Though not a big player in "A New Hope," you'll likely remember Eddie Byrne's character Commander Willard, the first fellow member of the Rebellion whom Leia interacts with on Yavin IV when she finally makes it there with Luke, Han, Chewbacca, R2-D2, and C-3PO (Anthony Daniels). Though a small part, Willard actually does do something fairly important in the film, namely having the Death Star plans extracted from R2-D2 so the Rebels can figure out how to attack the moon-shaped station. His brief but warm exchange with Leia also immediately establishes the Rebels as a kind and caring faction as opposed to the more militant, fear-driven Imperials.
Interestingly, Byrne was no stranger to two of the higher-profile actors in "A New Hope." In 1966's "Island of Terror," Byrne, portraying Dr. Reginald Landers, seeks out help from bone disease expert David West (Edward Judd) and pathologist Brian Stanley, played by Grand Moff Tarkin actor Peter Cushing, in stopping mysterious creatures terrorizing Petrie's Island. And if the thought of a Rebel and Imperial working together weren't surprising enough, try this — in the 1959 movie "Scapegoat," Byrne plays a friendly bartender who helps Sir Alec Guinness' character, John Barratt, become better acquainted with his physical double Jacques De Geu, also played by Guinness. Sadly, the chances of the three actors appearing in another film together ended when Eddie Byrne passed away on August 21, 1981.
