'Star Wars' Boba Fett Actor Jeremy Bulloch Dead at 75

UPDATE

1:08 PM PT -- A statement from Jeremy's family says the actor died following health complications which included Parkinson's disease ... something he battled for years. Jeremy's wife, Maureen, and two of his sons, Jamie and Robbie, were able to spend their final days with their dad.

Jeremy Bulloch, the actor who played Boba Fett in several "Star Wars" films, has died.

Jeremy's death was announced Thursday by Daniel Logan, who played young Boba Fett in 'Attack of The Clones.'

Jeremy played the iconic bounty hunter in the original "Star Wars" trilogy ... he was the man under the famous body armor and helmet, but not the voice you hear in the movies.

As "Star Wars" movie buffs might know, Jeremy also made a couple cameos without his Boba Fett mask -- playing Lieutenant Sheckil in 'The Empire Strikes Back' and Captain Jeremoch Colton in 'Revenge of the Sith.'

The timing is interesting -- there has been a resurgence in popularity of Boba Fett since discussions emerged about him being brought onboard in "The Mandalorian" series, and even rumors of a spinoff series surrounding Boba Fett in the works.

As an original trilogy cast member, Jeremy was beloved by "Star Wars" fans across the globe. He signed autographs and snapped pics at hundreds of tour stops and conventions.

Born and raised in the United Kingdom, Jeremy acted in BBC soap operas, "James Bond" films and TV shows before landing his famous role with "Star Wars."

He lived in London after retiring and is survived by his wife, Maureen, and their 3 sons. Jeremy was 75.

RIP

Originally published -- 12:40 PM PT

Sen. Cory Booker Rosario Kept 'Mandalorian' Secrets from Me ... Hoping 'Star Trek' is Next!!!

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THE FORCE IS STRONG WITH THIS ONE
TMZ.com

Noted Trekkie Sen. Cory Booker's praising a 'Star Wars' franchise, but cut him some slack -- his GF, Rosario Dawson, was in "The Mandalorian" ... and he still wants her to beam up to the USS Enterprise.

The U.S. Senator was on Capitol Hill Thursday when we grilled him about Rosario's debut on the hit Disney+ series as Ahsoka Tano. Not shockingly, he said she was phenomenal, but not only in the role.

CB says she was great at keeping set secrets from him while she was shooting -- including a big one about Baby Yoda. Doesn't sound like he's holding a grudge though (smart man) ... because he's already pulling for her to expand her sci-fi range by jumping to a 'Star Trek' project.

Yes, as a Trekkie, Cory's kinda pulling for the home team ... but he explained why Rosario's already set a big precedent that makes doing 'Star Wars' and 'Star Trek' not so far-fetched.

On a more serious note ... we asked the former presidential-hopeful if President Trump should follow Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton's lead and get his COVID-19 vaccine on camera to boost public confidence. Sen. Booker says it's a no-brainer.

Billie Lourd Cops Rush To Her Home Shots Fired

An argument between construction workers led to a shooting at Billie Lourd's home ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... cops responded to a shots fired call at the 'Star Wars' star's L.A. property, where there's currently a bunch of renovations underway.

We're told there was a conflict between 2 workers -- one of whom had been fired -- cops say the fired worker pulled out a rifle.

Our sources say he aimed at the worker, fired at the ground and took off. Nobody was hurt. Billie wasn't home at the time of the incident.

We're told the shooter has not been arrested, but cops are on the hunt.

Regarding all the construction ... Billie now owns the former Bev Hills homes of her late mother, Carrie Fisher, and her late grandmother, Debbie Reynolds -- which were contiguous -- and she's making one massive estate.

The mother-daughter duo lived right next to each other for 15 years before Carrie died in December 2016 and Debbie died the very next day.

Billie's rep tells us, "I can confirm that there was an incident today at the property involving a disgruntled ex-employee of the construction company working at the site, who had an issue with his former employer. The owners were not on site and had nothing to do with the dispute. Nobody was harmed and the situation has since resolved."

