklyn on October 9, 1920.

Wingreen's most defining moment of his career came when he was cast to voice Boba Fett in The Empire Strikes Back. His voice as Boba Fett was used in the original and 1997 theatrically released version of the film. Wingreen originally auditioned to voice Yoda, but Frank Oz beat him. Instead, he voiced the Mandalorian bounty hunter, who got only four lines in the film.

It wasn't revealed that Wingreen provided the voice for Boba Fett until 2000, and he said that he never received any residuals for his performance even though his voice was used in various Boba Fett action figures.

Boba Fett's voice, however, was changed in subsequent releases, replacing Wingreen's voice with Temuera Morrison, who portrayed Jango Fett, the father of the clone bounty hunter and clone troopers that appeared in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones.

Other than voicing one of the most popular Star Wars characters, Wingreen was a prolific actor who appeared in the likes of Archie Bunker's Place, The Twilight Zone, and Seinfield. According to his IMDB page, he had close to 200 credits over the course of his nearly 40-year career.

Watch:Star Wars: The New Republic Anthology Fan Film is All About Boba Fett

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