Femi Taylor: From Mud Hut to Star Wars and Beyond
The untold story of a Star Wars icon discovering her voice before and beyond the spotlight..
Discover the memoir of Femi Taylor, a deeply personal journey of art, identity, resilience, and self-discovery.
From her roots in Nigeria to a life on stage, screen, and beyond, Femi shares the experiences that shaped the woman behind the story.
Author: Femi Taylor
Release Date: 15th June 2026
ISBN: 978-1-234567-89-0
Page Count: 280
We feel like we know them, seeing the stars of the saga as we do at events around the UK and the rest of the world, and while we may get to know them socially and in some cases even becoming friends, like anyone else travelling through life they have a story that, when told, often surprises. Few stars of Star Wars have either spent as long in the galaxy far, far away as Femi Taylor, or have a history as fascinating as hers, and in her autobiography ‘Femi Taylor: From Mud Hut to Star Wars and Beyond‘ we learn more about the actress behind Oola from Return of the Jedi than we ever thought possible.
From her beginnings in Southern Nigeria, to her adoption and move to the UK in the mid 60’s, her path to the creative arts seemed set. A talented dancer, she took parts in the hit show Cats – something she is clearly incredibly and rightfully proud of – travelled the world with her talents and eventually took those skills to another galaxy, another time when she was cast in 1982 as the ill-feted twi’lek dancer Oola in Return of the Jedi, the role for which we all know her best.
Performances in a Freddie Mercury video (I Was Born To Love You), Val Kilmers underrated comedy Top Secret and numerous other roles (the names mentioned in this book are incredible) kept her plenty busy until Lucasfilm called once again for new scenes in the special edition of Return of the Jedi, cementing her place (as if it needed cementing) in the hearts and minds of the fandom, a relationship that continues to today.
There are pitfalls, errors of judgement, the lingering spectre of racism both silent and overt and the tragedy of loss, but underneath it all lies a woman determined to forge her own path, see the best in people and life and make sure that her boundless creative itch is scratched, and while Star Wars is obviously a theme throughout the book, ‘Femi Taylor: From Mud Hut to Star Wars and Beyond’ is very much a journey through the life of Femi, a journey that had humble beginnings but – thankfully – blossomed to just about match the star power of the woman who has taken it.
For lovers of Star Wars, musical theatre, dance, pop and the cultural scene of the 70’s right up to today, this is highly recommended.