The 3.5-acre combined properties are reportedly worth $18 million, though with all of the construction going on ... seems likely that figure might go way up.

Darth Vader Actor Dave Prowse Dead at 85 ... From COVID-19

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9:03 AM PT -- Prowse died of complications from coronavirus ... according to his daughter, Rachel.

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She told UK reporters her father had been hospitalized for the last 2 weeks with COVID-19 before he passed on Saturday. He also suffered from Alzheimer's.

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The 'Star Wars' actor's daughter says ... "It’s horrible that Covid restrictions meant we did not get to see him and say goodbye. But when we went to collect his stuff from the hospital the nurse said what a cool guy he was."

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Rachel adds ... "He was such a larger-than-life character. He would have loved to see himself trending on Twitter."

Dave Prowse, the actor who played Darth Vader in 'Star Wars,' has died.

Dave's agent, Thomas Bowington, said ..."It’s with great regret and heart-wrenching sadness for us and millions of fans around the world, to announce that our client Dave Prowse MBE has passed away at the age of 85.”

Dave played the iconic villain in the original 'Star Wars' trilogy.

Prowse was born in 1935 in Bristol, England. Before acting, he was immersed in the world of bodybuilding, even competing in Mr. Universe competitions. He was so strong, Jack the Ripper -- that was Dave's stage name -- would shred phone books as a test of strength.

Even in his bodybuilding days, he hung out with famous folks, including Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferrigno. He also trained Christopher Reeve for "Superman."

Dave's shining moment was shrouded in costume ... playing Darth Vader in the 'Star Wars' franchise. He was recruited by George Lucas, because he was a well-known bodybuilder and he had seen him in 'Clockwork Orange' and it seemed to fit the vibe. Dave actually auditioned for the roles of both Darth Vader and Chewbacca. Lucas offered him either role.

When asked why Dave chose the role of DV, Dave said, "Everyone remembers the villain." True that.

There was a problem, however -- Dave's British accent. His voice was dubbed over by James Earl Jones in post-production.

He almost instantly became an iconic figure when the first 'Star Wars' hit in 1977.

In addition to 'Star Wars,' Dave appeared in "The Saint," "Doctor Who," "The Beverly Hillbillies," "A Clockwork Orange" and a bunch of horror films.

Dave said back in 2014, “Many people will know me for being the ultimate screen villain, Star Wars’ Darth Vader. But being a “goodie goodie” and heading up the Green Cross Code campaign, helping to save thousands of lives has always been the ultimate honour.”

Dave was married for 57 years to Norma Scammell and had 3 kids. He was 85.

RIP

Originally published -- 5:41 AM PT

Darth Vader OG Movie Helmet Jacked in Burglary ... The (Police) Force Nabs Suspect

Darth Vader -- or his head, rather -- was taken away by the dark side yet again, but cops stepped in to save the day ... TMZ has learned. No Jedis required.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... 38-year-old Frank Hebert was arrested Monday night after he allegedly broke into the Bad Robot Productions building in Santa Monica and made off with 'Star Wars' movie memorabilia ... including Darth's helmet.

We're told cops responded to the scene and were told by security personnel that Hebert had been captured on surveillance video illegally entering the building through the rooftop, and casually walked out with a shopping cart full of stuff.

Our sources say cops quickly found a guy pushing a cart down the street not too far away, which we're told was full of 'Star Wars' stuff -- as in, original props used in the actual movies.

Cops say underneath a mountain of 'Star Wars' pillows, there were 2 helmets ... Darth's iconic black one and a Storm Trooper one too. They arrested him, and Hebert was booked for felony non-residential burglary. He posed for this mug shot heading in.

As for the helmets -- our sources tell us all items were safely returned to their rightful owners -- and the galaxy was set in harmony once more. The End.

John Boyega Rips Disney for 'Star Wars' Role Pushed a Black Lead Aside

John Boyega isn't part of Disney's rat pack anymore, so he's speaking his mind freely about how he thinks they did him dirty in 'Star Wars' ... and he ain't sugarcoating a thing.

