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RIP David Prowse


sh9000

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I had the good fortune to meet Mr. Prowse a few years ago at a con in Irving. He wasn't in the best of health even then.  A very humble, gentle giant of a man.  I shook his hand and his hand engulfed mine (I'm not a small guy), paid for him to autograph one of the pics they were selling at his table. It sits behind me in my Star Wars case behind my Master Replicas Darth Vader ESB saber. I'll never forget meeting Darth Vader. RIP sir. Thank you for all the memories! 

 

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I never met him, but he actually visited the small town I live in a few times as there was a branch of Star Wars fandom there (I did meet Admiral Ozzel a couple of times due to this though!). As I live in the same general area of the UK that he hailed from, it always slightly amused me that Darths real voice would have had a similar accent to mine. He was also quite famous in the UK for fronting a TV road safety campaign as "The Green Cross Code Man". I recently saw one of the Hammer films he was involved in, "Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell"  but had no idea at the time he was the titular Monster From Hell.

So long, Lord Vader.

Edited by F-ZeroOne
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7 hours ago, ScrambledValkyrie said:

Wow, just watched Empire Strikes Back last night with my family. I’m showing the movies to my son for the first time. We were talking about how James Earl Jones got no voice credit in the original release.

That was James Earl Jones choice. He felt at the time Star Wars and ESB came out his contributions weren't important enough to justify a credit. Back then Voice Acting didn't carry the same gravitas it carries today and was just something actors did to pay the bills until their next full acting role came in. By the time RoTJ came out the franchise was big enough and his voice role iconic enough that he was included in the billing for his work.

 

That all being said Rest in Peace David Prowse.:(

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It's interesting to note that, despite being overdubbed by James Earl Jones' iconic voice, Mr. Prowse spoke Vader's lines during his performance. I don't think his British gentleman's voice, further muffled by the mask, carried quite the impact of Mr. Jones', but I've always thought it neat that he was fully committed to the role. His physical performance informed the character as much as the voice.

Mr. Prowse also had a role in Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange. However, it's safe to say that Darth Vader will be his legacy.  RIP

 

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Prowse had basically been shunned by Lucas/Lucasfilm for years....but it still sucks that Lucas did not use him as Anakin in the big reveal at the end of ROTJ...

I think I watched some documentary on his career and role as Darth Vader where they actually reshot the final ROTJ scene with him but were threatened by Lucasfilm with a lawsuit if they released the footage.....would love to see it....kinda surprised no one has attempted a deepfake

 

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It is a shame, as Mr. Prowse was an actor, and fully capable of delivering those final lines as Anakin Skywalker. Having embodied the character over the span of three films, one would think he would have been the no-brainer choice to play the part for the unmasking.  Honestly, I never gave it much thought, but your post, @jvmacross, rings true to me.

 

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