- "It would have fulfilled his dream."
- ―Egbert Sen's daughter, Paula, on the Willrow Hood following
Egbert Sushil Kumar Sen[3] (c. 1932 – 2019) was a Pakistani actor[1] who played Willrow Hood in the 1980 original trilogy film, Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back. The character has since attracted a cult following by Star Wars fans,[2] inspiring "The Running of the Hoods" cosplaying event at Star Wars Celebration conventions from the 2010s onward.[4]
Biography[]
Born around 1932 in British-ruled India,[1] Egbert Sen emigrated to the United Kingdom in 1957, finding employment as a musician performing Indian music for the BBC in England, and contributed to the score of the 1965 Beatles film Help!. He was contacted by an agent recruiting non-white actors, and, living in south London, he commuted to Elstree Studios for work in film and television productions such as The Saint in the 1960s. For The Empire Strikes Back, Sen's daughters Dolly and Paula also appeared among a group of children running with their teacher in a scene set in Cloud City as Lando Calrissian leads the rebels through the corridors.[2] The scene was filmed between April 5–12, 1979, on stage 2 at Elstree.[5]
"The Running of the Hoods," inspired by Egbert Sen's character, Willrow Hood
Sen's scenes as Willrow Hood were also set in the corridors of Cloud City, running amidst the evacuation of the city holding a camtono.[6] He later found work also as a supporting cast member in films throughout the 1980s, including Steven Spielberg's Lucasfilm productions Raiders of the Lost Ark of 1981[7] and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom of 1984, acclaimed British films such as My Beautiful Laundrette of 1985,[7] as well as the James Bond and Superman film franchises. Although Sen spoke of his film career, he made no mention of his Star Wars work in a Channel 4 documentary[8] or in an interview with The Guardian[7] that were both published in 2011, and passed away while resident at the Aashna House care home in south London in 2019. His daughters Dolly and Paula discovered his following as Willrow Hood in 2023, when they were approached by a Star Wars fan named Nicolas Delage investigating the identity of Hood's actor, and they were proud of their late father for the following; the sisters said that the phenomenon was the recognition that he had always wanted.[2]
Works[]
Filmography[]
| Year | Title | Contribution(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back | Willrow Hood | Uncredited[2] |
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4
First Cut - Asian Gracefully (4 March 2011) on the Japan in 30 seconds YouTube channel (backup link) gives Egbert Sen's age as 78 years, and the documentary is copyrighted in 2010; Sen was thus born around 1932. Sen additionally states in Asian parents in care homes by Manzoor, Sarfraz on TheGuardian.com (February 26, 2011) (archived from the original on February 1, 2023) that he was Pakistani, and according to Le Plus GROS MYSTÈRE de STAR WARS Enfin Résolu ! (après 43 ans) on the Nicolas Delage YouTube channel (backup link), the actor was born in India, and therefore during the British Raj, and passed away while resident at a London care home in 2019.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Le Plus GROS MYSTÈRE de STAR WARS Enfin Résolu ! (après 43 ans) on the Nicolas Delage YouTube channel (backup link)
- ↑ Egbert Sushil Kumar Sen on www.myheritage.com (archived from the original on August 25, 2023)
- ↑
Empire at 40 | 6 Minor Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Characters You Should Know on StarWars.com (backup link)
- ↑ The Making of The Empire Strikes Back
- ↑ Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Asian parents in care homes by Manzoor, Sarfraz on TheGuardian.com (February 26, 2011) (archived from the original on February 1, 2023)
- ↑ First Cut - Asian Gracefully (4 March 2011) on the Japan in 30 seconds YouTube channel (backup link)
External links[]
- First Cut on Channel 4 (January 14, 2011) (archived from the original)
- Asian parents in care homes by Manzoor, Sarfraz on TheGuardian.com (February 26, 2011) (archived from the original on February 1, 2023)
- First Cut - Asian Gracefully (4 March 2011) on the Japan in 30 seconds YouTube channel (backup link)
- Le Plus GROS MYSTÈRE de STAR WARS Enfin Résolu ! (après 43 ans) on the Nicolas Delage YouTube channel (backup link)