The actor is gracing the October cover of British GQ, and talked to the mag about some lingering gripes over his time playing Finn in the latest 'Star Wars' films. While he says he'll always defend J.J. Abrams -- who directed two of the flicks -- he says the studio itself screwed the pooch and misled both him and the fan base about the Finn character.

John says quite bluntly, "[W]hat I would say to Disney is do not bring out a Black character, market them to be much more important in the franchise than they are, and then have them pushed to the side." He adds "It’s not good. I’ll say it straight up."

We've gotten hints that John wasn't too happy with the way the Mouse House downplayed his character -- as we've seen him squabble with internet trolls about the franchise's direction before -- but now ... we know how he really feels.

He goes on to tell GQ his costars Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver's characters were fully fleshed out, and in the end ... got the biggest storylines (not to mention love interests). John says Daisy and Adam would admit the same, so he's not dropping any bombshell.

In his final shot at Disney, he said ... "What they want you to say is, 'I enjoyed being a part of it. It was a great experience.' I’ll take that deal when it’s a great experience"

Mark Davis Welcomes Raiders To 'Death Star' ... First Practice At New Stadium

"Greetings. Welcome to the Death Star, where our opponent's dreams come to die."

Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis gave a helluva pump-up speech before the first practice at the new Allegiant Stadium on Friday ... introducing the team's state-of-the-art facility and revealing its official 'Star Wars'-themed nickname.

"My father always said that the greatness of the Raiders is in its future. Well today, that future really starts."

Of course, Friday marked the first time the team practiced inside the new stadium ... which, might we add, is really badass.

Davis hit the players with some inspirational words and a number of cliches ... but overall, the guys have to be jacked to get to play in this thing.

The NFL owner said the stadium was "built on the backs of thousands of players coaches, administrators, and fans, who for the past 60 years have proudly worn the Silver and Black ... adding, "This is our field of dreams. This is our house."

"The stadium's personality will be defined by you, so take pride every time you step on this field wearing those famed black jerseys and silver helmets. You are the Raiders. There will be many personal accomplishments out here on this field."

There's more ... it's good stuff!!!

"Someone on this field today will make the first tackle, somebody will score the first touchdown and somebody will make the first interception, but most importantly ... it is what we do as a team."

What sucks is that fans won't be able to experience the epic Death Star until next season (maybe) ... but at least the games are on schedule to happen on location in 2020.

And, in true Raider fashion ... Davis ended his speech with some very familiar words -- "Just win, baby. Welcome home."

Ewan McGregor Splits 'Star Wars' Royalties in Divorce ... He Keeps 30 Vehicles!!!

Ewan McGregor and his ex-wife have finally reached the end of their divorce case ... and we've learned the actor is parting ways with half of his royalties from the 'Star Wars' prequels.

According to the divorce judgment, the judge signed off on Ewan and Eve's split of the property from their 22-year marriage ... and they'll be splitting royalties and residuals from the projects Ewan worked on during the marriage. That includes FOUR 'Star Wars' movies, which it's fair to say amounts to a LOT of dough.

To give you some perspective, the 3 prequels each earned between $649 million to more than $1 billion -- although it's unclear if his royalties include back end ... a cut of the box office. Of course, he's also starred in "Angels & Demons," "The Men Who Stare at Goats" and "Moulin Rouge."

According to the docs, Ewan will keep THIRTY vehicles, and Eve gets to keep a $6.62 million L.A. crib ... plus all of her jewelry, some bank accounts, along with a mere 5 vehicles. She'll also get $501,704 in cash to even out the asset split.

Eve will also get base child support of $14,934 per month and base spousal support of $35,868 per month ... plus additional kickers if Ewan earns more money than usual in a given year. The exes are sharing joint legal and physical custody of their 9-year-old daughter, Anouk.

As we first reported ... Ewan filed for divorce back in January 2018.

John Boyega 'F*** You, Racist White People' ... Rants About George Floyd

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LISTEN UP!

John Boyega sees what's happening to black people here in the U.S. -- specifically, the killing of George Floyd -- and he has a message to racist white Americans who might also be his fans.

