Peter Mayhew
Born 19 May 1944 Barnes, Richmond upon Thames, England, United Kingdom
Died 30 April 2019 (aged 74) Boyd, Texas, U.S. Nationality BritishAmerican
Occupation Actor, author Years active 1976–2018 Known for Playing Chewbacca in the Star Wars franchise
Peter William Mayhew (19 May 1944 – 30 April 2019) was 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.
Peter Mayhew was born on 19 May 1944 in London and was raised in Barnes, Surrey. His height was not a product of gigantism; “I don’t have the big head”, Mayhew said when asked about the cause of his height. His peak height was 7 feet 3 inches (2.21 m). 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.
Star Wars When casting his first Star Wars film, creator 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 David Prowse, but Prowse chose to play Darth Vader. This led Lucas on a search in which he discovered Mayhew, who was working as an orderly in the radiology department of King’s College Hospital, London,[8] 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.[9] He played the role in the 1978 television film Star Wars Holiday Special and in a 1980 appearance on The Muppet Show. He also recorded dialogue for the Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 3 finale episode “Wookiee Hunt”.
Mayhew played the role in commercials and hospital appearances for sick children, and made numerous appearances as Chewbacca outside the Star Wars films. Mayhew, appearing 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 also made other media appearances outside of playing Chewbacca. 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’. 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. Other work Outside Star Wars, Mayhew 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. Books Mayhew wrote two books for younger audience: Growing Up Giant, which explains that being different is a strength instead of a weakness, and the anti-bullying book for children My Favorite Giant. Personal life Mayhew lived with his wife Mary Angelique (“Angie”) in Boyd, Texas, and was a business owner. He became a naturalised citizen of the United States in 2005 at a ceremony in Arlington, Texas. 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 Skywalker and Han Solo 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. Mayhew underwent double knee replacement surgery in 2013.
In January 2015, Mayhew was briefly hospitalised near his home in Texas, due to a bout of pneumonia. In July 2018, Mayhew announced via Twitter that he had successfully undergone unspecified spinal surgery to improve his mobility, and was recovering. Mayhew died of a heart attack on 30 April 2019 at his home in Boyd, Texas, at the age of 74.
Filmography
1977 Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger Minoton Uncredited. Star Wars Chewbacca 1978 Terror The Mechanic 1980 The Empire Strikes Back Chewbacca 1982 Return of the Ewok Video short 1983 Return of the Jedi 1987 Star Tours Short, uncredited 2004 Dragon Ball GT: A Hero’s Legacy Susha Voice role; English dub 2004 Comic Book: The Movie Himself 2005 Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith Chewbacca 2008 Yesterday Was a Lie Dead Man 2015 Star Wars: The Force Awakens Chewbacca Shared role with Joonas Suotamo 2016 Killer Ink Uncle Clyde 2017 Star Wars: The Last Jedi N/A Chewbacca Consultant 2018 Solo: A Star Wars Story 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 Voice role; Episode: Wookiee Hunt Glee Episode: Extraordinary Merry Christmas
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