10 Background Actors In Star Wars Who Got Themselves Noticed
6. BoShek (Frances Alfred Basil Tomlin)
BoShek is a smuggler and pilot-for-hire who appeared for mere seconds in A New Hope's iconic Mos Eisley cantina scene.
Obi-Wan (Alec Guinness) is seen attempting to hire BoShek for transport to the Alderaan system, only for him to reject the job for reasons unknown and instead recommend Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew).
He's an extremely important character in the grand scheme of things, putting Obi-Wan and Luke in touch with Chewie and Han Solo (Harrison Ford), and so playing a small-but-significant part in shaping the future of the galaxy.
He appears on-screen for mere seconds, but his pivotal role in the series earned him both an action figure and the respect of fans worldwide, enough that they yearned to identify the uncredited actor who played him.
Almost 40 years after the film was released, the mystery was finally solved thanks to the dogged efforts of investigative journalist Billy Jensen.
Jensen was eventually contacted by the family of the actor in question, Frances Alfred Basil Tomlin, who were able to formally confirm his place in Star Wars history. Sadly Tomlin passed away in 2004 at the age of 66.