Darth Vader dead at 85
Tributes to Dave Prowse – the unseen and unheard Star Wars arch-villain
HIS face was never seen and his voice never heard – but to millions of fans David Prowse was one of the key elements of Star Wars.
Prowse, who died on Saturday aged 85, played archbaddie Darth Vader in the original film trilogy between 1977 and 1983.
By then he was already a familiar face – and voice – to British TV viewers as the Green Cross Code Man, a superhero who promoted road safety for children.
He fronted the campaign for 14 years from 1975 and was awarded an MBE for his efforts to teach youngsters to stop, look and listen before crossing the road.
Prowse, born in Bristol in 1935, had been a bodybuilder and cham
‘May the Force be with him’
pion weightlifter – representing England at the Commonwealth Games – before turning to acting.
One of his first screen credits was as Frankenstein’s monster in spy spoof Casino Royale in 1967.
His other film roles included A Clockwork Orange, while he appeared on TV in favourites such as The Saint, Up Pompeii and Doctor Who. But it was his role as Darth Vader that brought him international fame.
Star Wars director George Lucas had seen him in A Clockwork Orange and believed his 6ft 6in frame would make him ideal for either Vader or Chewbacca. Prowse once told the BBC he chose Vader because ‘you always remember the bad guys’.
It meant he was always behind the iconic black helmet – when it was removed at the end of Return Of The Jedi, a stand-in actor was used. Prowse’s strong West Country accent was deemed unsuitable for a rogue Jedi, so US actor James Earl Jones provided the voice.
Prowse died after a short illness, his agent Thomas Bowington confirmed yesterday. ‘May the Force be with him, always!’ he said.
‘ Though f amous f or playing many monsters, for myself and all who knew Dave and worked with him, he was a hero in our lives.’
Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker, tweeted: ‘So sad to hear David Prowse has passed.
‘He was a kind man and much more than Darth Vader. He loved his fans as much as they loved him.’ Director Edgar Wright, whose films include Shaun Of The Dead and Hot Fuzz, described Prowse as the man who ‘stopped a whole generation of kiddies from being mown down in the street’.
‘As a kid, Dave Prowse couldn’t be more famous to me, stalking along corridors as evil incarnate in the part of Darth Vader and stopping a whole generation of kiddies from being mown down in the street as the Green Cross Code man,’ he said. ‘Rest in Peace, Bristol’s finest.’
The family of Peter Mayhew, who played Chewbacca and died last year, shared a picture of the actor with Prowse and fellow co- star Kenny Baker, who played R2-D2 and died in 2016.
They wrote: ‘RIP Dave Prowse. I hope you’re up there sharing a pint and a story with the boys.’