Jabba the Hutt is a librarian: British puppeteer who operated Star Wars baddie with designs on Princess Leia now runs computer class in Wales



Toby Philpott was part of team which worked legendary character in film



Grandfather says that he feels like he has lead a double life

Worked with Muppets creator Jim Henson which led to Star Wars role

Jabba the Hutt, the gargantuan Star Wars criminal who terrorised the galaxy and had a soft spot from Princess Leia has been found, at a library in Cardiff.



Grandfather Toby Philpott, a computer trainer based at Cardiff Central Library, was one of the puppeteers behind the legendary character 30 years ago.

And Mr Philpott, says that playing the 'loathsome slug of an intergalactic gangster' feels like a galaxy far, far away compared to his current role.

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Toby Philpott, 67 a movie puppeteer who operated alien villain Jabba the Hutt in the Star Wars film, Return of the Jedi who now works in a library in Cardiff

He said: 'It feels like I almost lead a double life.

'The Star Wars films have a following like no other in history - so I do get a lot of contact from fans and asked to speak at conventions.

'I can go shopping and no-one ever recognises me as Jabba - which is a good thing.

'But people who find out love talking about it - it's not that I mind talking about it at all. It just seems amazing that people are so fascinated by what appears to me to have simply been six weeks work out of a long career.'

Toby Philpott, now teaches people how to use computers at Cardiff Central Library. He fell out of the film industry after computer animation came in, and much of the work moved to America

Mr Philpott, who is a father of two, working on the Return of the Jedi film

A Star Wars set diagram that shows how Jabba the Hutt was operated by Mr Philpott and the team

And what a career Mr Philpott has had. His work has taken him from street performing in Mexico, to showing off his clown skills and becoming a puppeteer for Muppets creator Jim Henson.

It was through his work with Mr Henson that Mr Philpott landed the Jabba part, using his skills to work the left arm, head and slimy flicking tongue of the alien during key scenes.

He said: 'It took a team of four of us to operate Jabba - he wasn't so much a costume as a wendy house you had to climb into.

'I was sitting down with my left arm in his, and my right swiveling his neck and tongue.

'As the left hand I got to eat frogs, hit people and smoke a hookah.'

Mr Philpott (right) at a Star Wars convention, with Jabba the Hutt sculptor John Coppinger and fellow Jabba puppeteers Mike Edmonds and David Barclay

Mr Philpott says that he feels that his time as Jabba was like a different life

Mr Philpott has kept the letter inviting him to the premier of Return of the Jedi

He added: 'The challenge was working together so Jabba looked like one sentient creature, and not four guys in a tent.

'So we'd get George Lucas to address Jabba rather than us individually which did freak him out a bit at first.'

But when the industry changed to include advanced modern technology like CGI, Mr Philpott found that some of his work started to dry up.

Many projects that would in the past have been shot in the UK started to move to America, meaning that work was tight.

Mr Philpott said: 'I never really wanted ti chase the work to America. I enjoyed it but it was just a phase in my life.

'In the mid 1990s I was scratching a living as a circus trainer, so I took a temporary job with the library just to eat.

'Then it got made permanent and i just drifted away from performing.'

He added: 'Many people ask me why I started working here and all I can say is why not?

'Finding Jabba the Hutt in a library is no more unusual than most of my life has been.'



WHERE ARE THEY NOW? WHAT BECAME OF THOSE STAR WARS FAVOURITES?

Carrie Fisher: Miss Fisher, who played the screen icon Princess Leia in the films was recently said to be one of the actors in talks to reprise her role in the up-coming Star Wars film Episode VII. Miss Fisher was recently part of the jury panel at the 2013 Venice Film Festival. Her 2008 memoir Wishful Drinking has been made into a stage production and the subject of a documentary. Peter Mayhew: London-born Mr Mayhew played Han Solo's wookie sidekick Chewbacca in the films. In 2008 he became a citizen of the USA and now lives in Boyd Texas.

In 1997 he was honoured with a lifetime achievement award at the MTV Film Awards, and his numerous television appearances have includes The Muppets and voicing a character in Star Wars - The Clone Wars season three. Actor Peter Mayhew, right, who played Chewbacca in the Star Wars films Mark Hammill - Mr Hammill played hero Luke Skywalker in the films, and is reportedly in talks to reprise his role in the latest movie the franchise, alongside castmates Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher.

Since Star Wars the actor has enjoyed a number of voice acting roles. These include his acclaimed performance as The Joker in the animated Batman series.

He also also appeared in a number of stage, TV and movie roles, and co-created comic books for Dark Horse Comics. Mark has said that if he returns to play Skywalker in Star Wars again, he does not want the film to rely heavily on computer generated images like the more recent movies have.

















