It is a day of great sorrow for fans of the Star Wars franchise worldwide. The original Darth Vader actor, David Prowse, after suffering from a short illness, has passed away at 85.
Memorials From Friends And Family On Social Media
Bowington Management broke the news on Sunday through an announcement on Twitter, “It’s with great regret and heart-wrenching sadness for us and million of fans around the world, to announce that our client DAVE PROWSE M.B.E. has passed away at the age of 85,” .
The British actor was best known for playing Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy, though it was James Earl who lent his voice for the character as Prowse’s West Country accent was deemed unsuitable for the role.
Jason Joiner, former events producer with Prowse, wrote on a fan Facebook page dedicated to the actor, “Dave was dedicated to meeting the fans for decades and lots of fans’ first ever guest they met was Dave in the early days of Comic Cons and collators’ events. Dave was larger than life and he will be so very much missed. Our love and thoughts go out to his family.”
Early Life And Career
Born in the southwest English city of Bristol on July 1, in the year 1935, Prowse started his career as a bodybuilder. He won the British heavyweight weightlifting championship thrice, and was also selected to represent England in Commonwealth Games in Perth, Australia, in1962.
His first appearance on screen was in the 1967 parody film, Casino Royale. But his ties with Hollywood began much earlier as the personal trainer of the late Christopher Reeves, on the sets of Superman.
Due to his well-built physique and a whopping 6’5″ height, he was mostly cast in roles of monsters and villains. But that was just his reel persona, in real life he has been called “a loving husband, father and grandfather” by those who knew him. Star Wars co-actor Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker, wrote on Twitter, “He was a kind man and much more than Darth Vader.”
However, the job he was most proud of was playing Green Cross Code Man for a public information campaign to spread awareness about road safety among children. Dressed in green and white, with the catchphrase of, “Stop, look and listen,” he is still remembered as the face of public road safety.
