David Prowse - wikipedia David Prowse This article is about the actor. For the politician, see David Prowse ( politician ). For the musician, see Japandroids. David Prowse MBE David Prowse in 2013 David Charles Prowse ( 1935 - 07 - 01 ) 1 July 1935 ( age 82 ) Bristol, England, UK Alma mater Bristol Grammar School Occupation Actor, body builder, weightlifter Years active 1956 -- 2017 Spouse ( s ) Norma E. Scammell ( m. 1963 ) Children Website www.darthvader-starwars.com David Charles Prowse, MBE ( born 1 July 1935 ) is an English bodybuilder, weightlifter and character actor in British film and television. Worldwide, he is best known for physically portraying Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy ( with the character 's voice being performed by James Earl Jones ), and in 2015 starred in a documentary concerning that role, entitled I Am Your Father. Prior to his role as Vader, Prowse had established himself as a prominent figure in British culture as the first Green Cross Code man, a character used in British road safety advertising aimed at children. Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 2.1 Weightlifting and training 2.2 Acting 2.2. 1 Star Wars 2.3 Notable associations & Public relations 3 Personal life 3.1 Health problems 3.2 Retirement 4 Honours and awards 5 Selected filmography 6 References 7 External links Early life Prowse was brought up on the Southmead housing estate in Bristol, winning a scholarship to Bristol Grammar School. Prowse was tall, standing 6 ft 6 in ( 1.98 m ), and developed an interest in bodybuilding. His early jobs included a bouncer at a dance hall, where he met his future wife, and a helper at Henleaze Swimming Pool. Following his successes from 1961 in the British heavyweight weightlifting championship, he left Bristol in 1963 to work for a London weightlifting company. Career Weightlifting and training Prowse won the British heavyweight weightlifting championship in 1962 and the following two years. He represented England in the weightlifting event at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Perth, Western Australia. He helped train Christopher Reeve for the role of Superman in the 1978 film and its sequels after lobbying for the part himself. In a television interview, he related how his response to being told `` we 've found our Superman '' was `` Thank you very much. '' Only then was he told that Reeve had been chosen for the role and he was to only be a trainer. He trained Cary Elwes for his role as Westley in The Princess Bride. Prowse also became fitness consultant to Harrods, ripped up phonebooks under the stage name ' Jack the Ripper ', and opened a series of gymnasiums, notably ' The Dave Prowse Fitness Centre ' in London. Acting Prowse as Julian holding Alex in A Clockwork Orange ( 1971 ). In the United Kingdom, Prowse is well known as the Green Cross Code Man, a superhero invented to promote a British road safety campaign for children in 1975. As a result of his association with the campaign, which ran between 1971 and 1990, he received the MBE in 2000. He had a role as F. Alexander 's bodyguard Julian in the 1971 film A Clockwork Orange, in which he was noticed by the future Star Wars director George Lucas. He played a circus strongman in 1972 's Vampire Circus, a Minotaur in the 1972 Doctor Who serial The Time Monster, and an android named Copper in The Tomorrow People in 1973. He appeared in an episode of Space : 1999, The Beta Cloud in 1976 right before he was cast as Darth Vader. Around that time, he appeared as the Black Knight in the Terry Gilliam film Jabberwocky ( 1977 ). He had a small role as Hotblack Desiato 's bodyguard in the 1981 BBC TV adaptation of The Hitchhiker 's Guide to the Galaxy. He appeared in the first series of Ace of Wands on LWT and as a bodyguard in the big screen version of Callan. He played Charles, the duke 's wrestler, in the BBC Television Shakespeare production of As You Like It in 1978. Prowse played Frankenstein 's monster in three films : Casino Royale, The Horror of Frankenstein, and Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell. Prowse made two uncredited appearances on The Benny Hill Show. On