Mike Quinn

Mike Quinn, born in 1964, is a British performer known for his work as an actor, animator, and puppeteer. He is most recognized for bringing Nien Nunb to life in the Star Wars saga: specifically, Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens, and Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi. In Return of the Jedi, he also performed Ree-Yees and Sy Snootles, and contributed to the performances of Yoda, Ackbar, a Wokling, Jabba's electronic eyes, Ghoel, and Loje Nella. In addition, he worked as an animator for Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones.

Quinn learned that Return of the Jedi was looking for puppeteers while he was working on the 1982 movie Dark Crystal at Elstree Studios. After a conversation with producer Robert Watts, he was brought on board. Initially, Nien Nunb's mask was not planned to be articulated, but Quinn suggested using him as a puppet. For the scenes featuring Nunb inside the Millennium Falcon, Quinn was positioned directly beneath the puppet. He was lying on his back, using a small television monitor to observe the camera's view. Furthermore, Quinn operated a B-wing pilot in a deleted scene. Because the script lacked dialogue for that character, Quinn relied on his improvisational abilities, creating lines about the difficulty of receiving his preferred radio station in space.