‘Star Wars’ Character Actor Richard Bonehill Passes Away at 67

You probably don’t recognize the name Richard Bonehill, but the British character actor (and swordsman!) played many uncredited roles in the ‘Star Wars’ franchise. Yesterday, he passed away at the age of 67, leaving behind a legacy of small supporting roles in ‘Star Wars,’ as well as geek-friendly properties like ‘Doctor Who’ and the British ‘Avengers’ series.

The news was initially reported by England’s Truro Fencing Club Twitter account, for which Bonehill was the president up until the time of his passing. He also worked as their head coach for 12 years, training three fencers who went on to compete in the London Olympics.

Many of Bonehill’s roles throughout the years had him playing sword-wielding, nameless supporting parts where he could show off his skills as an expert swordsman. But the roles he’ll be remembered for most are in the ‘Star Wars’ franchise, where he played a variety of parts, including Stormtroopers, Snowtroopers, Rebel soldiers, and many aliens. Most memorably, Bonehill played the role of Nien Nunb, Lando Calrissian’s co-pilot when they destroyed the second Death Star in ‘Return of the Jedi.’ You may have also spotted him as Ree-Yees, Jabba the Hutt’s three-eyed criminal associate.

Bonehill was never able to show off his sword-wielding skills in the ‘Star Wars’ universe, but his IMDb page features tons of supporting parts where he put that expertise to good use. While you likely never knew his name, Bonehill was very much present in the films and some of the shows you watched over the years. May he rest in peace.