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After auditioning for the role of C-3PO, Daniels only became fully interested in it after seeing a concept design of the golden droid C-3PO by 
In '' Episode I: The Phantom Menace'', Daniels only voiced the character, which a puppeteer played on set. Daniels attempted to puppeteer the character himself in the sequel, '' Episode II: Attack of the Clones'', but after the script was changed, he returned to playing the droid in costume. In this film and 2005's '' Episode III: Revenge of the Sith'', he also performed the vocal tracks for scenes that featured a computer-generated C-3PO. Daniels is the only actor to act in all nine films, the 2008 Clone Wars film, and the related television series.
Daniels also makes
Anthony Daniels
at
Multimedia Q&A with Daniels
from the
website for the '' Ghosts of Albion''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Daniels, Anthony
1946 births
Living people
20th-century English male actors
21st-century English male actors
English male film actors
English male television actors
English male voice actors
British mimes
Audiobook narrators
Carnegie Mellon University faculty
People educated at Giggleswick School
Alumni of Rose Bruford College
People from Salisbury
Male actors from Wiltshire
Anthony Daniels ( ; born 21 February 1946) is an English actor and mime artist, best known for playing in 10 ''
's 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 ...
'' films. He is the only actor to have either appeared in or been involved with all theatrical films in the series, and has been involved in many of their spin-offs, including television series
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...
, video games
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device to gener ...
, and radio serials.
Daniels was the voice of Legolas
Legolas (pronounced ) is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's ''The Lord of the Rings''. He is a Sindar Elf of the Woodland Realm and one of the nine members of the Fellowship who set out to destroy the One Ring. He and the Dwarf Gimli ...
in the Ralph Bakshi
Ralph Bakshi (born October 29, 1938) is an American animator and filmmaker. In the 1970s, he established an alternative to mainstream animation through independent and adult-oriented productions. Between 1972 and 1992, he directed nine theatric ...
animated adaptation of ''The Lord of the Rings
''The Lord of the Rings'' is an epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some time in the distant past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's boo ...
'' (1978). He has appeared intermittently on British television in various dramas, including playing a pathologist in ''Prime Suspect
''Prime Suspect'' is a British police procedural television drama series devised by Lynda La Plante. It stars Helen Mirren as Jane Tennison, one of the first female Detective Chief Inspectors in Greater London's Metropolitan Police Service, who ...
'' starring Helen Mirren
Dame Helen Mirren (born Helen Lydia Mironoff; born 26 July 1945) is an English actor. The recipient of numerous accolades, she is the only performer to have achieved the Triple Crown of Acting in both the United States and the United Kingdom. ...
. Daniels is currently an adjunct professor at Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...
's Entertainment Technology Center
The Entertainment Technology Center (ETC) is a department at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located at the Pittsburgh Technology Center.
The ETC offers a two-year Masters of Entertainment Technology ...
.
Early life
Daniels was born inSalisbury
Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath.
Salisbury is in the southeast of Wil ...
, Wiltshire
Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...
, England, the son of a plastics company executive. He was educated at Giggleswick School
Giggleswick School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school) in Giggleswick, near Settle, North Yorkshire, England.
Early school
In 1499, Giggleswick School was founded on half an acre of land leased by the Prior an ...
and studied law for two years at university, then dropped out to participate in amateur dramatics and attend Rose Bruford College
Rose Bruford College (formerly Rose Bruford College of Theatre & Performance) is a drama school in the south London suburb of Sidcup. The college has degree programmes in acting, actor musicianship, directing, theatre arts and various discipli ...
. After leaving the college in 1974, Daniels worked on BBC Radio
BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering th ...
and for the National Theatre of Great Britain at The Young Vic
The Young Vic Theatre is a performing arts venue located on The Cut (London), The Cut, near the South Bank, in the London Borough of Lambeth.
The Young Vic was established by Frank Dunlop (director), Frank Dunlop in 1970. Kwame Kwei-Armah has b ...
. Whilst working in the theatre, he was invited to meet 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 ...
, who was casting for ''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 ...
''. Daniels at first turned down the interview but was persuaded by his agent to meet Lucas.
Daniels has said that before his role in ''Star Wars'', the only science fiction film
Science fiction (or sci-fi) is a film genre that uses speculative, fictional science-based depictions of phenomena that are not fully accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial lifeforms, spacecraft, robots, cyborgs, interstellar ...
he had ever seen in a theatre was '' 2001: A Space Odyssey'' in 1968; he was so displeased with the film that he walked out after 10 minutes and demanded his money back. After Daniels was cast as , Lucas recommended that he watch the film in its entirety to study HAL 9000
HAL 9000 is a fictional artificial intelligence character and the main antagonist in Arthur C. Clarke's ''Space Odyssey'' series. First appearing in the 1968 film '' 2001: A Space Odyssey'', HAL ( Heuristically programmed ALgorithmic computer) ...
