Peter William Mayhew
(19 May 1944 – 30 April 2019) was a British-American actor. He was best known for portraying
Chewbacca
Chewbacca ( ), nicknamed "Chewie", is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He is a Wookiee, a tall, hirsute, bipedal, intelligent species originating from the fictional planet of Kashyyyk. Chewbacca is the loyal friend and firs ...
in the ''
Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
''
film series A film series or movie series (also referred to as a film franchise or movie franchise) is a collection of related films in succession that share the same fictional universe, or are marketed as a series.
This article explains what film series are ...
. He played the character in all of his live-action appearances from the
1977 original to 2015's ''
The Force Awakens
''Star Wars: The Force Awakens'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens'') is a 2015 American epic space opera film produced, co-written, and directed by J. J. Abrams. The sequel to '' Return of the Jedi'' (198 ...
'' before his retirement from the role.
Early life
Peter Mayhew was born on 19 May 1944, in
Barnes
Barnes may refer to:
People
* Barnes (name), a family name and a given name (includes lists of people with that name)
Places
United Kingdom
*Barnes, London, England
**Barnes railway station
** Barnes Bridge railway station
** Barnes Railway Bri ...
,
Surrey
Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
. At the age of 8, he was diagnosed with
gigantism
Gigantism ( el, γίγας, ''gígas'', "giant", plural γίγαντες, ''gígantes''), also known as giantism, is a condition characterized by excessive growth and height significantly above average. In humans, this condition is caused by ove ...
. Some news outlets have mistakenly reported that he either "
idnot have gigantism" or that he had
Marfan syndrome. His peak height was .
Career
Early work
Mayhew gained his first acting job when the producers of ''
Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger
''Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger'' is a 1977 fantasy film directed by Sam Wanamaker and featuring stop-motion effects by Ray Harryhausen. The film stars Patrick Wayne, Taryn Power, Jane Seymour and Patrick Troughton. The third and final ''Sin ...
'' (1977) discovered him from a photograph in a newspaper article about men with large feet, and cast him in the role of the Minoton.
''Star Wars''
When casting the original ''
Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
'' (1977), director
George Lucas
George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker. Lucas is best known for creating the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founding Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairm ...
needed a tall actor who could fit the role of the hairy alien Chewbacca. He originally had in mind bodybuilder
David Prowse
David Charles Prowse (1 July 1935 – 28 November 2020) was an English actor, bodybuilder and weightlifter. He portrayed Darth Vader (voiced by American actor James Earl Jones) in the original ''Star Wars'' trilogy and a manservant in Stanle ...
, but Prowse chose to play
Darth Vader
Darth Vader is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. The character is the central antagonist of the original trilogy and, as Anakin Skywalker, is one of the main protagonists in the prequel trilogy. ''Star Wars'' creator George ...
. This led Lucas to cast Mayhew, who was working as an
orderly
In healthcare, an orderly (also known as a ward assistant, nurse assistant or healthcare assistant) is a hospital attendant whose job consists of assisting medical and nursing staff with various nursing and medical interventions. The highest ro ...
in the A & E Dept Mayday University Hospital, Thornton Heath, Croydon. Surrey. He became aware of a casting call for ''Star Wars'' which was filming at
Elstree Studios
Elstree Studios is a generic term which can refer to several current and demolished British film studios and television studios based in or around the town of Borehamwood and village of Elstree in Hertfordshire, England. Production studios ha ...
in Hertfordshire.
The tall actor was immediately cast as Chewbacca after he stood up to greet Lucas.
Mayhew continued working as an orderly, at Mayday Hospital (now
Croydon University Hospital
Croydon University Hospital, known from 1923 to 2002 as Mayday Hospital and from 2002 to 2010 as Croydon Hospital, is a large NHS hospital in Thornton Heath in south London, England run by Croydon Health Services NHS Trust. It is a District Gen ...
), in between filming the original ''Star Wars'' trilogy.
Mayhew modelled his performance of Chewbacca after researching the behaviour of bears, monkeys and gorillas he saw at
London Zoo.
[ ] Lucas said Mayhew was "the closest any human being could be to a
Wookiee
Wookiees () are fictional humanoid aliens in the ''Star Wars'' universe, native to the forest planet Kashyyyk. They are distinguished from humans by their gigantism, hirsutism, and physical strength. The most prominent Wookiee is Chewbacca, c ...
: big heart, gentle nature and I learnt to always let him win".
The character did not have any lines, the sounds he made being derived from sound recordings of animal noises.
Mayhew played Chewbacca in five ''Star Wars'' films: the
original trilogy
The original ''Star Wars'' trilogy, formerly marketed as the ''Star Wars'' Trilogy (and colloquially referred to as the 'original trilogy'), is the first set of three films produced in the ''Star Wars'' franchise, an American space opera cre ...
(''
Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
'', ''
The Empire Strikes Back
''The Empire Strikes Back'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back'') is a 1980 American epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner from a screenplay by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, based on a stor ...
'' and ''
Return of the Jedi
''Return of the Jedi'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi'' is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand. The screenplay is by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas from a story by Lucas, who ...
''), ''
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith'' and ''
Star Wars: The Force Awakens''.
He played the role in the 1978 television film ''
Star Wars Holiday Special
The ''Star Wars Holiday Special'' is a 1978 American television special that originally aired on November 17, 1978, on CBS. It is set in the universe of the sci-fi-based ''Star Wars'' media franchise. Directed by Steve Binder, it was the first ...
