Mark Hamill

Mark Richard Hamill (; born September 25, 1951) is an American actor and writer. He is known for his role as Luke Skywalker in the ''Star Wars'' film series, beginning with the original 1977 film and subsequently winning three Saturn Awards for his performances in ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980), ''Return of the Jedi'' (1983), and ''The Last Jedi'' (2017). His other film appearances include ''Corvette Summer'' (1978) and ''The Big Red One'' (1980). Hamill has also appeared on stage in several theater productions, primarily during the 1980s.

He is a prolific voice actor who has portrayed characters in numerous animated television series, films and video games. Hamill is known for his long-standing role as the Joker in various DC Comics projects, commencing with '' Batman: The Animated Series'' (1992–1994). He has also voiced the Hobgoblin in ''Spider-Man'' (1994–1998), Fire Lord Ozai in ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' (2005–2008), and Skips in ''Regular Show'' (2010–2017).

Early life

Mark Richard Hamill was born on September 25, 1951, in Oakland, California, to Virginia Suzanne (''née'' Johnson) and William Thomas Hamill, a U.S. Navy Captain. He is one of seven children, having two brothers, Will and Patrick, and four sisters, Terry, Jan, Jeanie, and Kim. His father has English, Scottish, Irish, and Welsh ancestry and his mother was of half Swedish and half English descent. Hamill has described his father as a staunch Roman Catholic, and "Nixon Republican".

His father's changes of station and attendant family moves led to the Hamill children switching schools often. In his elementary years, he went to Walsingham Academy in Williamsburg, Virginia, and Edgar Allan Poe Middle School in Annandale, Virginia. At age 11, he moved to the 5900 block of Castleton Drive in San Diego, California, where he attended Hale Junior High School. During his first year at James Madison High School in San Diego, his family moved back to Virginia, and Hamill attended Annandale High School. By his junior year, his father was stationed in Japan, where Hamill attended and was a member of the Drama Club at Nile C. Kinnick High School, from which he graduated in 1969. He later enrolled at Los Angeles City College, majoring in drama.

Career

Beginnings

Hamill's early career included a recurring role on the soap opera ''General Hospital,'' and a starring role on the short-lived sitcom ''The Texas Wheelers''. He portrayed the oldest son, David, in the pilot episode of ''Eight Is Enough'', though the role was later performed by Grant Goodeve. He also had guest appearances on ''The Bill Cosby Show'', ''The Partridge Family,'' ''Room 222'' and '' One Day at a Time''. He appeared in multiple television films such as '' The City,'' and ''Sarah T. – Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic''.

''Star Wars''

Robert Englund was auditioning for a role in ''Apocalypse Now'' when he walked across the hall where auditions were taking place for George Lucas's ''Star Wars''. After watching the auditions for a while, he realized that Hamill, his friend, would be perfect for the role of Luke Skywalker. He suggested to Hamill that he audition for the role; as it turned out, Hamill's agent had already set up the audition that gave him the role.

Released in May 1977, ''Star Wars'' was an enormous, unexpected success and had a huge effect on the film industry. Hamill also appeared in the less-than-successful ''Star Wars Holiday Special'' in 1978 and later starred in the successful sequels ''The Empire Strikes Back'' and ''Return of the Jedi''. During the time between the first two films, Hamill was involved in a serious automobile accident, fracturing his nose and left cheekbone. False rumors spread that he required plastic surgery on his face. For both of the sequels, Hamill was honored with the Saturn Award for Best Actor given by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films.

Hamill reprised the role of Luke Skywalker for the radio dramatizations of both ''Star Wars'' and ''The Empire Strikes Back''. For the ''Return of the Jedi'' radio drama, the role was played by a different actor.

Editions of Joseph Campbell's ''The Hero with a Thousand Faces'' (which influenced Lucas as he was developing the films) issued after the release of ''Star Wars'' in 1977 used the image of Hamill as Luke Skywalker on the cover.

