David Charles Prowse, MBE (born 1 July 1935) is an English bodybuilder, weightlifter and character actor in British film and television. Worldwide, he is best known for physically portraying Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy.
Dave Prowse MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire for his services to Charity and Road Safety) is better known as Darth Vader in the original 'Star Wars' trilogy, 'Star Wars' (1977), 'The Empire Strikes Back'(1980) and 'Return of the Jedi' (1983). Born into a working class family in Bristol, as a teenager, Dave had a passion for bodybuilding and weightlifting during which time he was friends with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferigno (the Incredible Hulk).Before Darth Vader, in 1970, Dave was the 'Green Cross Code Man' a children's role model created by the National Road Safety Committee. Having pursued an acting career in movies from the late 1960s, including movies, 'Casino Royale' (1967) and 'A Clockwork Orange'' (1971) followed by several Hammer Films, as Frankenstein's Monster - naturally,Dave was on hand to beef up Christopher Reeve for his role in 'Superman' (1978). This interview is revealing as Dave recounts his Darth Vader experiences including ,the controversy of his voice being dubbed by James Earl Jones and his fragile relationship with George Lucas.
