Team Jedi News pay tribute to the late, great Jeremy Bulloch who passed away yesterday at the age of 75.
Anyone who knows me, knows how much I love the character of Boba Fett. I was lucky enough to meet Jeremy Bulloch for the first time back in the late 90’s. I had a ticket to go to Memorabilia at the NEC in Birmingham, but I got up that day to see that mother nature had dumped 18 inches of snow outside. My decision was already made, I was going to meet Boba Fett, so the weather was not going to stop me. I made the heavily delayed 30-mile journey on public transport and finally got to his booth. There were no queues and I walked straight up and introduced myself. Jeremy and I talked for 30 minutes or more. He had a real interest in me as a person and was so engaging. This meeting would inspire me to attend more conventions and shows in the coming years.
The last time I saw Jeremy was on one of my first assignments for Jedi News, in that very same hall of the NEC. I noticed him get off the coach and he was looking very frail, but he diverted his path and headed straight for me. He’d recognised the Jedi News logo on my shirt and came over to say ‘hi’. That frail man who got off the coach disappeared the moment he started talking to me, and he came alive with a zest and vitality that contradicted his appearance. I walked with him to the green room just chatting away like long lost friends. This was a man I’d met on a handful of occasions, but this is how he treated anyone who met him, and that is how he was all day with everyone he met. He seemed to feed off the energy of the fans that had gone to meet him and he would come alive. This last meeting was only a few weeks before he announced his retirement from the convention circuit.
These are memories of Jeremy I will always hold dear and treasure. I know many actors have donned the costume at different points, but to me Jeremy is Boba Fett and was a true gentleman. My thoughts are with his wife Maureen, family and friends. He will be sadly missed by so many of us and we must bid him farewell and clear skies!
Steve Galloway, Literature Editor
Jeremy Bulloch. There were two sides to him: the legend and the man. The legend, that of Boba Fett, is impossible to separate from Bulloch. From the way he swaggered, to the head tilt in Jabba’s palace, every fan of my generation scrutinised it all because Fett was the person everyone wanted to be. We knew next to nothing about him, except what we could interpret from Bulloch’s movements, and his movements said, ‘this guy is cool’. He was the man of mystery and Bulloch gave him life.
But after those brief moments, when the curtain was drawn on the original trilogy, we were left with the man. Yet he himself would become as much as a legend as the character he played. He was at the forefront of how actors should be with their fans. I met the man several times and every time, he was polite and had all the time in the world for you. He was able to melt the crowds away and you felt that it was just you and him, chatting over a drink. The last time I met him, was with my son Charlie, who had never been to a convention. The legend of Fett made him go completely silent at meeting the man in the flesh, yet Bulloch didn’t dismiss him or move on. He took his time and coaxed my son out of his shell bit by bit. It’s a memory that I’ll never forget, and neither will my son.
The fan community has lost one of the greatest Star Wars ambassadors it has ever had. Not only did we love his character, the legend, but even more so, we loved the man who became a legend in his own right. Mr Bulloch may the force be with you….always.
Mark Alders, Literature Reviewer
Kat Rees- Jauke, Literature Reviewer
Jason Ling, Reporter
We’ve attended several Star Wars Celebrations over the years and we can say unequivocally that Mr. Bulloch was one of the most engaging and sincere celebrities we have ever spoken with during the convention. He had no qualms about spending an extended period of time chatting with us (and other fans) at his signing table in the Autograph Hall and seemed to genuinely care about the fans who were lining up to meet him. His smile was infectious and his personality revealed a side to him that would benefit all human beings. Mr. Bulloch was a great ambassador for the Star Wars brand and an even better person. This loss stings us pretty deeply given the memories we had with Mr. Bulloch and the lasting impressions he left on us both.
We lost one of the good guys.
This bounty was truly priceless.
Justin LaSalata & Dianna Bates, Editor/Reporter
