10 Classic Movie Monsters With Unexpected Origins

7. Jabba The Hutt Was Based On Film Noir Legend Sydney Greenstreet

You probably won't be much surprised to learn that Star Wars' gelatinous intergalactic gangster Jabba the Hutt was partly modelled on both annelid worms and snakes, but you probably aren't aware that there was also a decidedly more human inspiration for his final look.

Legendary British actor Sydney Greenstreet is best known for his supporting roles in classic 1940s Humphrey Bogart movies such as The Maltese Falcon and Casablanca, but also served as the primer for Jabba's overall screen presence.

This is to such an extent that Jabba was initially supposed to wear a fez, homaging Greenstreet's fez-wearing antagonist Signor Ferrari in Casablanca.

Special effects supervisor Phil Tippett recalled George Lucas telling him to make Jabba look "alien and grotesque...just like Sydney Greenstreet," and seeing the two side-by-side, it's easy to appreciate how Jabba is basically a gooey caricature of Greenstreet's facial features.

That's quite the back-handed tribute if there ever was one, George.