| Peter Mayhew | |
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Mayhew at the Big Apple Con, November 14, 2008, sitting in front of an image of his most famous role |
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| Born | 19 May 1944 Barnes, London, England |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1977–present |
| Height | 7 ft 3 in (2.21 m) |
| Spouse | Angie Luker (1999–present) |
Peter Mayhew (born 19 May 1944)[1] is an English actor known for playing the Wookiee Chewbacca in the Star Wars movies. His peak height was 7 feet 3 inches (2.21 m) tall.[2]
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Mayhew was born in Barnes, London, England.
He received his first acting job in 1976 when the producers of the film Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger discovered Mayhew from a photograph in a newspaper article about men with large feet, and they cast him in the role of the minotaur.
When casting roles for his first Star Wars film, producer George Lucas needed a tall actor who could fit the role for the beastly Chewbacca. He originally had in mind 6 ft 6 in bodybuilder David Prowse, but Prowse was instead cast to play the role of Darth Vader. This led Lucas on a search which turned up Mayhew, who says that all he had to do to be cast in the role of Chewbacca was stand up. He reprised his signature role during Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, which was released in cinemas on his birthday in 2005.
Mayhew has played part of Chewbacca in four Star Wars films: the original Star Wars trilogy (Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi) and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. He also played the role in the 1978 television film The Star Wars Holiday Special, as well as in an appearance on The Muppet Show. He also recorded dialogue[3] as Chewbacca for the animated show The Clone Wars, in the Season 3 finale episode called Wookie Hunt.[4] Mayhew also plays the role in commercials and for hospital appearances for sick children. When cast in the role he studied the movement of large animals at the zoo to come up with an authentic sense of movement for Chewbacca. When Mayhew grew ill in the shooting of The Empire Strikes Back a similarly tall stand in was used, but the actor could not match Mayhew's studied movement style and the scenes had to be re-shot upon Mayhew's recovery. Mayhew did not provide the voice of Chewbacca; that was created by the film's sound designer, Ben Burtt, by mixing together the growls of different animals.
Mayhew has made numerous appearances as Chewbacca outside the Star Wars films. Mayhew as Chewbacca was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the MTV Movie Awards 1997. He was also honoured at the release of the new PlayStation Portable where he dressed as Chewbacca and held up the new PSP slim version. Mayhew also reprised his role in the Disney theme park attraction, Star Tours: The Adventures Continue.[5]
He has also made media appearances without the Chewbacca costume. Mayhew appeared on NBC's Identity where his identity was based on the fact that he played Chewbacca.
Outside Star Wars, Mayhew has appeared in the horror film Terror directed by Norman J. Warren. He also voiced the character Susha in the English version of Dragon Ball GT: A Hero's Legacy.
Mayhew now lives in Granbury, Texas, and is the owner of his own business. He became a naturalized citizen of the United States on October 17, 2005.[6] In an interview with the Fort Worth Star Telegram he jokingly noted that he didn't get a medal at this ceremony either, a reference to the Star Wars scene in which Luke and Han get medals but Chewbacca gets none. Mayhew did state in an MTV interview that although he didn't get a medal in the movie, he did get the last line: one of Chewbacca's roars.[7]