David Prowse

British actor, bodybuilder and weightlifter David Prowse grew up in Bristol, where he was born in 1935. In his youth, in addition to his tall and sporty nature, he started life by working in various jobs such as bouncer in dance halls and swimming pool attendant. After achieving significant success in the British heavyweight weightlifting championship in 1961, he left Bristol in 1963 to continue his career at a weightlifting company in London.

Prowse's most well-known role was undoubtedly the character of Darth Vader in Episode IV: A New Hope, the first film of the Star Wars series, released in 1977. Prowse took on both the physical presence and original dialogue of this character; However, upon director George Lucas's choice, the voice-over was entrusted to James Earl Jones.

Similar situations occurred in the following films: In Return of the Jedi, he was replaced by Sebastian Shaw in the unmasked scenes and was handed over to Bob Anderson in the fight scenes. Despite this, Prowse continued to appear in fan films and various Star Wars events.

He also took on notable roles other than Darth Vader. In 1975, he appeared on the screens as the Green Cross Code Man, a public service ad character that aimed to raise awareness among children about traffic safety, and was honored with the British Order of Knighthood in 2000 for this work. Other notable roles include a bodyguard in Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange, a circus performer in 1972's Vampire Circus, and monster roles in various Frankenstein adaptations. He also had a small role in the 1968 TV series The Champions.

In addition to his film career, Prowse also stood out with his competence in weightlifting. He represented England in a weightlifting organization held in Australia in 1962. He supported Chris Reeve in the physical preparation process for the 1978 Superman movie. He also managed to reach a wide audience with the fan group called 501st Legion, which was founded by Star Wars fans and led by him.

Prowse struggled with health problems later in life, and in 2000, he suffered a stroke in his left arm and was subsequently diagnosed with septic arthritis. In 2009, he announced that he was battling prostate cancer and underwent radiation treatment. Although he was diagnosed with dementia in some news sources in 2014, Prowse stated that he instead had memory problems due to aging.

He announced that he was withdrawing from all public events in October 2016, as his health condition gradually worsened in his last years. He stated that he made this decision based on the patient's health and his family's wishes. His last on-screen appearance was in the sci-fi music video Shields, which he shot with Welsh musician and long-time friend Jayce Lewis. David Prowse passed away on November 28, 2020, at the age of 85, in a hospital in London.