Ahmed Best
This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. (August 2010) |
Ahmed Best | |
---|---|
Born | New York City, U.S. | August 19, 1973
Nationality | American |
Occupation |
|
Years active | 1989–present |
Height | 6ft ¾ in (184.8 cm) |
Spouse(s) | Raquel Horsford Best |
Ahmed Best (born August 19, 1973) is an American actor, comedian, and musician known for providing motion capture and the voice of the character of Jar Jar Binks in the Star Wars franchise.
Best likewise collaborated with director George Lucas in three films and seven episodes of the cartoon show, Star Wars: The Clone Wars. He won the Annie Award for Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production for lampooning Jar Jar Binks in Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II.
Early life[]
Ahmed Best was born on August 19, 1973, in New York City. He lived the majority of his formative years in the Soundview section of the Bronx. He moved to Maplewood, New Jersey, in 1984. He attended Columbia High School and graduated from there in 1991. He then studied percussion at the Manhattan School of Music.[1]
He is the younger brother of Dunia Best Sinnreich, lead singer and co-founder of Brave New Girl, Dubistry and Agent 99 and formerly with The Slackers.
Career[]
In 1994, Best joined the acid jazz group The Jazzhole. He contributed to the success of the group for two years. He co-wrote and co-produced three albums for the group including The Jazzhole, And the Feeling Goes Around, and The Beat is the Bomb. In 1995, he co-wrote and co-produced Escape by Bill Evans.
In 1995, he joined the Obie Award winning cast of Stomp. He toured with the cast of Stomp throughout the US and Europe.[1]
In 1997, after casting director Robin Gurland had observed his flexible, athletic movements in Stomp, Ahmed was cast as Jar Jar Binks in the Star Wars prequel trilogy (1999–2005). He reprised the role on the Star Wars themed episode of Robot Chicken (as well as its sequel), Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and on an episode of Stephen Colbert's The Colbert Report.[episode needed] Best said he put a lot of himself into the character, so when Jar Jar drew hostility from audiences, it sometimes extended toward the actor or he otherwise interpreted it personally. The character of Jar Jar Binks was so disliked that Best contemplated suicide.[2][3][4] Best later appeared with fellow Star Wars alumni Dee Bradley Baker, James Arnold Taylor, and Daran Norris on the TV show Big Time Rush.[5]
In 2008, he also wrote, directed, and produced the pilot for a television show called This Can't Be My Life.[6]
In late May 2020, Lucasfilm announced that Best would be starring as Jedi Master Kelleran Beq in a game-show called Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge, with a scheduled release date of June 3, 2020.[7][8] It was later reported that Jedi Temple Challenge's release date had been delayed until June 10 as a result of the unrest surrounding George Floyd's murder.[9][10][11]
Filmography[]
Film[]
Year | Title | Role | Note |
---|---|---|---|
1989 | Lean on Me | Extra | |
1999 | Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace | Jar Jar Binks (voice and performance capture) | |
2002 | Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones | Jar Jar Binks (voice) and Achk Med-Beq | |
Armitage: Dual Matrix | Mouse (voice) | English version | |
2004 | Kangaroo Jack: G'Day U.S.A.! | Louis Booker (voice) | |
2005 | Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith | Jar Jar Binks (voice) | |
2006 | Open Window | Rufus | |
2009 | Mother and Child | Julian | |
2010 | The Pink House | Actor Judge | |
2001 Maniacs: Field of Screams | Crow | ||
2011 | Poolboy: Drowning Out The Fury | Sidney Moncrief | |
Some Guy Who Kills People | Mayor Maxwell | ||
2012 | FDR: American Badass! | Curtis | |
2013 | DJ | Mouse (Armitage segments) | |
W.M.D. | News Reporter |
Television[]
Year | Title | Role | Note |
---|---|---|---|
2003 | Alias | Seth | Episode: "A Free Agent" |
2006 | The Colbert Report | Jar Jar Binks (voice) | Episode: "George Lucas" |
2007 | Robot Chicken: Star Wars | Jar Jar Binks and AT-AT Driver (voice) | TV movie |
2008 | This Can't Be My Life | Ahmed | Episode: "The Pink Pages" |
Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II | Jar Jar Binks and Stormtrooper (voice) | TV movie Annie Award for Best Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production or Short Form | |
5 Second Movies | Himself | ||
2008–14 | Star Wars: The Clone Wars | Jar Jar Binks (voice) | 7 episodes |
2009 | Cougar Town | Dwayne | Episode: "Mystery Man" |
2009–12 | Big Time Rush | Marketer / Rob | 3 episodes |
2010 | Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III | Jar Jar Binks and Carl the Stormtrooper (voice) | TV movie |
2011 | Law & Order: LA | Dell Gregory | Episode: "Runyon Canyon" |
Zeke and Luther | Sal Sackelson | Episode: "Bro'd Trip" | |
In the Flow with Affion Crockett | Black Jock | ||
2012 | Lego Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out | Jar Jar Binks (voice) | TV short |
2020 | Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge | Jedi Master Kelleran Beq | |
The George Lucas Talk Show | Himself | Episode: "Best in Show" |
Short films[]
Year | Title | Role | Note |
---|---|---|---|
2002 | Friendly Criminal | Himself | |
2003 | The Stockholm Syndrome | Himself | |
There's a Sucker Born Every Minute | Nathan | ||
2005 | Escorched | Richard Prentiss | |
2007 | Charlie's Bitch Ass Hos | Makeafoolofme West | |
2008 | This Can't Be My Life | Ahmed |
Documentary[]
Year | Title | Role | Note |