's voice. In a 2011 interview, Daniels said that he now regards ''2001'' as a masterpiece and that he also enjoys post-apocalyptic films such as ''Mad Max
''Mad Max'' is an Australian post-apocalyptic Action film, action film series and media franchise created by George Miller (filmmaker), George Miller and Byron Kennedy. It began in 1979 with ''Mad Max (film), Mad Max'', and was followed by thre ...
''.
He was a member of the BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...Radio Drama Company
The Radio Drama Company is a company of actors formed by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in 1939, at the beginning of the Second World War. It is sometimes referred to as RDC, or the Rep, a survival from its original name, the Drama Re ...
,"Radio and audio book companies", in Lloyd Trott, ed., ''Actors and Performers Yearbook 2016'', pp. 353–354 and speaks fluent French.
Career
''Star Wars''
After auditioning for the role of C-3PO, Daniels only became fully interested in it after seeing a concept design of the golden droid C-3PO by Ralph McQuarrie
Ralph Angus McQuarrie (; June 13, 1929 – March 3, 2012) was an American conceptual designer and illustrator. His career included work on the original ''Star Wars'' trilogy, the original ''Battlestar Galactica'' television series, the film ''E ...
. Daniels did not see the final costume until after donning it for the shoot and being shown a Polaroid photograph. He struggled with delivering the character's lines until Lucas informed him that they would redub the dialogue in post-production
Post-production is part of the process of filmmaking, video production, audio production, and photography. Post-production includes all stages of production occurring after principal photography or recording individual program segments.
The ...
. Daniels also portrayed a protocol droid with a "white pointy face" in one shot in the original film. Daniels was depressed with his lack of recognition after the film's successful release; he attributes this to Lucasfilm
Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC is an American film and television production company and a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is a business segment of The Walt Disney Company. The studio is best known for creating and producing the ''Star Wars'' and ' ...
wanting audiences to believe that the droids were real.
Daniels has played C-3PO in all of the ''Star Wars'' feature films (with the exception of '' Solo: A Star Wars Story'') from the original instalment in the series as the golden droid's body and voice. Kenny Baker, who played R2-D2
R2-D2 () or Artoo-Detoo is a fictional robot character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise created by George Lucas. He has appeared in ten of the eleven theatrical ''Star Wars'' films to date. At various points throughout the course of the films, R2, ...
in the series until his death in 2016, said that he and Daniels did not get along.
Daniels has reprised the role for various promotional work such as hosting ''The Making of Star Wars
''The Making of Star Wars'' is a television special produced by 20th Century Fox, which aired on the ABC Television Network on September 16, 1977. It was written by Richard Schickel and directed and produced by Robert Guenette.
Synopsis
Premie ...
'', ''Star Wars Connections'' and '' Science of Star Wars'', appearances 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 ser ...
'', ''Sesame Street
''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000) a ...
'', an anti-smoking public service announcement
A public service announcement (PSA) is a message in the public interest disseminated by the media without charge to raise public awareness and change behavior. In the UK, they are generally called a public information film (PIF); in Hong Kong, ...
, ''The 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 advertising for ''Star Wars''-licensed products such as Kenner
Kenner Products, known simply as Kenner, was an American toy company founded in 1946. Throughout its history, the Kenner brand produced several highly recognizable toys and merchandise lines including action figures like the original series of ' ...
toys and a breakfast cereal
Cereal, formally termed breakfast cereal (and further categorized as cold cereal or warm cereal), is a traditional breakfast food made from processed cereal grains. It is traditionally eaten as part of breakfast, or a snack food, primarily in ...
based on the character.
Daniels voiced C-3PO 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 ...
'' radio serial
Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine t ...
based on the original trilogy. He is the only cast member of the original ''Star Wars'' trilogy to voice his character in all three parts of NPR
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
's dramatisations of the trilogy. He voiced C-3PO for six animated series: '' Droids'', ''Clone Wars Clone Wars may refer to:
Star Wars Film and television
* ''Star Wars: Clone Wars'' (2003 TV series), an American animated television series set in the ''Star Wars'' galaxy
* ''Star Wars: The Clone Wars'' (2008 TV series), an American 3D CGI anim ...
