You might have only recognised James Earl Jones as the famous voice of Darth Vader in the original Star Wars films. But the 6-foot-6-inch actor David Prowse was the one who played Vader on set. He passed away at 85 on 28 November.
Before donning the Vader fit, Prowse appeared in Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange as a “muscle man” in 1971. Star Wars creator George Lucas then asked Prowse to audition for his films, and even gave him the choice to play either Darth Vader or Chewbacca.
“You always remember the bad guy,” said Prowse about his choice. He also added that he didn’t fancy wearing Chewbacca’s fur suit.
Before he became an actor, Prowse was a champion bodybuilder in the UK in the 1960s, and played the Green Cross Code Man—a hero who promoted street-crossing safety. He played Vader in Star Wars (A New Hope), The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi, but his voice was later dubbed in with the voice of James Earl Jones.
Mark Hamill—Prowse’s on-screen son Luke in the Star Wars series, tweeted his condolences. He wrote that Prowse was “a kind man and much more than Darth Vader”.
Prowse had a hip injury in 1989, as well as arthritis and various health issues relating to his ankle and spine, which put him out of action. He also allegedly was banned from any future Star Wars related event—a theory suggests that Lucas suspected Prowse of leaking the revelation that Vader was the father of the film’s hero, Luke Skywalker.
“People ask what went wrong with George Lucas but to be honest, I still don’t really know… The only thing I’ve been told is I’ve burned too many bridges between Lucasfilm and myself,” said Prowse.
He is survived by his wife Norma Scammell, and three children—Steve, James and Rachel.
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