Peter Mayhew
Clash Royale CLAN TAG#URR8PPP | Peter Mayhew | |
|---|---|
 Mayhew in June 2015 | |
| Born | (1944-05-19) 19 May 1944 Barnes, Surrey, England |
| Residence | Boyd, Texas, U.S. |
| Nationality |
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| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Known for | Playing Chewbacca in the Star Wars franchise |
| Height | 2.21 m (7 ft 3 in) |
| Spouse(s) | Angie Luker (m. 1999) |
Peter Mayhew (born 19 May 1944)[1] is an English-American actor, best known for portraying Chewbacca in the Star Wars film series. He played the character in all of his live action appearances from the 1977 original to 2015's The Force Awakens before his retirement from the role.
Contents
1 Early life
2 Career
2.1 Early work
2.2 Other work
2.3 Books
3 Personal life
4 Filmography
4.1 Film
4.2 Television
5 References
6 External links
Early life
Mayhew was born on 19 May 1944 in Barnes, Surrey, where he was also raised.[1] His height is not a product of gigantism, "I don't have the big head", but of a connective tissue disorder called Marfan syndrome.[2][3] His peak height was 7 feet 3 inches (2.21 m).[4]
Career
Early work
Mayhew got his first acting job in 1976 when the producers of Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger discovered him from a photograph in a newspaper article about men with large feet, and cast him in the role of the minotaur.[5][6]
Mayhew at the Big Apple Con, 14 November 2008, sitting in front of an image of Chewbacca
When casting his first Star Wars film, producer George Lucas needed a tall actor who could fit the role of the hairy alien Chewbacca. He originally had in mind 6-foot-6-inch (1.98 m) bodybuilder Dave Prowse, but Prowse chose to play Darth Vader. This led Lucas on a search which turned up Mayhew, who was working as an orderly and said that all he had to do to be cast in the role of Chewbacca was stand up.[citation needed]
Mayhew has played Chewbacca in five Star Wars films: the original trilogy (Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi), Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars: The Force Awakens.[7] He played the role in the 1978 television film Star Wars Holiday Special and in an appearance on The Muppet Show. He also recorded dialogue for the Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 3 finale episode "Wookiee Hunt".[8][9]
Mayhew plays the role in commercials and hospital appearances for sick children and has made numerous appearances as Chewbacca outside the Star Wars films. Mayhew as Chewbacca was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the MTV Film Awards 1997. He was additionally honoured at the release of the new PlayStation Portable where he dressed as Chewbacca and held up the new PSP slim version.
He has made other media appearances without the Chewbacca costume. He appeared on NBC's Identity, where his identity was based on the fact that he played Chewbacca and was a frequent guest in the early days of Slice of SciFi.
While Mayhew portrayed Chewbacca in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, he was not in Star Wars: The Last Jedi but was listed in the credits as 'Chewbacca Consultant'.[10] Mayhew retired from playing Chewbacca due to health issues. Joonas Suotamo shared the portrayal of Chewbacca with Mayhew in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and then replaced him in subsequent Star Wars films.[11][12]
Other work
Outside Star Wars, Mayhew has appeared in the 1978 horror film Terror, directed by Norman J. Warren. In the English version of Dragon Ball GT: A Hero's Legacy, he provided the voice for Susha. He also appeared in Yesterday Was a Lie.[13]
Books
Mayhew has written two books for younger audience: Growing Up Giant[14] which explains that being different is a strength instead of a weakness and anti-bullying book for children My Favorite Giant.[15]
Personal life
Mayhew lives with his wife Mary Angela ("Angie") in Boyd, Texas[16] and is a business owner. He became a naturalised citizen of the United States in 2005 at a ceremony in Arlington, Texas.[17][18] In an interview with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram he joked that he did not get a medal at this ceremony either, a reference to the Star Wars scene in which Luke and Han get medals but Chewbacca does not. Mayhew noted in an MTV interview that although Chewbacca does not get a medal in the film, he does get the last line, when he roars.[19]
Mayhew underwent double knee replacement surgery in 2013.[20] In January 2015, Mayhew was briefly hospitalised near his home in Texas, due to a bout of pneumonia.[21][22] In July 2018, Mayhew announced via Twitter that he had successfully undergone unspecified spinal surgery to improve his mobility, and is currently recovering.[23]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger | Minoton | Uncredited | [5] |
Star Wars | Chewbacca | [7] | ||
| 1978 | Terror | The Mechanic | ||
| 1980 | The Empire Strikes Back | Chewbacca | [7] | |
| 1982 | Return of the Ewok | Video short | ||
| 1983 | Return of the Jedi | [7] | ||
| 1987 | Star Tours | Short, uncredited | ||
| 2004 | Comic Book: The Movie | Himself | ||
| 2005 | Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith | Chewbacca | [7] | |
| 2008 | Yesterday Was a Lie | Dead Man | [13] | |
| 2015 | Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens | Chewbacca | Shared role with Joonas Suotamo | [7] |
