James Vee (born 3 February 1959) is a Scottish actor, puppeteer and stunt performer. He is best known for playing a number of ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

'' monsters and aliens including Bannakaffalatta in the 2007

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...

special ''

Voyage of the Damned ''Voyage of the Damned'' is a 1976 drama film directed by Stuart Rosenberg, with an all-star cast featuring Faye Dunaway, Oskar Werner, Lee Grant, Max von Sydow, James Mason, and Malcolm McDowell. The story was inspired by actual events conc ...

'', as well as the

Graske This is a list of fictional creatures and aliens from the universe of the long-running BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', and spin-offs:''Torchwood'', ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'', ''Class'', '' K-9'' and ''K-9 and Company ...

in the ''Doctor Who'' spin-off series ''

The Sarah Jane Adventures ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'' is a British science fiction television programme that was produced by BBC Cymru Wales for CBBC, created by Russell T Davies, and starring Elisabeth Sladen. The programme is a spin-off of the long-running BBC sc ...

''. He is also well known as the actor for

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 '' Star Wars: The Last Jedi'', replacing the late Kenny Baker, who died in August 2016.

Career

Vee started his career as a stunt double/performer for various small actors and extras in films such as ''

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' is a 1997 fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling. The first novel in the ''Harry Potter'' series and Rowling's debut novel, it follows Harry Potter, a young wizard who discovers hi ...

''. Vee also starred as Cheeky the dwarf in the

King's Theatre, Glasgow The King's Theatre is located in Glasgow, Scotland. It was built for Howard & Wyndham Ltd under its chairman Baillie Michael Simons as a sister theatre of their Theatre Royal in the city and was designed by Frank Matcham, opening in 1904. ...

adaptation of '' Snow White and the Seven Dwarves''. Vee originally auditioned for

in '' Star Wars: The Force Awakens'', although filming clashed with '' Pan'' at the time and Vee was not used. In November 2015, he was cast as R2-D2 in '' Star Wars: The Last Jedi'', succeeding Kenny Baker before his death in August 2016.

Filmography

Films

Television

References

External links

*
BBC article about his casting

Interview with the ''Daily Record''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vee, Jimmy 21st-century Scottish male actors Actors with dwarfism Scottish male television actors Scottish male film actors Scottish stunt performers Entertainers with dwarfism Living people 1959 births