Hamill has appeared in several documentaries including ''The Making of Star Wars'' and '' Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy''. He also narrated the 1983 documentary, '' From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga''.

Hamill returned to the ''Star Wars'' universe in 2014, when he voiced the ancient Sith Lord Darth Bane, in the last episode of season 6 of the animated series '' The Clone Wars''. He was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for his performance.

With the acquisition of Lucasfilm by The Walt Disney Company, a Disney press release was announced that there would be more ''Star Wars'' films starting with ''The Force Awakens'', which was released on December 18, 2015. Initially, both Disney and Hamill were coy about whether Hamill would be a cast member of ''The Force Awakens''.Devin Leonard
"How Disney Bought Lucasfilm—and Its Plans for 'Star Wars'"
''Bloomberg Businessweek'', March 7, 2013. Retrieved May 26, 2013. It was reported that Hamill had been assigned a nutritionist and personal trainer to work with ahead of production. In September 2013, Hamill's friend Robert Englund confirmed that "they've got Mark in the gym because Mark's coming back as Luke Skywalker." Despite having top billing, Hamill only appears briefly at the end of the film (with no dialogue) in a cliffhanger set-up for the sequel.

Hamill played Skywalker again in '' Star Wars: The Last Jedi'', released on December 15, 2017. Hamill was initially critical of his own role in the film, stating that he and director Rian Johnson had "a fundamental difference" on Skywalker's characterization. Hamill later expressed regret for having made those statements, calling the film an "all-time great", and reprised his role as Skywalker again in '' Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker''.

Hamill also had brief vocal cameos as Dobbu Scay in ''The Last Jedi'', Boolio in ''The Rise of Skywalker'', EV-9D9 in fifth episode of ''The Mandalorian'' as well in ''Rogue One'', ''Solo: A Star Wars Story'' and ''The Force Awakens'' in undisclosed roles, for which he was credited as "William M. Patrick" and "Patrick Williams".

Hamill was digitally de-aged to reprise his role as Luke Skywalker in the Season 2 finale of ''The Mandalorian'' and the sixth chapter of the spin-off series ''The Book of Boba Fett''. He also appeared in ''Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian'' and ''The Book of Boba Fett''.

Other work

After the success of ''Star Wars'', Hamill found that audiences identified him very closely with the role of Luke Skywalker, after which he became a teen idol and appeared on teen magazine covers such as Tiger Beat and others. He attempted to avoid typecasting by appearing in the 1978 film ''Corvette Summer'' and the better-known 1980 World War II film ''The Big Red One''. In 1980, he also made a guest appearance on ''The Muppet Show,'' both as himself and as Luke Skywalker in ''The Stars of Star Wars''; this episode also starred C-3PO and R2-D2 who were along with him on a search for Chewbacca. Other film appearances around this time include ''The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia'' in 1981 and ''Britannia Hospital'' in 1982. To further distance himself from his early blockbuster role, Hamill started acting on Broadway, starring in plays such as ''The Elephant Man'' in 1979, ''Amadeus'' in 1983, ''Harrigan 'N Hart'' in 1985 (for which he received a Drama Desk Award nomination), ''Room Service'' in 1986 and '' The Nerd'' in 1987–88. When ''Amadeus'' was adapted to film in 1984, Hamill auditioned to reprise the role for the big screen but lost the part to Tom Hulce. A studio executive told the producers of the film, "I don't want Luke Skywalker in this film". He made television appearances in a 1986 episode of ''Amazing Stories'' and a 1987 episode of ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents''.

Hamill returned to film after a six-year hiatus with the 1989 science fiction film ''Slipstream.'' He continued to star in films throughout the 1990s, including in such films as the thriller '' Midnight Ride'', ''The Guyver'' in 1991, the 1995 remake of '' Village of the Damned,'' and the 1998 Swedish action film ''Hamilton''. Hamill appeared in the 2001 film ''Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back'' as the supervillain Cocknocker, a role which parodies both himself and roles he has played in the past.

