David Prowse, major actor who played Darth Vader in Star Wars, dies at 85

David Prowse, the imposing actor who terrified generations of moviegoers playing Darth Vader in the three original Star Wars trilogies, has died at the age of 85.

He died of a short illness, his agent Thomas Bowington confirmed to NBC News on Sunday morning.

“A constant source of inspiration, encouragement and kindness. A truly and deeply heartbreaking loss for us and millions of fans around the world!” Bowington said in a statement.

“A loving husband, father and grandfather. May the force be with him, always!”

Prowse didn’t provide Vader’s voice – it was James Earl Jones – but his muscular 6-foot-6 frame became the epitome of one of cinema’s big bad guys.

Born in Bristol, England, in 1935, Prowse was a competitive weightlifter before entering showbusiness, winning the British Heavyweight Lifting Championship three years in a row starting in 1962. His bodybuilding prowess led him to to become a personal trainer for various screen stars, including Christopher Reeve while preparing for “Superman.”

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Prowse had several minor acting roles as monsters and tough guys before his breakup came thanks to Stanley Kubrick’s controversial and ultra-violent 1971 ‘A Clockwork Orange’, in which he played a bodyguard. . He was also well known to British children in the 1970s as the face of a televised road safety campaign – which earned him an MBE, a civil honor bestowed by the royal family to recognize contributions to public life.

As a child, Dave Prowse could not be more famous to me; hunt down the halls as evil embodied in the role of Darth Vader and prevent a whole generation of kids from being broke in the streets as the code man of the Green Cross. Rest in peace, the best of Bristol. https://t.co/VYdxM37JWb

– edgarwright (@edgarwright) November 29, 2020

But her most memorable role came when George Lucas was a cast in “Star Wars: A New Hope” in 1977.

“George said he could get me two parts – the first was a hairy gorilla called Chewbacca,” Prowse told the Bristol Post on a trip to his hometown in 2009.

“I said I wasn’t too interested because I didn’t want to wear a mask – I wanted to play a role where people could see my face.

“He said the other party was the central villain and I said to him, ‘That will do.’ But I never realized the villain would wear a mask too!”

Prowse traveled the world visiting fan conventions for 40 years, until his retirement from public life in 2016 due to health issues.