Sadly Star Wars actor and community member Alan Harris died on January 25th. Alan’s death came following his ongoing battle with lung cancer. The Imperial Signings Facebook page gave a long and beautiful retelling of his Star Wars career. Alan acted as several different characters and was in all three of the original Star Wars films. According to Imperial Signings,
“Alan was truly an incredible man who worked on the original Star Wars trilogy as one of the rebels with Leia in ‘Star Wars: A New Hope’. He was also Bossk the bounty hunter, one of the Bespin Guards in ‘Empire Strikes Back’ and even stood in for C-3PO and worked as a stormtrooper on ROTJ.”
Bossk, the bounty hunter, was Alan’s most known role. Episode IV, The Empire Strikes Back, was the film to introduce the reptilian alien. Alan did not always show up in the credits of the films. Even so, fans have come to know who he is due to his reputation. Alan sounds as though he was a delight to work with. His reputation among the cast and crew is that he was always steadfast, committed, and reliable. He was a true team player and would help with lots of the side work on the sets too. Alan stood in as the model to design the Boba Fett armor and even helped test the suit’s flame thrower.
Alan was an active part of the Star Wars community and attended lots of Star Wars fan conventions. During the original films is when Alan started attending conventions and signings. His last convention was as recent as last year in 2019. Alan was reportedly pleased to be there and had a great time, though his health almost prevented him from going. Alan had been battling lung cancer for years at that point but was still able to attend all three days. When asked about the 2019 convention with a huge smile, he said, “It’s been great. I am loving it, and it’s so nice to get to see the fans again!”
You can read the full statement by Imperial Signings about Alan Harris’ death, and the story of his life and time on Star Wars here. “Thank you, Alan, for your contribution to the Star Wars community. We will miss you. May the Force be with you.”