David Prowse is one of those actors whom everyone has seen...sort of...but few people know.
A bodybuilder and weightlifter, the 6'6 actor was most famous for being the physical presence of Darth Vader. In England he was also known as the Green Crossing Man for starring in a series of PSAs designed to teach little kids to wait for the light when crossing the road.
Prowse is often forgotten. His face was hidden by a mask and his voice was replaced (without telling him at the time) by James Earl Jones. But his incredible physicality and control defined the intimidating body language. He was, in fact, given a choice when he auditioned...in an alternate reality he was Chewbacca, but he didn't want to deal with the fursuit. I don't entirely blame him, they didn't have cooling vests back then! Also, "Everyone remembers the villain, George."
(But I'd watch that alternate Star Wars).
Of course, everyone also remembers Chewbacca. And we remember Darth by his voice...although in the end, Prowse apparently agreed with that decision. Despite this there was a feud between him and Lucas that resulted in him being banned from official events. (He turned round and engaged with a fan community often neglected by Lucas and, due to the fact that he was already in disgrace, was involved in a number of fan films).
Oh, and as well as being an actor he played a behind-the-scenes role that is often forgotten: He trained actors who needed to bulk up quickly for a role, including Christopher Reeve.
I'm envisioning the Vader hand twist, which I suspect was all Prowse. He will be missed by a fan community that was in the end more welcoming to him than the official world of Star Wars.
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