He made guest appearances in two episodes as the Trickster in the live-action 1990 television series of ''The Flash''. He has made cameo appearances on ''MADtv'', where he played the estranged father of Ms. Swan, and appeared on ''Saturday Night Live'' playing himself being sold on a ''Star Wars''-themed home shopping sale. Hamill appeared in single episodes of '' 3rd Rock from the Sun'' in 1997, ''Just Shoot Me!'' in 1998 and in two episodes of ''seaQuest DSV'' in 1995 (as Tobias LeConte). He also appeared in the episode "Mind over Matter" of the 1995 television series '' The Outer Limits''.

When the ''Wing Commander'' series of computer games started using full motion video cut scenes, Hamill was cast as the series protagonist, Colonel Christopher Blair, a role he played in '' Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger'', '' Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom'' and '' Wing Commander: Prophecy''. In the 1999 ''Wing Commander'' film, set earlier in the series, the character was played by Freddie Prinze, Jr., although Hamill had a voice cameo. Hamill appears in ''Squadron 42'', the single player campaign from the ''Star Citizen'' computer game universe as Lieutenant Commander Steve "Old Man" Colton.

In 2003, Hamill starred in the two-hander play ''Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks'' as the acerbic dance instructor Michael Minetti. He played opposite Rue McClanahan for the season at the Coconut Grove Playhouse in Miami, and opposite Polly Bergen as the production moved on to Broadway.

Hamill also directed and starred in the 2004 direct-to-DVD '' Comic Book: The Movie''. A comic book fan who attended science fiction and comic conventions before he became famous, Hamill stated that his character was based on an exaggerated version of himself. He and his crew shot most of the "mockumentary" film during the 2002 San Diego Comic-Con and enlisted Stan Lee, Kevin Smith, Bruce Campbell and Hugh Hefner in small roles. The movie won an award for Best Live-Action DVD Premiere Movie at the 2005 DVD Exclusive Awards.

In 2011, Hamill appeared as a villain in the fifth season of the NBC series ''Chuck''.

Hamill also appeared in the television series ''Criminal Minds'' in the last two episodes of season eight as John Curtis, also known as "The Replicator", a serial killer who has been stalking the BAU team throughout the show's eighth season. He also made a guest appearance alongside George Takei on the season one finale of the ABC sitcom '' The Neighbors'' as Commandant Bill.

Hamill did not star in any live-action films for a number of years until 2011 when he starred in the Hungarian film ''Thelomeris'', on which he also served as a creative consultant. The film was the first mainstream science fiction film to be produced in Hungary.

The next year, Hamill starred in two more live-action films, British horror film ''Airborne'' and the small independent film '' Sushi Girl''. ''Airborne'' was met with a negative reception from critics and audiences. Hamill said in an interview that ''Sushi Girl'' was a great challenge for him as it took him out of his comfort zone since it was such a dark film. He did not accept the role until he got encouragement from his daughter, who said he would be crazy not to accept it.

In 2014, Hamill played James Arnold, an academic professor from Imperial College London and an expert in climate change, in the film '' Kingsman: The Secret Service''. In addition, he reprised his role as the Trickster on The CW's 2014 live-action series ''The Flash'', in the seventeenth episode of the first season, the ninth episode of the second season, and the ninth episode of the third season.

He starred in the 2018 film ''Con Man'', an independent film about the life of Barry Minkow, the famous con man. Hamill played Minkow's father, Robert Minkow.

Hamill appeared in second season of historical fiction drama series ''Knightfall'', premiered in 2019. His role is Master Talus, a veteran Templar who trains the initiates at the Chartres Temple.

He is set to make an appearance on the revival of ''The Kids in the Hall'', releasing on Amazon Prime Video on May 13, 2022.

Voice acting

General work

Hamill first did voice acting work in the early 1970s voicing the character Corey Anders on the Saturday morning cartoon '' Jeannie'' by Hanna-Barbera Productions. He later played Sean in the Ralph Bakshi film '' Wizards'', which was released just three months before ''Star Wars'' in 1977.