Hill 's first show for Thames Television in 1969, he played a briefs - clad muscleman in the `` Ye Olde Wishing Well '' quickie, and in 1984 he showed off his muscles in a sketch set to the song `` Stupid Cupid ''. The earlier routine was also featured in the 1974 film The Best of Benny Hill, in which he was credited. Amongst his many non-speaking roles, Prowse played a major speaking role in `` Portrait of Brenda '', the penultimate episode of The Saint broadcast in 1969. In May 2010, he played Frank Bryan in The Kindness of Strangers, an independent British film produced by Queen Bee Films. The film screened at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival. Prowse in 2007 Star Wars Prowse played the physical form of Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy. Prowse spoke the dialogue during filming, but Lucas claimed he wanted a `` darker voice '' -- a deeper, more reverberating voice, and had James Earl Jones provide the voice instead, deeming Prowse 's West Country accent unsuitable for the character. Prowse claims he was originally told that he would be seen and heard at the end of Return of the Jedi when Vader 's mask was removed. Instead, actor Sebastian Shaw was used. In the 2004 documentary Empire of Dreams, actress Carrie Fisher, who played Princess Leia in the original trilogy films, quipped that they nicknamed Prowse `` Darth Farmer '' ( a Linguistic discrimination jibe regarding his urban Bristolian accent ). In the lightsaber fight scenes between Vader and Luke Skywalker ( Mark Hamill ), Prowse, who was n't a very skilled swordsman ( he kept breaking the poles that stood in for the lightsabers ), was replaced by the scene 's fight - choreographer, the stuntman and fencing coach Bob Anderson. Prowse felt sidelined by Anderson during the making of Return of the Jedi in particular, and claims that he was only able to persuade director Richard Marquand that he should be the one to throw the Emperor off the balcony after Marquand had tried and failed for a week to film the scene successfully without him. Prowse reprised his role of Darth Vader for the video games Star Wars : The Interactive Video Board Game ( 1996 ) and Monopoly Star Wars ( 1997 ). In 1999, it was rumoured that thieves broke into Prowse 's home and stole the lightsaber he used in the Star Wars trilogy and several of his other possessions. However, after a discussion with Prowse on 4 May 2007, he said that the `` lightsaber '' was actually a toy and not an original prop. He explained that the story printed about the break - in concentrated on the supposed `` lightsaber '' and not on the jewellery and other valuables taken. He further said that he was never given any of the props from the Star Wars films. Since 2002 Prowse has been an Honorary Member / Honorary Leader of the 501st Legion, a fan group dedicated to Star Wars costuming. Prowse continues to associate himself with his role in the Star Wars films and is involved in the convention circuit. Despite this, he has not been included in recent reunions of the original cast, such as those for the Empire of Dreams documentary and the 2005 Vanity Fair cover. While being interviewed by Kevin Moore of The Moore Show Prime Time, he admitted his dislike for the prequel trilogy and opined that the new films were `` out of context in terms of special effects in comparison to the original trilogy ''. In July 2007, Prowse joined many others from the Star Wars films for the first ever Star Wars Celebration event held outside the United States. It was run by Lucasfilm Ltd. and the Cards Inc. Group, at the ExCeL Exhibition Centre in London. The occasion was to mark the 30th anniversary of Star Wars. Prowse played a cameo role in the Star Wars fan films `` Order of the Sith : Vengeance '' and its sequel `` Downfall '' -- Order of the Sith, alongside Jeremy Bulloch and Michael Sheard. These fan films were made in Britain in support of the charity Save the Children. In 2008, he was one of the cast members featured on Justin Lee Collins 's Bring Back... Star Wars. In the film, Prowse commented that he had a dispute with George Lucas after he allegedly leaked reports of Darth Vader 's death