Star Wars Actress Femi Taylor Publishes Memoir Tracing Path from Nigerian Village to West End and Beyond

The new memoir reveals a remarkable life shaped by adoption, dance, identity, motherhood and unexpected turns

Woking, Surry, United Kingdom, 18th Aug 2026 – About The Book:  From Mud Hut to STAR WARS and Beyond is the 2026 memoir of Femi Taylor, born 8 April 1961 in a rural village in southern Nigeria. The book recounts her early life beginning in tragedy: her birth mother died during the delivery of twins, and the babies were left at an orphanage in Ibadan after their father could no longer care for them. Adopted by British couple Richard and Allegra Taylor, she was raised in England and later became a British citizen.

The narrative follows her development as a dancer from childhood ballet classes through professional training and a career on stage and screen. It covers her experiences in the original London production of the musical Cats, her casting as the Twi’lek dancer Oola in the 1983 film Return of the Jedi (a role she later revisited for the 1997 Special Edition). But the memoir goes far beyond these best-known credits, including her subsequent work in television and film, among many other professional and personal milestones.

Taylor addresses themes of adoption, racial identity in a predominantly white environment, family relationships, personal loss, and the gradual process of coming to terms with her dual heritage and authentic self. The account includes reflections on international travel, convention appearances, and private life as a mother. The book presents these events in a straightforward chronological and reflective style drawn from the author’s own experiences.

Key Highlights:
•    Details the author’s survival as a premature twin left at a Catholic orphanage in Ibadan after her mother’s death in childbirth in 1961.
•    Documents her adoption by a British family working in Nigeria and subsequent move to England.
•    Chronicles her early dance training and professional breakthroughs in London’s West End, including the original production of Cats.
•    Describes her casting and performance as Oola in Return of the Jedi and the unique return for additional scenes in the 1997 Special Edition.
•    Examines the challenges of navigating racial identity, family dynamics, and personal growth while building a career in the performing arts.
•    Reflects on later life experiences, including motherhood, international conventions, and the decision to write the memoir as a means of understanding her own story.

About the Author: 

Femi Taylor is a writer and performer whose life journey has taken her from a remote village in southern Nigeria to the stages of London’s West End and the universe of Star Wars and beyond. This book grew out of a need to understand and give shape to her own story.
 

Author: Femi Taylor
Contact Name: Femi Taylor 
Website: www.femitaylor.com 
Availability: Available in print and kindle formats through major online retailers including Amazon.

Media Contact

Organization: London Publisher UK

Contact Person: London Publisher

Website: https://londonpublisher.co.uk/

Email: Send Email

Contact Number: +447575831895

Address:Balmoral Drive, Woking GU228EY

City: Woking

State: surry

Country:United Kingdom

Release id:48219

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