'', '' The Clone Wars'', '' Rebels'', '' Forces of Destiny,'' and '' Resistance''. Other C-3PO voicework by Daniels includes: the Christmas-themed ''Christmas in the Stars
''Christmas in the Stars: Star Wars Christmas Album'' is a album, record album produced in 1980 by RSO Records. It features recordings of ''Star Wars''-themed Christmas songs and stories about a droid (Star Wars), droid factory where the robots m ...
'' album, Disney theme park
Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, Inc., formerly Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. and informally known as Disney Parks, is one of The Walt Disney Company's five major business segments and a subsidiary. It was founded on Apri ...
attractions including ''Star Tours
Star Tours was a motion simulator attraction at several Disney theme parks, based on the successful ''Star Wars'' film series created by George Lucas. Set in the ''Star Wars'' universe, the attraction sent guests on an excursion trip to Endor, ...
'' and '' Star Tours: The Adventures Continue'', and the Star Tours shutdown ceremony as a part of Disney's Hollywood Studios
Disney's Hollywood Studios is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division. Based on a concept by Ma ...
' " Last Tour to Endor" event at ''Star Wars'' Celebration V in Orlando, Florida
Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...
. He also provided the narration and all character voices for the audio books '' Dark Force Rising'' and '' The Last Command''.
Daniels contributed the foreword to the collected scripts of the ''Return of the Jedi'' radio drama, as their author Brian Daley
Brian Charles Daley (December 22, 1947 – February 11, 1996) was an American science fiction novelist. He also adapted for radio the ''Star Wars'' radio dramas and wrote all of its episodes.
Biography
Daley was born in Englewood, New Jersey ...
died while they were being recorded. Daniels' other ''Star Wars''-related writings include the Wonder Column for ''Star Wars Insider
''Star Wars Insider'' is the official ''Star Wars'' magazine. It began in 1987 as the official magazine of ''The Lucasfilm Fan Club'', and was renamed in 1994 to coincide with the release of '' Star Wars: TIE Fighter''.
Its contents include st ...
'' magazine and a comic book adventure for and R2-D2
R2-D2 () or Artoo-Detoo is a fictional robot character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise created by George Lucas. He has appeared in ten of the eleven theatrical ''Star Wars'' films to date. At various points throughout the course of the films, R2, ...
entitled ''The Protocol Offensive'', published by Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops known ...
.
In '' Episode I: The Phantom Menace'', Daniels only voiced the character, which a puppeteer played on set. Daniels attempted to puppeteer the character himself in the sequel, '' Episode II: Attack of the Clones'', but after the script was changed, he returned to playing the droid in costume. In this film and 2005's '' Episode III: Revenge of the Sith'', he also performed the vocal tracks for scenes that featured a computer-generated C-3PO. Daniels is the only actor to act in all nine films, the 2008 Clone Wars film, and the related television series.
Daniels also makes cameo appearance
A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly eit ...
s as a humanoid in two scenes of the feature films. His character, Lieutenant Dannl Faytonni, is named as a tribute to his own name, albeit in modified form. The character appears in the nightclub scene early in ''Attack of the Clones'' as a man in blue uniform who can be seen in a cutaway reaction shot after Obi-Wan Kenobi
Obi-Wan Kenobi () is a fictional Character (arts), character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Within the Star Wars original trilogy, original trilogy, Obi-Wan is a Jedi Master as a supporting character and is portrayed by English actor Alec Guinn ...
disarms the bounty hunter Zam Wesell
This incomplete list of characters from the ''Star Wars'' franchise contains only those which are considered part of the official ''Star Wars'' canon, as of the changes made by Lucasfilm in April 2014. Following its acquisition by The Walt Dis ...
. Faytonni can also be seen at the Galaxies Opera House in ''Revenge of the Sith''.
Daniels reprised his role as C-3PO in the seventh ''Star Wars'' film, ''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'' (1983) ...
'', which was released in December 2015. J. J. Abrams, the director of ''The Force Awakens'', told Daniels that he was only going to be the voice of C-3PO in the film, but changed his mind and decided Daniels would wear the suit in the film as well. Abrams made a new C-3PO suit for Daniels to wear during filming using 3D printing
3D printing or additive manufacturing is the Manufacturing, construction of a three-dimensional object from a computer-aided design, CAD model or a digital 3D modeling, 3D model. It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is ...
that allowed Daniels a great deal more mobility and comfort than the original suit. Daniels has stated his displeasure with the droid's red arm. Daniels also appeared as C-3PO in 2017's ''The Last Jedi
''Star Wars: The Last Jedi'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi'') is a 2017 American epic space opera film written and directed by Rian Johnson. Produced by Lucasfilm and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pict ...
