![]() While James Earl Jones will always be the most well known voice for Darth Vader, at least two other actors have been responsible for bringing the character’s voice to life. Virtually any time you see Darth Vader in a lightsaber duel in either The Empire Strikes Back or Return of the Jedi, it’s Anderson under the mask.ĭavid Prowse as Darth Vader and Jeremy Bulloch as Boba Fett in Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980). While he was uncredited for his work, Mark Hamill has spoken at length about wanting to make sure that Anderson be recognized for all of the work that he put into bringing the lightsaber fights to life. He did some work on the original Star Wars movie, but his involvement increased for the next two, where Anderson performed all of Darth Vader’s lightsaber fights in both movies. Anderson, who competed in the 1952 Olympic Games would go on to have a long career in Hollywood as a fight choreographer, and stuntman. Plus, when the Star Wars trilogy special editions were released in 1997, Jones was added to the credits for A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back as well, one of the most universally approved changes to the special editions.Īlso appearing as Darth Vader in the original trilogy is Olympic fencer Bob Anderson. While he may have felt this way personally, fans the world over disagreed, and James Earl Jones was finally credited for his performance as Darth Vader in Return of the Jedi. According to Jones, he only spent a day recording the lines for the movie, and he viewed his participation as more of a special effect for the movie rather than an acting job. When the movie was released, James Earl Jones actually wasn’t credited for his work on the movie, by his own request. These two would portray Darth Vader in all three movies of the original trilogy. Bodybuilder David Prowse wore the armor on set, while Vader’s dialogue was spoken by James Earl Jones. While there is a very obvious connection between the two, this is to see who all has worked to make the villain Darth Vader such an iconic one.ĭarth Vader first appeared in 1977, where he was portrayed by two actors. ![]() *Note: For this breakdown, we are only going to be looking at people who played Darth Vader, not Anakin Skywalker. But how many people have played the character before? Darth Vader first appeared in 1977, and since then there have been several people working to bring the character to life. Even people who have never seen a Star Wars movie are more than likely able to recognize the image of Darth Vader’s iconic helmet. #RIP Vader is undoubtedly one of the most iconic characters of all time. He loved his fans as much as they loved him. Actor-Husband-Father-Member of the Order of the British Empire-3 time British Weightlifting Champion & Safety Icon the Green Cross Code Man. He was a kind man & much more than Darth Vader. For his work as Green Cross Code Man, Prowse was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2000. He also famously portrayed Green Cross Code Man, a character used in UK road safety advertising aimed at children. Outside of Star Wars, Prowse played Frankenstein in three different movies, and helped train Christopher Reeve for 1978’s Superman. David was up for anything and contributed to the success of what would become a memorable, tragic figure. “He made Vader leap off the page and on to the big screen, with an imposing stature and movement performance to match the intensity and undercurrent of Vader’s presence. “David brought a physicality to Darth Vader that was essential for the character,” Lucas said. Lucas nonetheless penned a heartfelt tribute for Prowse upon hearing news of his passing. After Prowse went public to complain about the lack of residuals he received from the film, Lucas permanently banned him from attending Star Wars fan convention in 2010. He also played a cameo role in the Star Wars fan films Order of the Sith: Vengeance and Downfall – Order of the Sith.Īll the while, Prowse and Lucas continued to butt heads in the press. Prowse later reprised his role of Darth Vader for the video games Star Wars: The Interactive Video Board Game and Monopoly Star Wars. Lucas also replaced Prowse in the light saber fight scene between Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker, opting instead to use the film’s fight choreographer. ![]() But Lucas instead cast fellow British actor Sebastian Shaw for the role. In particular, Prowse claimed he was originally told that he would be seen at the end of Return of the Jedi when Vader’s mask was removed. Following 1983’s Return of the Jedi, Prowse and Lucas had a falling out after the director made a series of decisions limiting Prowse’s involvement in the film. ![]()
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