David Prowse
BORN JULY 1, 1935 – DIED NOVEMBER 28,2020, AGED 85
CHILDREN knew him as the friendly Green Cross Code man but sci- fi fans preferred him as Darth Vader, who instilled fear and menace as commander of the dark side in the Star Wars trilogy.
Playing friend or foe, David Prowse was an equally good actor but he preferred playing the baddies, telling one interviewer: “Everyone remembers the villain.”
His only complaint on playing Vader was that his voice was dubbed because it was thought his West Country tones were not scary enough.
Born in Bristol, his father Charlie, a drapery shop owner, died when he was five, but Prowse won a scholarship to the town’s grammar school.
At 6ft 6in tall he was impressive but a severe rugby injury to a knee led him to bulk up with gym work, fuelled by a diet of ten pints of milk a day and 50 eggs a week.
Soon he became Britain’s Strongest Man, which led to
a friendship with a rival strongman, Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Being the muscleman in adverts led to film work and it was in Stanley Kubrick’s controversial film A Clockwork Orange that he was noticed by George Lucas, who thought he would be ideal as either Darth Vader or Chewbacca in Star Wars.
It brought him unexpected fame and he was much sought after at Star Wars events.
He was appointed MBE in 2000 for services to road safety, the number of children injured in accidents halved during his 13 years as the Green Cross Code man, and for founding a charity, The Force Against Arthritis, an illness that led to several hip replacements.
He is survived by his wife Norma and their children, Steve, Rachel and James.