British actor David Charles Prowse has died at the age of 85. The former bodybuilder is best known for his role as Darth Vader in Star Wars, the British public broadcaster BBC reported on Sunday.
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The actor was previously known in Great Britain as the ‘Green Cross Man’ who promoted road safety, especially for children, for ten years in numerous idealistic commercials. He was particularly proud of that role for the National Road Safety Committee. He also received a royal honor for it, according to the BBC quoting his agent Thomas Bowington.
About two meters tall Prowse was a bodybuilder and weightlifter until he played his first role in a James Bond film in 1967. Prowse was Frankenstein’s Creature in the movie ‘Casino Royale’. He also returned as Frankenstein in other films.
Prowse’s acting career lasted about half a century. He has also starred in series such as ‘The Saint’, ‘Space 1999’ and ‘Doctor Who’.
Director George Lucas saw Prowse play the bodyguard in the movie ‘Clockwork Orange’ (Stanley Kubrick, 1971) and asked him to play Darth Vader in ‘Star Wars’, the first feature film of which came out in 1977. However, his voice was not used for his role, it was voiced by others. Prowse’s accent from the west of England would have deterred the filmmakers.
The actor died after a short illness.
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