to the press. Prowse had previously suggested that Darth Vader could be Luke Skywalker 's father in a speech he gave to UC Berkeley in 1978. However, this was shortly after the release of Star Wars and nearly two years before The Empire Strikes Back ( which he considers to be his favourite of the trilogy ) was released, and the script had not even been written at the time. Gary Kurtz, the producer of The Empire Strikes Back, said in the 2015 documentary I Am Your Father that Prowse 's apparent plot spoiler was simply `` a good guess. '' Prowse claims his contract for Return of the Jedi included a share of profits on the film, and although it grossed $475 million on a $32 million budget, Prowse explained in an interview in 2009 that he has never received residuals for his performance. Due to `` Hollywood accounting '', the actual profits are sent as `` distribution fees '' to the studio, leaving nothing to distribute to others. In July 2010, Prowse was banned by George Lucas from attending official Star Wars fan conventions. Lucas has reportedly given Prowse no reason, other than stating that Prowse `` burnt too many bridges '' between Lucasfilm and himself. A 2015 Spanish documentary, by filmmaker Marcos Cabotá, entitled I Am Your Father, details Prowse 's current life and his blackballing by LucasFilm, which the documentary suggests is unjustified. The leaks featured in the documentary originated from a technician working on the films. Dave Prowse & Jayce Lewis 2015 Notable associations & public relations In January 2009, Prowse began providing public relations for musician Jayce Lewis. Notably, their close friendship years later developed into all aspects of business and management. On 1 October 2015 Lewis created a mini documentary titled The Force 's Mouth, giving Prowse the chance to finally hear his voice as Darth Vader. Personal life Prowse has been married since 1963 and is the father of three children. He is a prominent supporter of Bristol Rugby Club. On 13 May 2009, Prowse publicly declared his support for the United Kingdom Independence Party ( UKIP ) in the 2009 European Parliament election. Prowse said that `` I 've looked right and left and right again and the only party I can safely vote for is UKIP, '' and ``... I have two messages for those considering how to vote. Firstly, stop, look and listen to what is being said. Only UKIP is actually telling us the truth about the European Union and why we need to leave it. Secondly, may June the fourth be with you. '' David Prowse at Mountain - Con in 2007 Health problems Prowse has suffered from arthritis for much of his life. That has led to replacements of both hips and his ankle being fused, as well as several revisionary surgeries on his hip replacements. Prowse 's arthritic symptoms first appeared at age 13, but seemingly disappeared when he took up competitive weightlifting. However, they reappeared in 1990. In 2001, Prowse 's left arm became paralysed, followed by his right. He was diagnosed with septic arthritis caused by an infection which nearly killed him. The amount of surgery he has had drastically reduced his height from the 6 feet 6 inches ( 198 cm ) of his younger days. Today, Prowse works with various arthritis organisations in Britain and is vice-president of the Physically Handicapped and Able - bodied Association. In March 2009, Prowse revealed that he was suffering from prostate cancer and has undergone radiation therapy since the beginning of 2009 at the Royal Marsden Hospital in south London. He discovered that he had the cancer following his participation in a charity event in aid of a prostate cancer charity, where a representative of the charity asked whether, as a man over 50, he had had a PSA test. The conversation stayed in his mind, and on a future visit to a general practitioner, he requested the blood test that eventually led to diagnosis. In 2009 he was still in remission. In November 2014, the Daily Mirror reported that Prowse had dementia. However, Prowse himself denied this, admitting instead he had problems with his memory, which he put down to age. Retirement On October 2016 Prowse announced his retirement from all public