Declan Mulholland (December 6, 1932–June 29, 1999) was a Belfast-born actor who played Jabba the Hutt in scenes cut from the 1977 release of Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. In Mulholland's scenes as Jabba, Jabba is represented as a rotund Human dressed in a shaggy fur coat. George Lucas has stated his intention was to use an alien creature for Jabba, but the special effects technology of the time was not up to the task of replacing Mulholland. In 1997, the "Special Edition" re-releases restored and altered the original scene to include a computer-generated portrayal of Jabba.