Ahmed Best (born August 19, 1973) is an American actor, comedian and musician. He is known for providing the voice and motion capture for the character Jar Jar Binks in the Star Wars franchise.
Best likewise collaborated with director George Lucas in three films and seven episodes of the animated show Star Wars: The Clone Wars. He won the Annie Award for Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production for portraying Jar Jar Binks in Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II. He also voices Roux, a powerful mythical being in the video game South of Midnight.
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Early life
Ahmed Best was born in New York City on August 19, 1973. Born in Roosevelt Hospital, he lived the majority of his formative years in the Soundview section of the Bronx. Best and his family moved to Maplewood, New Jersey in 1984. He attended Columbia High School, graduating in 1991. He then studied percussion at the Manhattan School of Music.
Career
1994–1995: Early work
In 1994, Best joined the acid jazz group the Jazzhole and was a member 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 Stomp. He toured with the cast throughout the US and Europe.
Star Wars
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). His first audition for George Lucas "was a motion-capture session." He wore a full body suit on set during principal photography and originally, it was planned to only animate his character's head. His choreographed body movements provided 'reference points for the digital artists at ILM.' Lucas asked him to voice Jar Jar. Best described his character as, "A loyal, honest, innocent character who really means well." His involvement on the production is featured in the 2001 documentary The Beginning: Making Star Wars Episode I.
Best reprised the role in the Robot Chicken specials Robot Chicken: Star Wars and Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and an episode of The Colbert Report. Best also portrayed an Outlander Club patron, Achk Med-Beq in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. C-3PO actor Anthony Daniels told Best "that they were going to let [him] reveal [his] face" in the film so Best decided to take part in the scene. His character can be seen in the Outlander Club on Coruscant when Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi pursue the changeling assassin Zam Wesell.
Initially, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace received mixed reviews, but it became the highest-grossing film of 1999 and nominally the highest-grossing Star Wars film at the time of its release. 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. Best reprised his role in the following two films rounding up the prequel trilogy but appeared in few scenes. The character of Jar Jar Binks was so disliked that Best considered suicide. This evoked support from fans and some of the cast, including Frank Oz and Star Wars: The Last Jedi film director, Rian Johnson. Oz said, "I just will never understand the harshness of people's dislike of [Jar Jar Binks]. I do character work. He is a GREAT character!" Johnson tweeted, "Lots of love to you Ahmed. I think there are many of us who'd get quite a lot from hearing your story."
Following a reappraisal of the prequel trilogy, Anthony Daniels said in his memoirs that "the years have been kinder to this, the first Prequel. Many, who were young at the time, still hold it, and Jar Jar Binks as their dearest memory of the Saga." Daniels praised Best for his "quick-witted humour" during the first Star Wars Celebration held at Denver, Colorado, a few weeks before the release of The Phantom Menace. A lot of the cast (including Liam Neeson) and crew defended Best. Neeson, who was aware of the criticism Best faced, praised him for his humour and talent. He said that Best "was probably one of the funniest guys and talented guys I have ever worked with." Jake Lloyd who also faced criticism over his performance also praised Best for his humour, saying, "He is one of the coolest guys that I've ever met." Daniels personally defended Best, praising him for his intelligence and energy and saying that the criticism he faced "was beyond cruel."
Other work
In addition to his acting roles, Best has worked as an adjunct professor at Stanford University. His Stanford classes have touched on subjects such as art and Afrofuturism.
In 2008, he wrote, directed, and produced the pilot for a television show called This Can't Be My Life.