'', and 2019's ''The Rise of Skywalker
''Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker'') is a 2019 American epic space opera film produced, , and directed by J. J. Abrams. Produced by Lucasfilm and Abrams' productio ...
''.
Daniels appears in a cameo as C-3PO in 2016's ''Rogue One
''Rogue One: A Star Wars Story'' (or simply ''Rogue One'') is a 2016 American epic space opera film directed by Gareth Edwards. The screenplay by Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy is from a story by John Knoll and Gary Whitta. It was produced by Luc ...
'', the first standalone film in the ''Star Wars'' anthology series. He also makes an appearance as Tak in the second anthology film, '' Solo: A Star Wars Story'',
and voiced C-3PO's cameo appearance in ''Ralph Breaks the Internet
''Ralph Breaks the Internet'' is a 2018 American computer-animated comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. The 57th animated film produced by the studio and the sequel to ...
'', and ''The Lego Movie
''The Lego Movie'' is a 2014 computer-animated adventure comedy film written and directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller from a story by Lord, Miller, and Dan and Kevin Hageman. Based on the Lego line of construction toys, its story focu ...
'' alongside other crewmembers of the ''Millennium Falcon
The ''Millennium Falcon'' is a fictional starship in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Designed by Joe Johnston for the movie ''Star Wars'' (1977), it has subsequently appeared in ''The Star Wars Holiday Special'' (1978), ''The Empire Strikes Back' ...
''.
He has also hosted the '' Star Wars: In Concert'' tour in North America.
In March 2017, All Nippon Airways
, also known as ANA (''Ē-enu-ē'') or is an airline in Japan. Its headquarters are located in Shiodome City Center in the Shiodome area of Minato ward of Tokyo. It operates services to both domestic and international destinations and had mo ...
introduced a Boeing 777
The Boeing 777, commonly referred to as the Triple Seven, is an American long-range wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It is the world's largest twinjet.
The 777 was designed to bridge the gap bet ...
modelled after C-3PO into service. Daniels attended the aircraft's unveiling.
Other acting roles
Daniels was the voice ofLegolas
Legolas (pronounced ) is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's ''The Lord of the Rings''. He is a Sindar Elf of the Woodland Realm and one of the nine members of the Fellowship who set out to destroy the One Ring. He and the Dwarf Gimli ...
in the Ralph Bakshi
Ralph Bakshi (born October 29, 1938) is an American animator and filmmaker. In the 1970s, he established an alternative to mainstream animation through independent and adult-oriented productions. Between 1972 and 1992, he directed nine theatric ...
animated adaptation of ''The Lord of the Rings
''The Lord of the Rings'' is an epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some time in the distant past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's boo ...
'' (1978). He has appeared intermittently on British television in various dramas, notably in a recurring role in ''Prime Suspect
''Prime Suspect'' is a British police procedural television drama series devised by Lynda La Plante. It stars Helen Mirren as Jane Tennison, one of the first female Detective Chief Inspectors in Greater London's Metropolitan Police Service, who ...
'' starring Helen Mirren
Dame Helen Mirren (born Helen Lydia Mironoff; born 26 July 1945) is an English actor. The recipient of numerous accolades, she is the only performer to have achieved the Triple Crown of Acting in both the United States and the United Kingdom. ...
. He also played the priest in the British spoof horror film ''I Bought a Vampire Motorcycle
''I Bought a Vampire Motorcycle'' is a 1990 British comedy horror film about a motorcycle possessed by an evil spirit, which rides by itself and kills people, particularly members of a particular motorcycle gang. It stars Neil Morrissey as th ...
'' (1990).
Other work
Daniels is an adjunct professor atCarnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...
's Entertainment Technology Center
The Entertainment Technology Center (ETC) is a department at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located at the Pittsburgh Technology Center.
The ETC offers a two-year Masters of Entertainment Technology ...
.
His autobiography
An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life.
It is a form of biography.
Definition
The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...
, ''I Am C-3PO: The Inside Story'', was released on 5 November 2019 by DK. He had previously considered using the title ''Telling the Odds''.
Filmography
Film
Television
Documentary
Theme park attractions
Video games
References
Footnotes CitationsSources
*External links
* * * *Anthony Daniels
at
BFI
The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery (United Kingdom), National Lot ...
Multimedia Q&A with Daniels
from the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...