Bill Kipsang Rotich, also known as Kipsang Rotich, is a voice actor best known for voicing the character Nien Nunb in the ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...

'' films.

Early life

Bill Kipsang Rotich was born in 1958.

Eldama Ravine Eldama Ravine (sometimes known by the short form E/Ravine) is a town in Baringo County, Kenya, a few miles north of the equator, geographical coordinates 0° 30' 0" North, 35° 43' 0" East. It was established as an administrative point by Briti ...

, Koibatek,

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

Education

He attended Eldama Ravine Mission Primary School for his primary education and later joined

Nairobi School The Nairobi School is a secondary school in Nairobi, Kenya. It follows the national curriculum, is one of Kenya's 112 national schools and also one of the 18 prestigious Cluster III secondary schools. It was founded in 1902 by the British sett ...

for his high school studies. After completing his secondary education he attended Dominican University in San Rafael, California. It is during this time that he landed the role to play the voice of Nien Nunb in ''

Return of the Jedi ''Return of the Jedi'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi'' is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas. The sequel to '' The Empire ...

''.

Voice of Nien Nunb

Rotich voiced Nunb by speaking in

Kalenjin Kalenjin may refer to: * Kalenjin people of Kenya ** Elgeyo people (Keiyo people) ** Kipsigis people ** Marakwet people ** Nandi people ** Pokot people ** Terik people ** Tugen people ** Sebei people * Kalenjin language Kalenjin may refer t ...

and

Kikuyu Kikuyu or Gikuyu (Gĩkũyũ) mostly refers to an ethnic group in Kenya or its associated language. It may also refer to: *Kikuyu people, a majority ethnic group in Kenya * Kikuyu language, the language of Kikuyu people *Kikuyu, Kenya, a town in Cen ...

, both of which are spoken in Kenya. This turned him into a celebrity in

because audiences there could understand what Nien Nunb was saying. Rotich then put a hold on his acting career and decided to pursue business.

Return to voice acting

After 32 years, Rotich was located by ''Star Wars'' producers to be the voice of Nien Nunb once more in '' Star Wars: The Force Awakens''. He reprised the role in '' Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker'', '' Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens'', ''Star Wars'': Rise of the Resistance, and '' Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga''.

References

* * * * *

External links

Nien Nunb at the ''Star Wars'' Databank
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rotich, Bill Kipsang 1958 births 20th-century Kenyan male actors 21st-century Kenyan male actors Dominican University of California alumni Living people Male voice actors People from Rift Valley Province Alumni of Nairobi School