Dave Prowse, actor of Star Wars' Darth Vader, holding a lightsaber.
Posted on by Victoria Rosenthal

This has been a sad week for Star Wars cast members and fans as they paid tribute to the actor behind pop culture’s most notorious yet beloved villain and father. 

Dave Prowse, the actor behind the Darth Vader mask and armor in the original “Star Wars” trilogy, passed away on Sunday at 85 years old. Actor James Earl Jones lent his voice to the character while Sebastian Shaw performed as Vader (Anakin Skywalker) when the character removes his helmet. 

Mark Hamill, who played the Sith Lord’s son, Luke Skywalker, remembered Prowse as “much more than Darth Vader”. “Actor-Husband-Father-Member of the Order of the British Empire-3 time British Weightlifting Champion & Safety Icon the Green Cross Code Man,” he tweeted. 

“Star Wars” creator George Lucas praised Prowse for his physicality, which was necessary for developing the menacing role. Lucas explained that the actor and bodybuilder, who towered 6 feet 6 inches and had a “strongman’s physique”, “contributed to the success of what would become a memorable, tragic figure.”

“He made Vader leap off the page and on to the big screen, with an imposing stature and movement performance to match the intensity and undercurrent of Vader’s presence,” Lucas said. 

Many fans remembered Prowse for the intimidating nature he gave to the iconic character. 

Meanwhile, others reminisced on his time playing the Green Cross Code Man, a superhero who taught children proper road safety in a UK campaign from 1971-1990. Prowse won the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2000 for making a positive impact from this performance. 

Fans honoured Prowse in his hometown of Bristol today by placing a 1-foot Darth Vader figurine on the plinth where the statue of slave trader Edward Colston once stood. Ralliers pulled the statue down and chucked it into the Bristol Harbour during a Black Lives Matter protest in June. 

Before this, Darth Vader fan David Moore created a petition on Monday to erect a statue of the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Fleet on the plinth. The Change.org petition has garnered 1,395 signatures out of its target of 1,500 in four days. 

Prowse also made his mark in the film industry through memorable roles in other popular movies, including “A Clockwork Orange” (1971), “The Tomorrow People” (1973) and numerous Hammer House of Horror films.

Feature Image Credit: mehmeturgut/CC BY-NC-ND-3.0