Boba Fett actor’s Star Wars collection sells for £155,000
BULLOCH PLAYED ICONIC ROLE IN TWO EPISODES OF THE FRANCHISE
THE collection of Star Wars memorabilia owned by Boba Fett actor Jeremy Bulloch has raised £155,000 at auction.
The collection of more than 1,000 amassed by the Market Harboroughborn actor, who played the bounty hunter in The Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi, went on sale on May 4 - Star Wars Day.
Bulloch died aged 75 in 2020 from complications relating to Parkinson’s disease.
A proportion of proceeds from the sale will go to Parkinson’s UK.
Highlights included a lifesize Boba Fett statue that sold for £15,000.
It was one of 500 made in the late 1990s for which Bulloch spent several weeks modelling.
Unseen footage from Return of the Jedi showing an early Ewok test film went for £3,000.
Bulloch’s half-brother, Star Wars producer Robert Watts, shot the Ewok footage in November 1981 in North Carolina.
Watts gifted the reels to Bulloch and they remained in his safe for many years.
A Boba Fett helmet given to Bulloch in the 1990s was also in the collection and sold for £4,600.
Bulloch wore the helmet for interviews and videos taken in his home.
A note from co-star Carrie Fisher saying “Jeremy – thanks for the nite of hot monkey love’,’ went for £2,000.
Auctioneer Andrew Stowe, from East Bristol Auctions, said: “We had bids flying in from every corner of the globe.
“The love for Jeremy Bulloch and Star Wars was clear for all to see.
“There were so many bids, we actually had to run at half speed, making the auction a total of nine hours in length.
“But it was an unforgettable day, and a real honour to host such an amazing auction.
“Jeremy was known for his kind nature and I really hope this sale did him proud.
“The whole collecting community came together today in his honour. It was very moving.”
Jeremy’s wife, Maureen, said: “During the 20 or so years Jeremy attended conventions in relation to his role as Boba Fett from the Star Wars films, he acquired a large collection of memorabilia.
“He was also given items made by fans as well as a lot of artwork, some of it by well-known artists.
“Jeremy loved and appreciated every single item and proudly displayed them in his office.
“We, as his family, would now like to offer some of this memorabilia for fans to enjoy.’’
Bulloch, speaking to the Mercury in 2005, said in 1981, when he auditioned for the role, he looked in the mirror and saw Boba Fett.
“It was like the costume had been made on Saville Row, as if a tailor had made it,” he said.
“It rested on my shoes perfectly. I was thinking, ‘They’re going to ask me to read in a minute,’ then the casting man says (American voice) ‘Welcome aboard, it’s three days work.’ “When they asked me back for Return of the Jedi, I was delighted... and then Boba Fett died after 15 minutes.”
He said he was not sure what made Boba Fett the enigmatic figure – and fan favourite.
He said: “Something happens to Boba Fett for him to go to the dark side.
“You see in Return of the Jedi when Han goes, ‘Boba Fett, what’s he doing here? I thought he was dead.’ I think they had a history.”
He returned to the franchise with a cameo in Revenge of the Sith, as Captain Colton.
It’s was a “thank you” from director George Lucas.
Bulloch said “I don’t say anything. I was twiddling imaginary knobs. George was saying ‘That’s great, Jeremy, play with a few of those things.’”