| 2017 | Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi | N/A | Chewbacca Consultant | [10] |
| 2018 | Solo: A Star Wars Story | N/A | [24] |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Donny & Marie | Chewbacca | Episode # 3.1 |
| 1978 | Star Wars Holiday Special | TV Special | |
| 1980 | The Muppet Show | Episode: The Stars of Star Wars | |
| 1981 | Dark Towers | The Tall Knight | 5 episodes |
| 1985 | The Kenny Everett Television Show | Various | Episode #3.3 |
| 2011 | Star Wars: The Clone Wars | Chewbacca | Episode: Wookiee Hunt, voice |
Glee | Episode: Extraordinary Merry Christmas |
References
^ ab "Entertainment". Observer–Reporter. 19 May 2009. p. C6..mw-parser-output cite.citationfont-style:inherit.mw-parser-output qquotes:"""""""'""'".mw-parser-output code.cs1-codecolor:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registrationcolor:#555.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration spanborder-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-errordisplay:none;font-size:100%.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-errorfont-size:100%.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-formatfont-size:95%.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-leftpadding-left:0.2em.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-rightpadding-right:0.2em
^ Quinn, Karl (12 April 2014). "Star Wars actor Peter Mayhew in Melbourne for Supernova fan convention". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
^ Vankin, Jonathan (20 January 2015). "'Star Wars' actor, Peter 'Chewbacca' Mayhew, 70, stricken with pneumonia – sends fans message from hospital". Inquisitr. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
^ "Peter Mayhew". PeterMayhew.com. Archived from the original on 10 May 2008.
^ ab Clark, Mark (2015). Star Wars FAQ: Everything Left to Know About the Trilogy That Changed the Movies. Applause Theatre & Cinema Books. ISBN 978-1-48036-018-1.
^ Hutchinson, Sean (19 May 2015). "15 Chewbacca Facts in Honour of Peter Mayhew's Birthday". Mental Floss. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
^ abcdef Child, Ben (8 April 2014). "Original Chewbacca actor set to return in Star Wars: Episode VII". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
^ "Remaking Wookiee: Chewbacca Becomes a Character on 'Star Wars: The Clone Wars'". The New York Times. 17 February 2011. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
^ "The Clone Wars Episode Guide: Wookiee Hunt". StarWars.com. Retrieved 1 April 2011.
^ ab "Star Wars: The Last Jedi - full credits". IMDb. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
^ Hawkes, Rebecca (6 January 2016). "The 'secret' Chewbacca: meet the 6'11" basketball star who shared the role with Peter Mayhew in Star Wars: The Force Awakens". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
^ Orange, B. Alan (6 January 2016). "Meet The New Chewbacca Actor in Star Wars: The Force Awakens". MovieWeb. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
^ ab Chilton, Martin (4 May 2011). "Ewoks, sex dolls and comedy: what happened to the Star Wars cast". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
^ Mayhew, Peter; Mayhew, Angie (19 November 2013). My Favorite Giant. One Mans Posse Production. ISBN 978-1-62098-826-8.
^ Goldman, Carrie (22 April 2011). "My Favorite Giant by Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca)". ChicagoNow. Archived from the original on 30 June 2017. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
^ Malone, Megan (8 February 2012). "Chewbacca Making Dallas-Area Appearances". KXAS-TV. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
^ "Star Wars actor who played Chewbacca to become American citizen". The Canadian Press. 12 October 2005. p. 16.
^ "Chewbacca actor to become an American". Today. 14 October 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
^ "'Star Wars' actor, others pledge their allegiance". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. 18 October 2005. p. B2.
^ "Wookie knee repair: 'Star Wars' actor Peter Mayhew hopes to walk again after Fort Worth surgery". The Dallas Morning News. 11 September 2013. Archived from the original on 6 April 2014. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
^ Sacks, Ethan (19 January 2015). "'Star Wars' star Peter Mayhew hospitalized for pneumonia: report". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on 7 April 2015. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
^ Parker, Ryan (19 January 2015). "'Star Wars' actor Peter Mayhew hospitalized with pneumonia". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 10 April 2015. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
^ Parker, Ryan (24 July 2018). "'Star Wars': Chewbacca Actor Peter Mayhew Undergoes Spinal Surgery". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
^ Chichizola, Corey (15 May 2018). "The Advice Star Wars' Peter Mayhew Gave Solo's Chewbacca". CinemaBlend. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
External links
Peter Mayhewat Wikipedia's sister projects
Media from Wikimedia Commons
Quotations from Wikiquote
Data from Wikidata
Peter Mayhew on IMDb- Star Wars bio
Interview with Peter Mayhew on Slice of SciFi (starts at 36:55 of show)
Interview with Peter Mayhew on Monster Island News
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