Though the voice role he is most known for is Batman's archenemy the Joker, his success as the Joker has led him to portray a wide variety of characters in television, film, anime, and video games (mostly similar super-villains).

Hamill was the voice of The Hobgoblin in the 1990s ''Spider-Man'' animated series, and his other Marvel superhero genre roles include the Gargoyle in the animated series of ''The Incredible Hulk'', Maximus in ''Fantastic Four'', Klaw in '' Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes'' and multiple characters in ''Ultimate Spider-Man''. Hamill voiced Solomon Grundy and Trickster in the DC animated universe series ''Justice League'' and ''Justice League Unlimited'', the murderous gangster Tony Zucco in ''The Batman'', an animated series unrelated to the various DC animated universe series. He voiced Spectre in an episode of '' Batman: The Brave and the Bold''.

Non-comic related television roles include the deranged shock jock anchorman Dr. Jak in ''Phantom 2040'', Principal John Smith in ''Totally Spies'' episode "Soul Collector", Christopher "Maverick" Blair in ''Wing Commander Academy'', the classic Walter Lantz character Buzz Buzzard in ''The New Woody Woodpecker Show'', the flamboyant robot Lawrance "Larry" 3000 in ''Time Squad'', the pirate Captain Stickybeard in '' Codename: Kids Next Door'', Fire Lord Ozai in ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'', the evil Skeleton King in ''Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!'', multiple roles in ''Metalocalypse'' and the groundskeeper Skips in ''Regular Show''. He also voiced himself in two episodes of the Disney animated series ''Pepper Ann''.

He guest-starred in ''The Simpsons'' episode "Mayored to the Mob" as himself. On the audio commentary of the episode, he says that he has been a fan of the show since it debuted in 1987 on ''The Tracy Ullman Show'' and that it was a personal thrill to work with Dan Castellaneta, the voice of Homer Simpson. He has also guest-starred in ''Family Guy'' and was also a recurring voice actor on Seth Green's '' Robot Chicken''.

Aside from voice acting on television, Hamill has starred in multiple animated films. Some of these roles include The Captain of the Guard in '' Sinbad: Beyond the Veil of Mists'', the biblical figure Judah in '' Joseph: King of Dreams'', the evil wolf Niju in '' Balto II: Wolf Quest'' and Chanukah Zombie in '' Futurama: Bender's Big Score''. Hamill has done voice acting in English dubs of two Studio Ghibli films. He voiced Colonel Muska in the second English-language version of '' Castle in the Sky'' and the Mayor of Pejite in ''Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind'', both directed by Hayao Miyazaki and distributed by Disney.

His video game voice roles include Detective Mosely in '' Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers'' and '' Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned'', Assistant Director Wilson in '' Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix'', Adrian Ripburger in the LucasArts game '' Full Throttle'', two installments of ''Crash Bandicoot'' series, Wolverine in '' X2: Wolverine's Revenge'', which was the tie-in game to the film '' X2'', Goro Majima in ''Yakuza'', Malefor The Dark Master in '' The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon'', The Watcher in ''Darksiders'', and Master Eraqus in '' Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep'' and ''Kingdom Hearts III''. The creator of Kingdom Hearts, Tetsuya Nomura, is a big fan of all of Hamill's work. There is also another character, Master Xehanort, who was originally voiced by Leonard Nimoy, the actor of Spock. Tetsuya Nomura stated that they wanted the two for the roles, as the two characters are rivals, referencing the rivalry between fans of ''Star Wars'' and fans of ''Star Trek''. After Nimoy died, he was replaced by Rutger Hauer for ''Kingdom Hearts III'', who in turn was replaced by Christopher Lloyd following his death for the ''Re Mind'' downloadable content, as Lloyd also appeared in ''Star Trek'' as Commander Kruge. He also narrated '' Call of Duty 2: Big Red One'', the title being a reference to the 1980 war film he starred in.

Hamill is credited as the narrator in ''Ancient Voices'', a 1999 series of documentaries on archaeology and ancient history produced by as a BBC
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