Actors - David Prowse

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	Actors - David Prowse

David Prowse MBE (born July 1, 1935), often called Dave Prowse, is an English body-builder, weightlifter and actor who stands 6'7" (2 m) in height. He was born in Bristol, England.

Darth Vader

Prowse is most famous for playing the role of Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy, although Vader's voice was dubbed by James Earl Jones. Prowse claimed that he had prepared his lines to a professional standard and did not realize until the premiere that his voice would never be heard in the film series. This annoyed him greatly, but he found ways to turn his situation into a point of levity. In later productions, he would deliver joke versions of his lines during filming. George Lucas claimed that he never intended to use Prowse's voice in the trilogy.

During the making of Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, the major plot twist was a closely guarded secret. It was never printed in the script, and it was only revealed to Mark Hamill moments before the specific scene was filmed. However, as David Prowse's lines would be dubbed over anyway, it was apparently decided not to inform him of the dialogue. Once again, Prowse reportedly discovered this major element of his character upon viewing the film's premiere.

Prowse is said to have lobbied to be included in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, reprising his role as the fully-armoured Darth Vader, but his requests fell on deaf ears. There is anecdotal evidence from statements made by Hayden Christensen that he (Christensen) had to convince Lucas to use him instead of an anonymous actor. Perhaps partly in response to this, Prowse has developed the habit of signing his autographs "David Prowse IS Darth Vader".

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 2004 DVD documentary "Empire of Dreams" and the 2005 Vanity Fair cover.

Other roles

Within the United Kingdom, Prowse is also well-known as the Green Cross Code Man, as a result of his association with the Green Cross Code road safety campaign for children which ran between 1976 and 1990 and for which he received the MBE in 2000.

He had a role as a bodyguard in the 1971 film A Clockwork Orange
. 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.

Prowse played Frankenstein's Monster twice. First he 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.

Other activities

Prowse represented England in the weightlifting event at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Perth, Western Australia.

Prowse is married with three children. He helped train Christopher Reeve for the role of Superman. He is also a notable graduate of Bristol Grammar School. He is now the official leader of the 501st Legion, a fan group dedicated to Star Wars costuming.

In 1999, thieves broke into Prowse's home and stole the lightsaber prop he used in the Star Wars trilogy and several of his other possessions .

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for David Prowse ]

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