David Charles Prowse was a multifaceted English talent known for his work as an actor, bodybuilder, strongman, and weightlifter. He achieved international recognition for physically portraying Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy, although his voice was dubbed over by James Earl Jones. Prowse also appeared in Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange. Later in his career, he starred in documentaries exploring his iconic Darth Vader role, including "The Force's Mouth," where he finally voiced the character's lines with added studio effects, and "I Am Your Father," which delved into his strained relationship with Lucasfilm.
July 1935: Birth of David Prowse
David Charles Prowse was born in Bristol, England in July 1935.
July 1935: Birth and Upbringing
David Prowse was born in Bristol, England in July 1935 and raised on the Southmead housing estate.
1961: Weightlifting Championship Success
David Prowse achieved success in the British heavyweight weightlifting championship in 1961.
1962: Weightlifting Championship and Commonwealth Games
In 1962, David Prowse won the British heavyweight weightlifting championship and represented England at the Commonwealth Games in Perth.
1963: Marriage and Family Life
David Prowse married Norma Scammell in 1963 and they had three children. He also became a resident of Addiscombe, Croydon.
1963: Move to London
Prowse moved to London in 1963 to work for a weightlifting company.
1968: Early Television Appearances
David Prowse made early TV appearances in "The Champions" and "The Beverly Hillbillies" in 1968.
1969: The Saint: Portrait of Brenda
David Prowse appeared in "Portrait of Brenda", an episode of "The Saint", in 1969.
1969: The Benny Hill Show
David Prowse made his first uncredited appearance on "The Benny Hill Show" in 1969.
1969: Appearance in "The Saint"
Prowse appeared as a henchman in the TV show "The Saint" in 1969.
1971: A Clockwork Orange
David Prowse appeared in Stanley Kubrick's film "A Clockwork Orange" in 1971.
1971: A Clockwork Orange
Prowse appeared in "A Clockwork Orange" in 1971.
1971: Start of Green Cross Man Campaign
The Green Cross Man road safety campaign, featuring David Prowse, began in 1971.
1972: Vampire Circus and Doctor Who
In 1972, Prowse acted in "Vampire Circus" and the "Doctor Who" serial "The Time Monster."
1973: Appearance in The Tomorrow People
David Prowse appeared in "The Tomorrow People" in 1973.
1974: The Best of Benny Hill
David Prowse appeared in "The Best of Benny Hill" film in 1974.
1974: Callan
Prowse appeared in the film "Callan" in 1974.
1975: The Green Cross Man Campaign
David Prowse became known as the Green Cross Man for a road safety campaign in 1975.
1976: Appearance in Space: 1999
Prowse appeared in an episode of "Space: 1999" titled "The Beta Cloud" in 1976.
1977: Jabberwocky and Missed Role
David Prowse appeared in "Jabberwocky" and was considered for a role in "Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger" in 1977.
1977: Appearance on To Tell the Truth
Prowse appeared as a contestant on the game show "To Tell the Truth" in 1977.
1978: Training Christopher Reeve
David Prowse trained Christopher Reeve for his role in "Superman" in 1978.
1978: Darth Vader's Father Theory
In 1978, Prowse publicly suggested that Darth Vader could be Luke Skywalker's father in a speech at UC Berkeley, before the release of "The Empire Strikes Back."
1978: As You Like It
Prowse played Charles the duke's wrestler in the BBC's "As You Like It" in 1978.
1981: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
David Prowse appeared in the TV adaptation of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" in 1981.
1983: Return to Weightlifting
After his final appearance as Darth Vader in 1983, David Prowse shifted his focus back to weightlifting.
1984: The Benny Hill Show
David Prowse made a second appearance on "The Benny Hill Show" in 1984.
1987: Training Cary Elwes
Prowse trained Cary Elwes for his role in "The Princess Bride" in 1987.
1990: Recurrence of Arthritis Symptoms
Prowse's arthritic symptoms reappeared in 1990, after he initially experienced them at age 13.
1990: End of Green Cross Man Campaign
The Green Cross Man road safety campaign concluded in 1990.
1996: Star Wars: The Interactive Video Board Game
David Prowse reprised his role as Darth Vader for "Star Wars: The Interactive Video Board Game" in 1996.
1997: Monopoly Star Wars
David Prowse voiced Darth Vader for "Monopoly Star Wars" in 1997.
1999: Unrelated date
This date is not related to David Prowse's career.
2000: MBE Award
David Prowse received the MBE in 2000 for his work with the Green Cross Man campaign.
2000: MBE Award
Prowse was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2000 for his services to charity and road safety.
2002: Honorary Member of 501st Legion
Prowse became an honorary member of the 501st Legion in 2002.
2004: Empire of Dreams
The documentary "Empire of Dreams" featuring Carrie Fisher's comments about David Prowse was released in 2004.
2005: Exclusion from Star Wars Reunions
David Prowse was excluded from some Star Wars cast reunions, such as the one for the "Vanity Fair" cover in 2005.
July 2007: Star Wars Celebration
David Prowse attended the Star Wars Celebration in London in July 2007.
2008: Bring Back...Star Wars Appearance
In 2008, David Prowse appeared on Justin Lee Collins's show "Bring Back...Star Wars," where he discussed a dispute with George Lucas over allegedly leaking Darth Vader's death.
March 2009: Prostate Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment
In March 2009, Prowse revealed his prostate cancer diagnosis and underwent radiation therapy. He was later reported to be in remission.
2009: Political Support for UKIP
Prowse publicly declared his support for the UK Independence Party (UKIP) during the 2009 European Parliament election.
2009: Dispute Over Return of the Jedi Profits
In 2009, Prowse revealed that despite the film's success, he never received residuals for his performance in "Return of the Jedi" due to "Hollywood accounting."
May 2010: The Kindness of Strangers
David Prowse played Frank Bryan in "The Kindness of Strangers" which screened at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2010.
July 2010: Banned from Star Wars Conventions
In July 2010, George Lucas banned Prowse from official Star Wars fan conventions, citing "burnt bridges" between Prowse and Lucasfilm.
2011: Autobiography Release
David Prowse released his autobiography, "Straight from the Force's Mouth," in 2011.
November 2014: Memory Concerns and Dementia Denial
In November 2014, reports emerged about Prowse's memory problems. Although he denied having dementia, he acknowledged experiencing memory issues.
October 2015: The Force's Mouth Documentary and Music Video Appearance
In October 2015, Prowse appeared in Jayce Lewis's music video for "Shields" and was featured in a mini-documentary called "The Force's Mouth," where he heard himself as Darth Vader with sound effects for the first time.
2015: I Am Your Father Documentary
The 2015 documentary "I Am Your Father" explored Prowse's life and his blackballing by Lucasfilm, while suggesting his plot spoiler was a lucky guess.
2015: I Am Your Father Documentary
The documentary "I Am Your Father," released in 2015, explored Prowse's life and discussed the alleged leaks surrounding Darth Vader, suggesting they originated from a film technician.
2015: Documentaries about Darth Vader Role
Two documentaries featuring David Prowse and his role as Darth Vader, "The Force's Mouth" and "I Am Your Father," were released in 2015.
2017: Retirement from Public Appearances
Prowse retired from public appearances in late 2017 due to declining health. His last appearance was in Jayce Lewis's "Shields" music video.
November 2020: Death
David Prowse died on November 28, 2020, at a hospital in London, aged 85.
November 2020: Death of David Prowse
David Prowse passed away in November 2020.