---|---|---|---|
1999 | From Star Wars to Star Wars: The Story of Industrial Magic | Himself | |
2001 | The Beginning: Making Star Wars Episode 1 | Himself | |
R2-D2: Beneath the Dome | Himself | Uncredited | |
2005 | Science of Star Wars | Himself | |
2009 | Black to the Future | Himself | |
2010 | The Life of Bob Marley | Bob Marley | |
2001 Maniacs: Behind the Screams | Himself |
Music[]
Year | Title | Songs |
---|---|---|
2010 | 2001 Maniacs: Field of Screams | "The South's Gonna Rise Again" "Rot in Hell" "Hey Hey Howdy Howdy Hey" "Fun, Games and Feastin'" "Building From the Ground Up" |
Composer[]
Year | Title | Note |
---|---|---|
2008 | This Can't Be My Life | Episode: The Pink Pages (Theme song) |
Director[]
Year | Title | Note |
---|---|---|
2008 | This Can't Be My Life | Short film |
Episode: The Pink Pages |
Video games[]
Year | Title | Role | Note |
---|---|---|---|
1999 | Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace | Jar Jar Binks (voice) | |
Star Wars: The Gungan Frontier | |||
2000 | Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles | ||
2001 | Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds | ||
Star Wars: Super Bombad Racing | |||
2005 | Lego Star Wars: The Video Game | Uncredited | |
2006 | Scarface: The World Is Yours | Unknown (voice) | Uncredited |
2007 | Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga | Jar Jar Binks (voice) | Uncredited |
2009 | Ready 2 Rumble: Revolution | Unknown Boxer (voice) | |
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 | Cloak (voice) | ||
2015 | Disney Infinity 3.0 | Jar Jar Binks (voice) | [12] |
2020 | Fallout 76: Wastelanders | Carver Timmerman / James Addison / Jide (voice) | DLC[13] |
2020 | The Last of Us Part II | Additional Voices (voice) |
Producer[]
Year | Title | Note |
---|---|---|
2007 | The DL Chronicles | Episodes: Wes & Robert (executive producer) Boo & Mark (co-executive producer) |
2008 | This Can't Be My Life | Episode: The Pink Pages (co-producer) |
Writer[]
Year | Title | Note |
---|---|---|
2008 | This Can't Be My Life | Short film |
Episode: The Pink Pages |
Theatre[]
Year | Title | Role | Note |
---|---|---|---|
1995 | Stomp | Sarge | Winner of Obie Award |
1997 | The Tempest | Lead | |
2002 | Uncle Tom's Cabin | Lead | |
Jack | Sammy | ||
2003 | Vacuums | J. Buttersworth III |
Discography[]
Song | Note |
---|---|
"The Jazzhole" | Co-wrote and co-produced |
"And The Feeling Goes Around" | |
"The Beat is the Bomb" | |
"Secret" | |
"Falling Apart" | |
"Take Time" | |
"Mean What You Say" | |
"Sweet Child" | |
"I Wonder" | |
"Is It Worth" | |
"Dear James" | |
"It's the Jazz" | on the album Vitality of Expression by Jeff Peretz |
"Forms of the Rhythm" | |
Celebrity EP | as DJ Starfaker |
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Bio page at Best's official site". October 20, 2009. Archived from the original on October 20, 2009.
- ^ Newbold, Mark (January 5, 2019). "Ahmed Best: That Moment I Opened Up About Suicide". Fantha Tracks. Archived from the original on June 1, 2019. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
- ^ Nordine, Michael (January 5, 2019). "Jar Jar Binks Actor Ahmed Best Opens Up About Racism-Fueled Backlash". IndieWire. Archived from the original on May 26, 2020. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
- ^ "Star Wars actor: 'I considered suicide'". BBC News. July 4, 2018. Archived from the original on January 18, 2020.
- ^ Parker, Ryan. "Jar Jar Binks Actor Says He Considered Suicide After 'Star Wars' Backlash". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 11, 2020.
- ^ "This Can't Be My Life". IMDb. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
- ^ "Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge to debut on 3 June on Star Wars Kids". StarWars.com. Lucasfilm. 27 May 2020. Archived from the original on 27 May 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
- ^ Gemmill, Allie (27 May 2020). "The Force Is Strong With This Epic 'Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge' Trailer". Collider. Archived from the original on 27 May 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
- ^ "Updated: Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge to debut on June 10 on Star Wars Kids". StarWars.com. Lucasfilm. Archived from the original on 4 June 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
- ^ Laman, Douglas. "Star Wars Jedi Temple Challenge premiere delayed in light of protests". CBR.com. Archived from the original on 5 June 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
- ^ Forward, Devon. "Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge Show Delays Premiere". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on 5 June 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
- ^ Avalanche Software. Disney Infinity 3.0. Scene: Closing credits, 5:39 in, Featuring the Voice Talents of.
- ^ Bethesda Game Studios Austin (April 14, 2020). Fallout 76: Wastelanders DLC. Bethesda Softworks. Scene: Credits: Voice & Music - Cast.
External links[]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ahmed Best. |
- Ahmed Best at IMDb
- Ahmed Best on WOOKIEEPEDIA
- 1973 births
- 20th-century American male actors
- 21st-century American male actors
- African-American male actors
- American male film actors
- American male stage actors
- American male video game actors
- American male voice actors
- Annie Award winners
- Living people
- Manhattan School of Music alumni
- Male actors from New York City
- People from Maplewood, New Jersey
- Columbia High School (New Jersey) alumni
- Jazzhole members
- Male motion capture actors