The 'Star Wars' actor went on an epic tirade Wednesday, going IN on "racist white people" who in any way, shape or form tolerate and/or downplay what's happening in our streets ... namely, the killing of unarmed, innocent African-Americans.

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EXCESSIVE FORCE
Facebook/ Darnella Frazier

You gotta see this for yourself, John's very heated as he calls George Floyd's death part of a continuous cycle that he sees here in the States -- black men being killed by either cops or vigilantes trying to play cops. He says that's enough for him to stay away -- presumably in England, his home country.

John goes on to lay into ANYONE who's a fan -- and who's also a racist -- telling 'em to get off his page, off his timeline and out of his circle ... 'cause he ain't having it.

Interestingly, he also makes it clear that he doesn't care what this rant of his might mean for his career. There's a good reason for that though ... JB says he's "not Hollywood."

We'll let John explain for himself, but it's certainly a refreshing approach to the watered-down, polished statements we typically see from public figures.

'Star Wars' Day Stormtrooper Taken Down By Cops Over Plastic Toy Blaster

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Canadian Cops strike back
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UPDATE

3:00 PM PT -- The Lethbridge Police Service tells TMZ ... a service investigation into the actions of the officers who responded to the firearm call Monday has been launched.

UPDATE

We're told the female in the Stormtrooper costume dropped her "weapon" as soon as cops arrived, but "did not initially comply with further police directions to get down on the ground."

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Cops say she sustained a minor injury during the incident but didn't need medical attention. The firearm was confirmed to be fake and she wasn't charged.

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Nonetheless, Chief Scott Woods has initiated an investigation after reviewing additional information -- including social media video -- to determine whether the officers acted appropriately.

May the 4th be with you quickly turned into may the Lethbridge, Alberta police force have mercy on you ... when cops took down a Stormtrooper for including a toy blaster in her cosplay.

The crazy scene went down Monday in the Canadian province where a bar employee -- at the Coco Vanilla Galactic Cantina, no less -- was roughed up by cops. Someone reported seeing her with a firearm, and things quickly went south when officers surrounded her.

The video starts out calmly enough, with a man recording the bar employee -- who was out in costume for a company parking lot shindig in honor of 'Star Wars' day -- and joking around with her and asking her to do some Stormtrooper moves. She's half into it ... whatevs.

The crazy part happened moments later, when Lethbridge PD swarmed the scene with guns drawn ... shouting at the Stormtrooper and demanding she drop her weapon. She did, almost immediately.

What happened next is up for debate. Cops say the woman didn't follow their orders by getting down to the ground right away, but she and her boss argue she couldn't because of the damn suit (hard to bend in that thing) -- which she apparently tried relaying to the police on the spot. Eventually, she was able to get down.

The woman claims cops roughed her up as they put cuffs on her, allegedly shoving her face into the ground and making her nose bleed. Once all the commotion settled down, the cops eventually realized there was no threat -- and cut the gal loose without charging her.

She and her co-workers are pissed -- but cops say they were just responding to reports of someone with a firearm and were only doing their jobs.

Originally Published -- 8:37 AM PT

Amanda Knox Space-Themed Wedding This Weekend ... In Galaxy Not So Far Away

Amanda Knox and her hubby are set to officially tie the knot this weekend in a celebration that's gonna be out-of-this-world ... yet fully in the Pacific Northwest.

Knox and Christopher Robinson -- who got legally married back in 2018 -- are having their wedding ceremony Saturday at an Elk's Lodge in Washington State. We're told the theme is space/Star Wars and guests are in for a galactic celebration.

We're imagining the original 'Star Wars' cantina scene, but maybe that's just us. Remember, these 2 space cadets got engaged with a bizarre "E.T." recreation in their backyard.

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SUPER ENGAGEMENT

Knox and Robinson's registry is full of galaxy photos and in place of gifts, attendees were encouraged to donate to the final cost of the wedding. Guests who donated $500, $1000 and $2000 are promised special shout-outs during the ceremony.

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Knox, who is now 32, was accused of brutally murdering her roommate in 2007 while she was an exchange student in the city of Perugia in Italy.