appearances and events, later attributing the decision to ill health and wishes from his family. A final onscreen appearance was later announced and filmed with Welsh musician and long - time friend Jayce Lewis in a sci - fi music video titled ' Shields '. Honours and awards Prowse was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire ( MBE ), for his services to charity and to Road Safety, in the 2000 New Year Honours. Selected filmography Year Title Role Notes 1967 Casino Royale Frankenstein 's Creation uncredited 1968 Hammerhead George 1970 The Horror of Frankenstein The Creation 1971 Up Pompeii Muscular Man uncredited Up the Chastity Belt Sir Grumbel Carry On Henry Bearded torturer A Clockwork Orange Julian 1972 Vampire Circus Strong man 1973 Black Snake Jonathan Walker White Cargo Harry Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell Creation Callan Arthur 1977 Star Wars Darth Vader Jabberwocky Red Herring and Black Knights The People That Time Forgot Executioner 1980 The Empire Strikes Back Darth Vader Return of the Jedi Darth Vader Saving Star Wars Dave Prowse 2005 Ravedactyl : Project Evolution Short film 2006 Perfect Woman The Kindness of Strangers Frank Bryan 2015 Elstree 1976 Himself 2015 I Am Your Father Himself 2015 The Force 's Mouth Himself Documentary 2017 Jayce Lewis - Shields Himself ( Retirement ) Music Video References Jump up ^ http://directors.findthecompany.co.uk/l/810203/Mr-David-Charles-Prowse 22 April 2017 Jump up ^ `` '' Return of the Jedi '' not Profitable ? ``. The Times. 2002. Jump up ^ `` Green Cross Code Man back on screen ''. BBC. 24 March 2017. Jump up ^ `` The National Archives ''. The National Archives. Retrieved 30 December 2010. Jump up ^ `` Jonathan.thompson.co.uk ''. Jonathan.thompson.co.uk. Archived from the original on 22 October 2011. Retrieved 30 December 2010. Jump up ^ `` Where did these 11 Bristol celebrities go to school ? '', Bristol Post, 2 April 2017 ( Accessed 4th April 2017 ) ^ Jump up to : `` Darth Vader returns to Bristol home where he grew up ''. Bristol Evening Post. 16 November 2009. Archived from the original on 25 September 2012. Retrieved 18 September 2011. Jump up ^ `` Movie Reviews ( Christopher Reeve Homepage ) ''. Retrieved 24 November 2014. Jump up ^ `` BBC NEWS - UK - Magazine - The Green force ''. Retrieved 24 November 2014. Jump up ^ `` New York Times ''. Retrieved 24 November 2014. Jump up ^ Rosen, Michele. `` Thieves Steal Darth Vader 's Lightsaber ''. Space.com. Archived from the original on 31 August 2000. Retrieved 27 December 2016. Jump up ^ `` Honorary Members and Friends ''. 501st Legion. Retrieved 18 February 2015. Jump up ^ `` Star Wars Celebration Europe ! ''. Southport Reporter. July 16, 2007. Jump up ^ `` Star Wars Celebration Europe Tickets ''. Seatwave. 2007. Jump up ^ `` ' Order of the Sith ', website ''. Orderofthesith.net. Archived from the original on 29 December 2010. Retrieved 30 December 2010. Jump up ^ Wilstein, Matt ( December 12, 2015 ). `` Does Darth Vader Actor David Prowse Still Hate ' Star Wars ' ? ''. The Daily Beast. Retrieved January 2, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Star Wars Archive : ' Rise... Darth Farmer ' ''. Empire. June 2005. Retrieved 16 May 2014. Jump up ^ `` Darth Vader ( Anakin Skywalker ) ''. Chasing the Frog. Retrieved 19 November 2015. Jump up ^ `` The Man Behind Darth Vader ''. Rockcellar Magazine. Retrieved 19 November 2015. Jump up ^ `` Times Online ''. Times. Retrieved 12 September 2012. Jump up ^ `` How Hollywood Accounting Can Make a $450 Million Movie `` Unprofitable '' ``. The Atlantic. Retrieved 12 September 2012. Jump up ^ `` The Force ''. The Force. Archived from the original on 2 October 2010. Retrieved 30 December 2010. Jump up ^ Lefort, Rebecca ( 17 July 2010 ). `` Darth Vader actor David Prowse banned for annoying director George Lucas ''. Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 30 December 2010. Jump up ^ Sancha Rojo, María De ( 7 October 2016 ). `` ' I Am Your Father ', el documental español que homenajea al ignorado actor de Darth Vader ''. El Huffington Post ( in Spanish ). Retrieved 18 November 2016. Jump up ^ `` Documentary on Darth Vader actor 's documentary at Iffi 2016 - Times of India ''. The Times of India. 