'' and in a 1980 appearance on ''
The Muppet Show
''The Muppet Show'' is a sketch comedy television series created by Jim Henson and featuring the Muppets. The series originated as two pilot episodes produced by Henson for ABC in 1974 and 1975. While neither episode was moved forward as a s ...
''. He also recorded dialogue for the ''
Star Wars: The Clone Wars''
Season 3
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In tempera ...
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 also made other media appearances outside of playing Chewbacca. He appeared on
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
's ''
Identity
Identity may refer to:
* Identity document
* Identity (philosophy)
* Identity (social science)
* Identity (mathematics)
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* ''Identity'' (1987 film), an Iranian film
* ''Identity'' (2003 film), ...
'', 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
Joonas Viljami Suotamo (; born 3 October 1986) is a Finnish actor and former professional basketball player. He is best known for his role as Chewbacca in the '' Star Wars'' saga, taking over the role from Peter Mayhew, first as a body double, w ...
shared the portrayal of Chewbacca with Mayhew in ''Star Wars: The Force Awakens'', and then completely 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
Norman John Warren (25 June 1942 – 11 March 2021) was an English film director best known for such 1970s horror films as '' Satan's Slave'' (1976), ''Prey'' (1977) and '' Terror'' (1978). Warren is also known for sex comedies such as '' Oute ...
.
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
''Yesterday Was a Lie'' is a 2008 neo-noir film written and directed by James Kerwin and starring Kipleigh Brown, Chase Masterson, John Newton, and Mik Scriba. In publicity materials, the film has been described as a combination of science fanta ...
''.
Books
Mayhew wrote two books for younger audiences: ''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 and death
Peter Mayhew married Mary Angelique "Angie" Luker (née Cigainero), a native of
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
, in 1999.
The two lived in
Boyd Boyd may refer to:
Places Canada
* Boyd Conservation Area, a conservation area located northwest of Toronto, Ontario
* Boyd Lake (disambiguation)
United States
* Boyd County (disambiguation)
* Boyd, Indiana
* Boyd, Iowa
* Boyd, Kansas
* B ...
,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
. Peter was the stepfather to Mary's three children. It was reported that his wife would head his namesake charity, the Peter Mayhew Foundation.
Mayhew became a
naturalised
Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-citizen of a country may acquire citizenship or nationality of that country. It may be done automatically by a statute, i.e., without any effort on the part of the i ...
citizen of the United States in 2005 at a ceremony in
Arlington, Texas
Arlington is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, located in Tarrant County. It forms part of the Mid-Cities region of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area, and is a principal city of the metropolis and region. ...
. In an interview with the ''
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
The ''Fort Worth Star-Telegram'' is an American daily newspaper serving Fort Worth and Tarrant County, the western half of the North Texas area known as the Metroplex. It is owned by The McClatchy Company.
History
In May 1905, Amon G. Carter acc ...
'', he joked that he did not get a medal at this ceremony either, a reference to the closing scene in ''Star Wars'' during which
Luke Skywalker
Luke Skywalker is a fictional character and the protagonist of the original film trilogy of the ''Star Wars'' franchise created by George Lucas. Portrayed by Mark Hamill, Luke first appeared in ''Star Wars'' (1977), and he returned in ''The ...
and
Han Solo
Han Solo is a fictional character in the '' Star Wars'' franchise created by George Lucas. The character first appeared in the 1977 film '' Star Wars'' portrayed by Harrison Ford, who reprised his role in ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980) an ...
get medals, but Chewbacca does not. Mayhew noted in an
MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
interview that although Chewbacca does not get a medal in the film, he does have the last line of dialogue, when he roars.
Mayhew underwent double
knee replacement surgery in 2013, having been a full-time wheelchair user for the previous two years and still largely reliant on it at the time of filming ''The Force Awakens''.
In July 2018, Mayhew announced via
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
that he had successfully undergone unspecified spinal surgery to improve his mobility, and was recovering.
Mayhew died of a
heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...
on 30 April 2019, at his home in Boyd, Texas, three weeks before his 75th birthday.
He was buried in
Reno, Parker County, Texas
Reno is a city located in Parker County, Texas, United States (a small portion of the city extends into Tarrant County). As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 2,494.
Geography
Reno is located at 32°56'28" North, 97°35'0" W ...
, in Azleland Memorial Park and Mausoleum.
Filmography
Film
Television
See also
*
List of tallest people
This is a list of the tallest people, verified by the Guinness World Records or other reliable sources.
According to the Guinness World Records, the tallest human in recorded history was Robert Wadlow of the United States (1918–1940), wh ...
References
External links
*
''Star Wars'' bioInterview with Peter Mayhewon ''
Slice of SciFi
Slice may refer to:
*Cutting
Food and beverage
*A portion of bread, pizza, cake, or meat that is cut flat and thin:
:*Sliced bread
:*Pizza by the slice, a fast food dish
* Slice (drink), a line of fruit-flavored soft drinks
In Australia and Ne ...
'' (starts at 36:55 of show)
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mayhew, Peter
1944 births
2019 deaths
20th-century American male actors
20th-century English male actors
21st-century American male actors
21st-century English male actors
American male film actors
American male television actors
American male voice actors
English emigrants to the United States
English male film actors
English male television actors
English male voice actors
Male actors from London
People with acquired American citizenship
People from Barnes, London
People from Boyd, Texas
People with Marfan syndrome
Writers from London
Writers from Texas