She and her boyfriend at the time were convicted and spent 4 years in prison before an appeals court acquitted them. Knox was convicted again in 2014 before being acquitted for the final time in 2015.

Oscar Isaac I'm Poe No More in 'Star Wars' Disney Strikes Back?!?

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DAMN, DAMERON!
TMZ.com

Oscar Isaac is damn near closing the door on that galaxy far, far away -- strongly hinting he'll never play Poe Dameron again ... Disney "overlords" be damned.

The 'Star Wars' actor was outside The Mercer in NYC when he told us he's "probably not" going to return to his role as a commander in the Resistance's Starfighter Corps ... and his tone sounded even more definitive than that.

Oscar's not necessarily done anything to ingratiate himself with Disney -- the owners of the iconic film franchise -- since the release of the final movie in the third trilogy, 'The Rise of Skywalker.'

He came out shortly afterward and said "Disney overlords were not ready" to explore a "current-thinking love story" between his Poe character and the Finn character played by John Boyega ... despite claiming he tried to push things in that direction.

Many fans viewed Isaac's outspokenness as a sign he was done with 'Star Wars,' and based on what he told us ... seems their suspicions are confirmed.

Of course, Boyega had some rough moments with the Mouse House too -- losing his 'Skywalker' script, and then that laying pipe comment.

George Lucas Meets Baby Yoda!!! Looks Like Proud Grandpa

George Lucas gently cradling Baby Yoda is already the best thing to happen in 2020 -- and if you're not feeling that ... ya might be dead inside.

The 'Star Wars' creator finally met arguably the most popular character to come outta the Disney+ series, "The Mandalorian." He's, for sure, the most meme'd! Jon Favreau, executive producer of the show, shared the pic of George and Baby Yoda on set while shooting for season 2.

BTW ... Baby Yoda's more of an Internet handle. The character simply goes by The Child on the show -- but it's easy to see how the nickname caught fire.

Of course, George created Jedi Master Yoda for his 1980 film "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back" (aka the Star Wars G.O.A.T.). Baby Yoda, who is 50 years old in the series, has been all the craze and Disney's about to cash in by dropping tons of merch in March -- but knock-offs are everywhere already.

Fittingly, Favreau captioned the meeting ... "Proud grandpa."

John Boyega Pisses Off 'Star Wars' Fans With 'Laying Pipe' Joke About Rey

John Boyega is leaving 2019 in a blaze of glory ... defending himself to the death after he was accused of being sexist over a joke he cracked about his female costar, Daisy Ridley.

The 'Star Wars' actor responded to a ton of mega fans Tuesday after a screenshot of a comment he recently left on someone's Instagram post went viral -- which shows him saying, "it's not about who she kisses but who eventually lays the pipe. You are a genius."

His comment was in response to some rando who made light of the fact John's character, Finn, doesn't get the girl at the end of 'Rise of Skywalker.' If you haven't seen it, this is a spoiler ... Rey kisses/falls for Kylo Ren and Finn's apparent love for her goes unrequited.

After his pipe joke, JB got blown up (metaphorically speaking) on Twitter, with people calling him misogynistic, sexist and bitter over Finn's fate and the end of the franchise. He's been hitting back, though, making fun of everyone who's taking it so damn seriously.

He even put up a meme mocking Rey and Kylo Ren's "romance," which mostly shows them fighting and Rey in complete distress. It appears to be in good fun, but folks are still coming for him over what many perceive to be a remark made in bad taste and harmful.

Still, he kinda doubled down on his pipe line, but later suggested he was just talking about the characters in a joking manner, and didn't mean for it to translate to real life. In response to one user, he wrote ... "i was talking about Rey from Star Wars. When did I speak about women in general? Where did I even mention holes? ... Bye now."

People have noted John doesn't have any more 'Star Wars' obligations, and that might be why he's speaking so freely. Either way ... the guy obviously doesn't care about Reylo shippers, or those easily offended as the decade comes to an end.

Let 'em have it, John. The sassy comebacks, that is.