Peter Mayhew - wikipedia Peter Mayhew For other people named Peter Mayhew, see Peter Mayhew ( disambiguation ). This article 's lead section does not adequately summarize key points of its contents. Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of all important aspects of the article. Please discuss this issue on the article 's talk page. ( January 2015 ) Peter Mayhew Mayhew at the Florida SuperCon, June 2015 ( 1944 - 05 - 19 ) 19 May 1944 ( age 73 ) Barnes, London, England Residence Boyd, Texas, US Nationality British, American Occupation Actor Years active 1976 -- present Known for Playing Chewbacca in the Star Wars franchise Height 7 ft 3 in ( 221 cm ) Spouse ( s ) Angie Luker ( 1999 -- present ) Peter Mayhew ( born 19 May 1944 ) is an English - American actor who is best known for playing Chewbacca in the Star Wars film series. Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 2.1 Early work 2.2 Chewbacca 2.3 Other work 2.4 Books 3 Personal life 4 Filmography 4.1 Film 4.2 Television 5 References 6 External links Early life Mayhew was born on 19 May 1944 in Barnes, South West London, where he was also raised. His height is not a product of gigantism -- `` I do n't have the big head '' -- but of a connective tissue disorder called Marfan syndrome. His peak height was 7 feet 3 inches ( 221 cm ). Career Early work Mayhew got his first acting job in 1976 when the producers of Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger discovered him from a photograph in a newspaper article about men with large feet, and cast him in the role of the minotaur. Chewbacca Mayhew at the Big Apple Con, 14 November 2008, sitting in front of an image of his most famous role as Chewbacca When casting his first Star Wars film, producer George Lucas needed a tall actor who could fit the role of the hairy alien Chewbacca. He originally had in mind 6 - foot - 6 - inch ( 1.98 m ) bodybuilder David Prowse, but instead Prowse chose to play Darth Vader. This led Lucas on a search which turned up Mayhew, who was working as an orderly and says that all he had to do to be cast in the role of Chewbacca was stand up. Mayhew has played Chewbacca in five Star Wars films : the original trilogy ( Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi ), Star Wars : Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars : The Force Awakens. He played the role in the 1978 television film Star Wars Holiday Special and in an appearance on The Muppet Show. He also recorded dialogue for the Star Wars : The Clone Wars Season 3 finale episode `` Wookiee Hunt ''. Mayhew plays the role in commercials and in hospital appearances for sick children and has made numerous appearances as Chewbacca outside the Star Wars films. Mayhew as Chewbacca was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the MTV Film Awards 1997. He was additionally honoured at the release of the new PlayStation Portable where he dressed as Chewbacca and held up the new PSP slim version. He has made other media appearances without the Chewbacca costume. He appeared on NBC 's Identity, where his identity was based on the fact that he played Chewbacca and was a frequent guest in the early days of Slice of SciFi. While Mayhew portrayed Chewbacca in Star Wars : The Force Awakens, he was not in Star Wars : The Last Jedi. Mayhew retired from playing Chewbacca due to health issues. Joonas Suotamo, who split time with Mayhew on Star Wars : The Force Awakens, took over portraying Chewbacca. Other work Outside Star Wars, Mayhew has appeared in the 1978 horror film Terror, directed by Norman J. Warren. In the English version of Dragon Ball GT : A Hero 's Legacy, he provided the voice for Susha. He also appeared in Yesterday Was a Lie. Books Mayhew has written two books for younger audience : `` Growing Up Giant '' which explains that being different is a strength instead of a weakness and anti-bullying book for children `` My Favorite Giant ''. Personal life Mayhew lives in Boyd, Texas and is a business owner. He became a naturalised citizen of the United States in 2005 at a ceremony in Arlington, Texas. In an interview with the Fort Worth Star - Telegram he joked that he did not get a medal at this ceremony either, a reference to the Star Wars scene in which Luke and Han get medals but Chewbacca does not. Mayhew noted in an MTV interview that although Chewbacca does not get a medal in the film, he does get the last line, when he roars. Mayhew underwent double knee replacement surgery in 2013. In January 2015, Mayhew was briefly hospitalised near his home in Texas, due to a bout of pneumonia. Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes Ref. 1977 Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger Minotaur Uncredited Star Wars Chewbacca 1978 Terror The Mechanic 1980 The Empire Strikes Back Chewbacca 1982 Return of the Ewok Video short Return of the Jedi Star Tours Short, uncredited Comic Book : The Movie Himself 2005 Star Wars : Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith Chewbacca 2008 Yesterday Was a Lie Dead Man 2015 Star Wars : The Force Awakens Chewbacca Shared role with Joonas Suotamo Television Year Title Role Notes 1977 Donny & Marie Chewbacca Episode # 3.1 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special TV Special 1980 The Muppet Show Episode : The Stars of Star Wars 1981 Dark Towers The Tall Knight 5 episodes 1985 The Kenny Everett Television Show Various Episode # 3.3 2011 Star Wars : The Clone Wars Chewbacca Episode : Wookiee Hunt, voice Glee Episode : Extraordinary Merry Christmas References ^ Jump up to : `` Entertainment ''. Washington ( PA ) Observer - Reporter. 19 May 2009. p. C6. Jump up ^ Karl Quinn ( 12 April 2014 ). `` Star Wars actor Peter Mayhew in Melbourne for Supernova fan convention ''. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 April 2014. Jump up ^ Vankin, Jonathan ( 20 January 2015 ). `` ' Star Wars ' actor, Peter ' Chewbacca ' Mayhew, 70, stricken with pneumonia -- sends fans message from hospital ''. Inquisitr. Retrieved 21 December 2015. Jump up ^ `` Peter Mayhew ''. Petermayhew.com. Archived from the original on 10 May 2008. ^ Jump up to : Clark, Mark ( 2015 ). Star Wars FAQ : Everything Left to Know About the Trilogy That Changed the Movies. Applause Theatre & Cinema Books. ISBN 978 - 1480360181. Jump up ^ Hutchinson, Sean ( 19 May 2015 ). `` 15 Chewbacca Facts in Honour of Peter Mayhew 's Birthday ''. Mental Floss. Retrieved 21 December 2015. ^ Jump up to : Ben Child ( 8 April 2014 ). `` Original Chewbacca actor set to return in Star Wars : Episode VII ''. The Guardian. Retrieved 22 May 2016. Jump up ^ Remaking Wookiee : Chewbacca Becomes a Character on ' Star Wars : The Clone Wars ', retrieved 31 May 2011 Jump up ^ The Clone Wars Episode Guide : Wookiee Hunt, StarWars.com, retrieved 1 April 2011 Jump up ^ Rebecca Hawkes ( 6 January 2016 ). `` The ' secret ' Chewbacca : meet the 6'11 '' basketball star who shared the role with Peter Mayhew in Star Wars : The Force Awakens ``. The Telegraph. Retrieved 11 June 2017. Jump up ^ http://movieweb.com/star-wars-force-awakens-chewbacca-actor-joonas-suotamo/ ^ Jump up to : Martin Chilton ( 4 May 2011 ). `` Ewoks, sex dolls and comedy : what happened to the Star Wars cast ''. The Telegraph. Retrieved 11 June 2017. Jump up ^ Peter Mayhew ; Angie Mayhew ( 19 November 2013 ). My Favorite Giant. One Mans Posse Production. ISBN 978 - 1 - 62098 - 826 - 8. Jump up ^ My Favorite Giant by Peter Mayhew ( Chewbacca ), by Carrie Goldman Jump up ^ Malone, Megan ( 9 February 2012 ). `` Chewbacca Making Dallas - Area Appearances '' NBC 5 Dallas - Fort Worth ``. KXAS - TV. Jump up ^ `` Star Wars actor who played Chewbacca to become American citizen ''. The Canadian Press. 12 October 2005. p. 16. Jump up ^ `` ' Star Wars ' actor, others pledge their allegiance '', Fort Worth Star - Telegram, People Watch, Metro Section, page B2, 18 October 2005. Jump up ^ `` Wookie knee repair : ' Star Wars ' actor Peter Mayhew hopes to walk again after Fort Worth surgery ''. The Dallas Morning News. 11 September 2013 Jump up ^ Sacks, Ethan ( 19 January 2015 ). `` ' Star Wars ' star Peter Mayhew hospitalized for pneumonia : report ``. Daily News ( New York ). Jump up ^ Parker, Ryan ( 19 January 2015 ). `` ' Star Wars ' actor Peter Mayhew hospitalized with pneumonia ``. Los Angeles Times. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Peter Mayhew. Wikiquote has quotations related to : Peter Mayhew Peter Mayhew on IMDb Star Wars bio Interview with Peter Mayhew on Slice of SciFi ( starts at 36 : 55 of show ) Interview with Peter Mayhew on Monster Island News VIAF : 315534422 LCCN : no97051934 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Peter_Mayhew&oldid=816006219 '' Categories : 1944 births English male film actors English emigrants to the United States English male television actors English male voice actors Living people People from Barnes, London 20th - century English male actors 21st - century English male actors Male actors from London Star Wars people Hidden categories : EngvarB from November 2017 Use dmy dates from November 2017 Wikipedia introduction cleanup from January 2015 All pages needing cleanup Articles covered by WikiProject Wikify from January 2015 All articles covered by WikiProject Wikify Articles with hCards Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikiquote Aragonés Български Català Dansk Deutsch Español فارسی Français 한국어 Bahasa Indonesia Italiano ქართული Latina Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Русский Simple English Suomi Svenska Türkçe Українська Edit links This page was last edited on 18 December 2017, at 17 : 04. 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Question: who played chewbacca in the original star wars movies
Answer: Peter Mayhew