16 November 2016. Retrieved 18 November 2016. Jump up ^ https://www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/star-wars-dave-prowse-father-12524577 Jump up ^ http://www.johnpye.co.uk/dave-prowse-star-wars/ Jump up ^ Owens, David. `` This is what Darth Vader would sound like if Dave Prowse actually voiced him ''. Retrieved 2015 - 10 - 03. Jump up ^ Owens, David. `` How Dave Prowse would have sounded as Star Wars ' Darth Vader ''. Archived from the original on 3 October 2015. Retrieved 2015 - 10 - 03. Jump up ^ `` The Force 's Mouth ( Featuring - Dave Prowse & Jayce Lewis ) '' on YouTube Jump up ^ `` Recording Dave Prowse - The Original Supervillain ''. Retrieved 2015 - 10 - 03. Jump up ^ `` Darth Vader Manages Rock Band ! Dolphin Music ''. Dolphinmusic.co.uk. Retrieved 2015 - 10 - 03. Jump up ^ `` Musician 's surprise at Asia hit ''. BBC. 2009 - 09 - 17. Retrieved 2015 - 10 - 03. ^ Jump up to : Briggs, Helen ( 22 June 2009 ). `` Darth Vader star on cancer ''. BBC News. ^ Jump up to : `` USATODAY.com - Darth Vader battles ' dark side ' of arthritis ''. Retrieved 24 November 2014. Jump up ^ `` Darth Vader actor battles prostate cancer ''. Retrieved 24 November 2014. Jump up ^ `` Darth Vader star David Prowse Clear of Cancer ''. Daily Mirror. Retrieved 30 December 2010. Jump up ^ McPhee, Rod. `` Star Wars ' Darth Vader : I 'd have loved a part in the new film but I 'd forget my lines ''. Daily Mirror. Retrieved 29 November 2014. Jump up ^ Prowse, Dave. `` LATEST NEWS ''. The Official Dave Prowse Website. Retrieved 3 January 2015. Jump up ^ https://www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/darth-vader-actor-dave-prowse-13625362 Jump up ^ http://teamrock.com/news/2017-09-14/david-prowse-makes-his-final-on-screen-appearance-in-music-video-for-jayce-lewis Jump up ^ http://www.nottinghampost.com/news/business/darth-vader-actor-dave-prowse-520317 Jump up ^ https://midlandsmetalheads.com/jayce-lewis-releases-new-album-details-and-video-featuring-final-screen-appearance-of-david-prowse-darth-vader/ Jump up ^ https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/darth-vader-actor-dave-prowse-934684 Jump up ^ https://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/films/863476/Star-Wars-Darth-Vader-David-Prowse-Dave-retire-early-health Jump up ^ https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/star-wars-actor-david-prowse-11300769 Jump up ^ `` No. 55710 ''. The London Gazette ( Supplement ). 30 December 1999. pp. 1 -- 38. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to David Prowse. Wikiquote has quotations related to : David Prowse Official website David Prowse on IMDb David Prowse at AllMovie David Prowse Biography Dave Prowse Interview at Sci-fi-online.com Review of Dave Prowse 's MP3 CD Autobiography at Sci-fi-online.com Interview with Dave Prowse at The-void.co.uk Dave Prowse Interview at Galaxiki.org ( April 2008 ) Travel Blog VIAF : 21697339 LCCN : no00102986 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=David_Prowse&oldid=833797988 '' Categories : 1935 births Living people 20th - century English male actors 21st - century English male actors People with cancer English bodybuilders English male film actors English male television actors English male weightlifters Members of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Bristol Grammar School Male actors from Bristol Cancer survivors Hidden categories : CS1 Spanish - language sources ( es ) Pages containing London Gazette template with parameter supp set to y EngvarB from September 2013 Use dmy dates from September 2013 Pages using infobox person with unknown parameters Articles with hCards Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikiquote Asturianu تۆرکجه Català Dansk Deutsch Español فارسی Français 한국어 Italiano עברית Latina Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Română Русский Simple English Suomi Svenska Türkçe 15 more Edit links This page was last edited on 2 April 2018, at 13 : 44. 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Question: who wore the darth vader costume in star wars
Answer: David Charles Prowse