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David Prowse

David Prowse understood how much a performer could communicate through silhouette, movement and sheer physical presence. Born David Charles Prowse in Bristol on 1 July 1935 and raised on the Southmead housing estate, he first made his name as a competitive weightlifter. He became British heavyweight champion in the early 1960s and represented England at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Perth. Standing around 6 feet 6 inches tall, Prowse brought a scale to the screen that was difficult to ignore. Early parts often drew on that imposing build, including appearances as Frankenstein’s creature in Hammer’s The Horror of Frankenstein and Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell. He also played Julian, a manservant, in Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange, alongside other work in genre film and television. His knowledge of physical training extended behind the scenes too: he assisted Christopher Reeve while the actor prepared for Superman. Prowse’s defining screen role was Darth Vader. He physically portrayed the character throughout the original Star Wars trilogy, beginning with Star Wars: A New Hope in 1977 and continuing through The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. James Earl Jones supplied Vader’s voice in post-production, while Sebastian Shaw played the unmasked Vader in Return of the Jedi, but it was Prowse inside the costume, establishing the controlled stride, posture and imposing movement that made the character so commanding on screen. For British audiences, Prowse had another widely recognised identity: the Green Cross Code Man, the on-screen figurehead of a long-running road-safety campaign. His work for road safety and charity led to his appointment as an MBE in the 2000 New Year Honours. Prowse’s relationship with Lucasfilm was publicly difficult at times, yet his physical contribution to Vader remained central to the character’s screen presence. His later life and connection to the role were explored in the 2015 documentaries The Force’s Mouth and I Am Your Father. He died in London on 28 November 2020.