CT BTS Remembering Alan Harris

The Star Wars universe lost another beloved star the other day; Alan Harris is one of the most important veterans of the classic trilogy that you've never heard of.

First and foremost, most fans will probably recognize him for his onscreen role as Bossk. Unmasked, he appeared as a rebel that greeted Princess Leia on Yavin, and as a Bespin Guard - one of the men carting Han Solo to Boba Fett's ship. Rounding out his role as an actor in all three films, he was a Stormtrooper in Return of the Jedi.

His most unsung achievement was being a stand-in for various actors, most notably Anthony Daniels and Harrison Ford. He even worked on the prequels standing in for Terence Stamp. While not seen much onscreen, his presence made the lives of the crew that much easier. Other various contributions include being cast for the body of Han in carbonite (yes, that's Harrison's head on Alan's body) and being fit for the Boba Fett costume. There's plenty of cool photos online of Harris donning the iconic white early Boba Fett armor.

My memory is bit foggy, but he may have had more parts in Return of the Jedi (I want to say he was Boba Fett at one point). He did not return to play Bossk because he was busy standing in as C-3PO at the same time.

It's easy to appreciate Harris' long career and dedication to the fanbase, but it still hurts to see another actor of the original trilogy lost. Would have loved to meet him at a convention someday, people like Harris are what gave life the Star Wars universe.

https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/star-wars-alan-harris-bossk-obituary
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Alan_Harris

 

I still have my Bossk action figure.

 

I've got one as well.

 

did he have any speaking lines in ANH? Was he the guy who said "we feared the worst?"

 

Not sure. I posted this article in the Deadpool thread yesterday.

 

thanks for posting. I never knew much about him.

 

I just happened to see news of his death in passing so I posted the link over there.

 

I still remember when first seeing ESB as a kid how Bossk leaning over and snarling at the Imperial Officer looked so convincing, further giving that lived in sense to the OT.

Thank you Mr. Harris for your great contributions to this wonderful franchise. R.I.P.

 

So far costars Jeremy Bulloch and Anthony Daniels have expressed their condolences on social media.

Here's an interview from 2010 that gives a brief insight into his Star Wars history:
https://starwarsinterviews.com/original-trilogy/episode-v-the-empire-strikes-back/alan-harris-bossk/

Not sure if there's a complete gallery out there, but here's a collection of photos from the initial test fitting (Harris is in the indoor photos):
https://www.bobafettfanclub.com/multimedia/galleries/album/102/
Of course missing from this gallery is possibly the coolest photo; the demonstration of the working flamethrower(!)


Another picture to bring a smile to any fan's face is from Harris' website: reuniting with the fellow Bespin Guard, Quentin Pierre almost 40 years later.

 

wow that reunion is awesome

 

Thanks for calling this to my attention.

 

Unfortunate this is.
This guy is also the guy that Rieekan orders to prepare for ground assault. Which ought to be the same guy as was walking with Leia. But that's a finer argument or detail of taste, considering that extras' faces and bodies are used in many ways.
@Thrawn McEwok

That would be Commander Willard, played by Eddie Byrne.

I'm also glad to know that this guy was the original Light Mandalorian.

 

Saw this in the news here in the UK, even before I was tagged in the post above. Echoing what the previous remarks said.

I really like @Hernault's observation that Alan Harris ought to be thought of as playing the same Rebel officer in the two movies, with Leia at Yavin and then with Rieekan on Hoth. This is something that I'd become aware of only very recently, but I really like that little touch of depth and continuity that adds between the films.

Am I right in thinking he's also seen in the control room during the battle of Yavin?

I was aware of his role as Bossk and the Bespin guard, and as the original Mandalorian - but the importance of his stand-in role is something which I hadn't known about before this thread.

- The Imperial Ewok

 

@Thrawn McEwok it looks like you're right

Though funny enough, it would appear that he's portraying two separate characters as both Leia's Rebel escort and the Rebel Commander. I feel like he may have been in the briefing scene as well, but I'd need to find a group shot.

(For reference, here he is as the escort)

 

Instantly recognisable with his white hair, you can spot him in many British films of the era, from A Clockwork Orange to Superman and Flash Gordon. He played Bossk during the infamous Bounty Hunters scene and is supposed to have returned for ROTJ but it seems he was pushed into the background and not utilised in the Battle of the Sarlaac due to costume limitations.

Alan Harris?

 

@Django Fett I believe that's Trevor Butterfield as Bossk. I was investigating that a few years back, and it seems Alan was too busy standing in as Threepio and Boba Fett to take up Bossk scenes that were filmed at the same time. It's interesting that they consciously brought back Bossk and Dengar alongside Boba Fett. The EU stories that portrayed them as buddies must not have been too far off.

 

Dengar was portrayed as a buddy of sorts (though one that Boba was willing to cheat) in the Marvel comics.

Not so much Bossk.

Although Marvel Bossk is somewhat more stable, and usually seen associating with IG-88. Post-Marvel SW tended to portray Bossk and IG-88 very differently from Marvel SW.

 

Yeah - in Legends Fett and Dengar partnered up on occasions. See the comic Boba Fett - Twin Engines of Destruction for a pretty good story about that.

 

That's one area, at least, where post-Marvel stories managed to match Marvel ones - the on-off partnership between Bossk and Dengar.

 

Why wasn't the IG-88 prop brought back for Return of the Jedi?

 

Not to my knowledge. I feel like I might've spotted his head in a corner, but it's really tough to see, and I haven't seen much other discussion on the subject.

 

The IG-88 prop was a static model, it didn't do anything other than have lights on it. If they didn't utilise Bossk because of costume limitations then it's likely IG-88 and Zuckuss weren't use because of the same reason. Imagine 16 years later and the method used for Threepio in TPM was available at the time of ROTJ?

 

An incredibly informative thread. One of the unsung giants of SW lost. Rest in peace, Mr. Harris.

 

Originally, the EV-9D9 torture droid puppet was going to have a walking scene/shot. The idea was abandoned due to lack of time. A pity. I would have loved to have seen a walking, talking IG-88 in Return of the Jedi.