Born on August 19, 1973, Ahmed Best is the actor famous for his portrayal of Jar Jar Binks across all three films of the prequel trilogy. Furthermore, he embodied Jedi Master Kelleran Beq in both the game show Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge and the television series The Mandalorian.
Beyond his performance as Jar Jar Binks within the prequel trilogy, Best also made an appearance as an extra, playing the role of Outlander Club attendee Achk Med-Beq in Attack of the Clones. Concurrently, he served as the host for the behind-the-scenes web series titled on location for StarWars.com during the movie's production phase. He contributed voice acting to Star Wars: The Clone Wars and various Star Wars video games, predominantly reprising his role as Jar Jar Binks, but occasionally taking on other characters.
On December 3, 2019, the announcement was made that Best would be the presenter of the game show Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge. Subsequently, on May 27, 2020, it was revealed that Best would be portraying Jedi Master Kelleran Beq, and the show's release platform would be YouTube, diverging from the original plan of Disney+. The premiere of Jedi Temple Challenge occurred on June 10, 2020. Ahmed returned to the character of Kelleran Beq in The Mandalorian: "Chapter 20: The Foundling", which debuted on March 22, 2023.
When interviewed in Star Wars Insider 56, Ahmed Best discussed the diverse, and at times, unwelcoming reactions from fans regarding Jar Jar Binks. The strong dislike for Jar Jar led Best to reveal in 2018 that he had contemplated suicide in the past. This disclosure triggered a significant wave of support from the fanbase.
During a June 2020 interview with Lucasfilm staff member and This Week! in Star Wars host Kristin Baver, Best conveyed his "pleasant surprise" upon receiving the casting call for Jedi Master Kelleran Beq. He characterized the portrayal of Master Beq as a "person of color" and the leader of a Jedi Temple as "breaking new ground" within the Star Wars universe, thereby establishing a "brand new world of possibilities."
- Ahmed Best (@bestahmed) on Instagram (backup link (bestahmed) not verified!)
- Ahmed Best ( @ahmedbest ) on Twitter (backup link (bestahmed) not verified!)
- Ahmed Best on Wikipedia
- Ahmed Best at the Internet Movie Database