Egbert Sen obit

Egbert Sen Has Died

 

He was not on the list.

Rest in peace to the legendary Egbert Sen, who appeared in Star Wars and passed away.

His contribution to the galaxy far far away remains part of the saga’s long legacy that continues to inspire generations.

Egbert Sen (c. 1932 – March 14, 2019) was a Pakistani actor who played Willrow Hood in 1980's Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back. The character has since attracted a cult following by Star Wars fans, inspiring "The Running of the Hoods" cosplaying event at Star Wars Celebration conventions from the 2010s onward.

in: Real-world people, Deceased actors, Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back actors

"The Running of the Hoods are here to honor Egbert Sen, the original Cloud City king who wouldn't leave his camtono behind. Thank you, Hoods!"

―Anthony Carboni, at Celebration Japan in 2025

Born around 1932 in British-ruled India, Egbert Sushil Kumar Sen was a Pakistani who emigrated to the United Kingdom in 1957, finding employment as a musician performing Indian music for the BBC in England. He contributed to the score of the 1965 Beatles film Help!. Sen 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 1980 original trilogy film Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back, Sen was a supporting cast member who played a character later named Willrow Hood in the corridors of Cloud City, running amidst the evacuation of the city holding a camtono container. 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 rebel heroes through the corridors. The scene was filmed between April 5–12, 1979, on stage 2 at Elstree.

Sen found additional work as a supporting cast member in films throughout the 1980s, including Steven Spielberg's Lucasfilm productions Raiders of the Lost Ark of 1981 and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom of 1984, acclaimed British films such as My Beautiful Laundrette of 1985, 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 or in an interview with The Guardian that were both published in 2011, and he passed away while resident at the Aashna House care home in south London in 2019.

Willrow Hood has attracted a cult following among Star Wars fans. From the 2010s onward, Star Wars Celebration conventions have featured "The Running of the Hoods," a cosplaying event of fans who, like Hood in The Empire Strikes Back, dressed in orange jumpsuits and ran across the convention floor holding a container. His daughters Dolly and Paula discovered Sen's 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. The Running of the Hoods at the subsequent Star Wars Celebration, Celebration Japan in 2025, was dedicated to Egbert Sen.

 

Actor

Grange Hill (1978)

Grange Hill

7.2

TV Series

Man in Court Waiting Room (uncredited)

1990

1 episode

 

Colin Blumenau, Nula Conwell, Peter Ellis, Trudie Goodwin, Jon Iles, Gary Olsen, Eric Richard, John Salthouse, Tony Scannell, Jeff Stewart, and Mark Wingett in The Bill (1984)

The Bill

6.7

TV Series

Factory WorkerMan on BusMan in Market (uncredited)

1989

3 episodes

 

George Cole in Minder (1979)

Minder

7.8

TV Series

Man at AirportDoctorPursuer (uncredited) ...

1979–1989

4 episodes

 

Gene Hackman, Mariel Hemingway, Jon Cryer, Christopher Reeve, Jackie Cooper, Margot Kidder, Marc McClure, and Mark Pillow in Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)

Superman IV: The Quest for Peace

3.8

U.N. Delegate (uncredited)

1987

 

Daniel Day-Lewis and Gordon Warnecke in My Beautiful Laundrette (1985)

My Beautiful Laundrette

6.8

Friend of Nasser (uncredited)

1985

 

Roger Moore, Maud Adams, and Kabir Bedi in Octopussy (1983)

Octopussy

6.5

Casino Barman (uncredited)

1983

 

Britannia Hospital (1982)

Britannia Hospital

6.2

Hospital Worker (uncredited)

1982

 

Harrison Ford, Anthony Daniels, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, David Prowse, Kenny Baker, and Peter Mayhew in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back

8.7

Willrow Hood (uncredited)

1980

 

Paul Anthony Cook, Steve Jones, John Lydon, Glen Matlock, Malcolm McLaren, Sid Vicious, and Helen Wellington-Lloyd in The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle (1980)

The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle

6.4

Man with Case of Money (uncredited)

1980

 

The Vault of Horror (1973)

The Vault of Horror

6.6

Man in Bazaar (segment "This Trickll Kill You", uncredited)

1973

 

Music Department

Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr in Help! (1965)

Help!

7.1

music (uncredited)

1965