Major motion pictures are understandably known for the actors starring in them, with the background and props accentuating various aspects of the film. But in the upcoming movie “Amelia,” about the life and disappearance of famed aviator Amelia Earhart, it was the presence on the film set of the 1936 Lockheed 12, exactly like the one Earhart flew on her last flight, that will make it special for aircraft aficionados and for its owner, Fayetteville resident Joe Shepherd.

“I’m real happy about it,” Shepherd chuckled as he noted his Lockheed’s part in the movie. “The plane is the celebrity. Nobody knows me but they know the plane.”

Shepherd said he made three trips to Canada for the filming that occurred largely there, with some additional filming in South Africa.

Shepherd has owned the Lockheed for 21 years. He found the craft in Bremen, Texas, in 1988 where it had been sitting for approximately 12 years. The deal was done when Shepherd offered a Cessna 195 as an even swap. Shepherd said he made four or five trips to Texas to get the plane ready before flying it to Willow Pond airport off Lester Road just outside Fayetteville.

The 1936 Lockheed 12 could hardly help but make a splash in “Amelia,” what with its mirror-finish exterior and outfitted with Pratt & Whitney 985 engines that produce 450 horsepower. Aside from being a celebrity, Shepherd’s Lockheed 12 has won a total of nine awards.

“It’s been well-received everywhere it’s been,” Shepherd said with a smile. “It was very fortunate that they called about the movie. They needed a polished airplane. Once in Canada they added the lightning bolt striping on the fuselage that Amelia had on her plane.”

Long before it was so prominently featured in a Hollywood film, Shepherd worked for 18 years to restore the Lockheed to its original condition inside and out. That condition was clearly evident Oct. 13 as Shepherd landed at Falcon Field, the polished aluminum wings and fuselage glistening even in the slightly overcast skies.

Earhart’s life, of course, is the stuff of legend. Born in 1897 and sometimes called “Lady Lindy” due to her slim build that resembled Charles Lindbergh, the famed flyer set numerous aviation records, according the website bearing her name.

Nearing her 40th birthday, Earhart wanted to fly around the world. Having left Miami on June 1 and traveling all but 7,000 miles of the 29,000-mile journey, Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan were last heard from on July 2 in route from Lae, New Guinea to Howland Island in the mid-Pacific.

Their disappearance is the stuff of legend, and to this day no trace has been found of them or their aircraft in the south Pacific.

“Amelia” featuring Hilary Swank and Richard Gere will be released Oct. 23.