DAVID PROWSE Biography - Actors and Actresses

 
 

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DAVID PROWSE

Name: David Prowse                                                                     
Born: 1 July 1935 Bristol, England                                                     
                                                                                       
David "Dave" Prowse, MBE (born July 1, 1935 in Bristol) is an English                 
bodybuilder, weightlifter and actor, most widely known for his role as the             
physical form of Darth Vader. His peak height was at 6 ft 6.5 in (199 cm) and he       
weighed 265 lbs (120 kg). Prowse is a native of Bristol, where he attended             
Bristol Grammar School.                                                               
                                                                                       
Arguably, Prowse is best known for playing the physical form of Darth Vader in         
the original Star Wars trilogy. Although he spoke the dialogue during the             
production of the films, James Earl Jones overdubbed the character's voice in         
post-production, something for which Prowse bears some resentment towards Star         
Wars creator George Lucas, since he was never told that his voice was not going       
to be used . However, Lucas claims he wanted a 'darker voice' (Lucas                   
has stated that Darth Vader had to have a deep, reverberating voice) that Prowse       
could not provide and never intended to use Prowse's voice. In the 2004               
documentary, Empire of Dreams, actress Carrie Fisher, who played Princess Leia         
Organa in the original trilogy films, quipped that they nicknamed Prowse "Darth       
Farmer" because of his un-intimidating West Country accent. In the lightsaber         
battle scenes, Prowse's fencing coach Bob Anderson (who also taught the sword         
fighters in The Princess Bride and Lord Of The Rings) took his place as a stunt       
double.                                                                               
                                                                                       
To Prowse, the most annoying incident came during the filming of Star Wars             
Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, the major plot twist of which is the               
revelation of who Luke Skywalker's father is. In Star Wars Episode IV: A New           
Hope, Skywalker is told by Obi-Wan Kenobi that his father was betrayed and             
murdered by a young pupil named Darth Vader. However, in Episode V: The Empire         
Strikes Back, Vader himself reveals that he is actually Skywalker's father.           
According to director Irvin Kershner, the shooting script had a false page with       
Vader's dialogue implicating Kenobi as the murderer of Luke's father, but at the       
time, only he and producer Gary Kurtz were privy to the knowledge that Darth           
Vader and Luke's father were the same person. Moments before the scene was             
filmed, Mark Hamill, the actor playing Luke, was taken aside privately and told       
the truth by Kershner, who encouraged him to ignore the dialogue Prowse was           
speaking and "use your own rhythm compared to what he's doing." During filming,       
Prowse performed the false lines while the real lines were later spoken by James       
Earl Jones in post production - the majority of the cast, including Prowse, were       
not aware of this plot twist until the first screening of the finished film. In       
later years, Prowse claimed he would sometimes deliver joke versions of his           
lines in Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of       
the Jedi.                                                                             
                                                                                       
Prowse lobbied to be included in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith,           
reprising his role as the fully-armored Darth Vader, but his requests fell on         
deaf ears.                                                                             
                                                                                       
Prowse continues to associate himself with his role in the Star Wars films and         
is involved in the convention circuit. Despite this, he has not been included in       
recent reunions of the original cast, such as those for the Empire of Dreams           
documentary and the 2005 Vanity Fair cover.                                           
                                                                                       
Recently he played a small cameo role in Star Wars fanfilms "Order of the Sith:       
Vengeance" and its sequel "Downfall" - Order of the Sith - alongside Jeremy           
Bulloch and Michael Sheard. These fanfilms were made in England in support of         
Save the Children.                                                                     
                                                                                       
Within the United Kingdom, Prowse is also well-known as the Green Cross Code Man,     
a superhero invented to promote a British road safety campaign for children in         
1975. As a result of his association with the campaign which ran between 1971         
and 1990 he received the MBE in 2000. The video of the Green Cross Code can be         
found here.                                                                           
                                                                                       
David Prowse in an episode of the 1968 TV series The Champions                         
                                                                                       
He had a role as F. Alexander's bodyguard Julian in the 1971 film A Clockwork         
Orange, and as a circus strongman in 1972's Vampire Circus. He played the             
Minotaur in the 1972 Doctor Who serial The Time Monster, and had a small role as       
Hotblack Desiato's bodyguard in the 1981 BBC TV adaptation of The Hitchhiker's         
Guide to the Galaxy. He also appeared in the first series of The Tomorrow People       
on LWT and as a bodyguard in 'Callan'.                                                 
                                                                                       
Prowse played Frankenstein's monster thrice. He first appeared in Casino Royale.       
He then appeared in The Horror of Frankenstein in a more or less recognizable         
form. In Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell, he was heavily made up.               
                                                                                       
Prowse also made two uncredited appearances on The Benny Hill Show. On Hill's         
first show for Thames Television in 1969, he played a briefs-clad muscleman in         
the "Ye Olde Wishing Well" quickie, and in 1984 he showed off his muscles in a         
sketch set to the song "Stupid Cupid." The earlier routine was also featured in       
the 1974 movie The Best of Benny Hill, in which he was credited.                       
                                                                                       
In June 2006, he played the role of a cannibal gardener in a new English               
independent film called Perfect Woman produced by Olympus Productions Limited.