Jewish actor who played Boba Fett in Star Wars dies at 95

Jason Wingreen made appearances on shows such as The Twilight Zone, Star Trek and Seinfeld

Jason Wingreen, the Jewish actor who voiced the bounty hunter character Boba Fett in the 1980 film Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, has died.

Wingreen, who was also known for his role as Harry the bartender on the sitcom All in the Family, passed away Dec. 25 in his Los Angeles home. He was 95, the New York Times reported. The cause of death is not yet known.

Wingreen made appearances on shows such as The Twilight Zone, Star Trek and Seinfeld, and movies such as Airplane.

He said in an interview in 2010 that his role as the infamous Star Wars villain allowed him “to retire.”

“We’d start laughing in the morning and laugh until 5 o’clock, when we’d quit. I mean, how could you not like it?” he said.

Wingreen, a native of Queens, New York, was the son of a tailor. He would serve in World War II before becoming a founder of the famed Circle in the Square theatre company in New York’s Greenwich Village.

Author

Support Our Mission: Make a Difference!

The Canadian Jewish News is now a Registered Journalism Organization (RJO) as defined by the Canada Revenue Agency. To help support the valuable work we’re doing, we’re asking for individual monthly donations of at least $10. In exchange, you’ll receive tax receipts, a thank-you gift of our quarterly magazine delivered to your door, and our gratitude for helping continue our mission. If you have any questions about the donating process, please write to [email protected].

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Support the Media that Speaks to You

Jewish Canadians deserve more than social media rumours, adversarial action alerts, and reporting with biases that are often undisclosed. The Canadian Jewish News proudly offers independent national coverage on issues that impact our audience each day, as a conduit for conversations that bridge generations. 

It’s an outlet you can count on—but we’re also counting on you.

Please support Jewish journalism that’s creative, innovative, and dedicated to breaking new ground to serve your community, while building on media traditions of the past 65 years. As a Registered Journalism Organization, contributions of any size are eligible for a charitable tax receipt.