Original Darth Vader Actor David Prowse Dead at 85
David Charles Prowse was an English actor who became a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2000 for his role as the “Green Cross Code Man” since the 1980s. He is best known for the body acting for Anakin Skywalker, also known as Darth Vader, in the Star Wars movie franchise. On Saturday, November 28th, 2020, it was announced that the MBE actor, bodybuilder and weightlifter had passed away at the age of 85 at a hospital in London, England due to a short illness.
Dave Prowse won his first weightlifting and training championship in each of the three years from 1962 to 1964. He went on to represent England at multiple international games including the “British Empire and Commonwealth Games” in Perth, Australia in 1962. He trained two actors in 1978 as well: Christopher Reeve for the “Superman” role, and Cary Elwes for the Westley role for “The Princess Bride”. He was a fitness consultant for Harrods Limited, a department store and group of aviation and estate companies, and even opened “The Dave Prowse Fitness Centre” in London.
In the 1970s when the UK began a children’s road safety campaign, Prowse played the role of the Green Cross Code Man, the superhero invented for the campaign. He later received an MBE for the role that he played for 14 years.
He then starred as Anakin Skywalker aka. Darth Vader in the original trilogy of the Star Wars franchise from 1977 to 1983. Years later in 2015, he appeared in “I Am Your Father” a documentary about Darth Vader’s character.
It was in 1948 at the age of 13 that Prowse first showed symptoms of arthritis. While they seemed to have disappeared when he began weightlifting, the symptoms reappeared in 1990. When his arm became paralysed in 2000, he underwent multiple surgeries to solve his septic arthritis, a time period that ended with him seemingly losing inches from his original towering height of 6 feet, 6 inches (198cm). In 2009, he underwent radiation therapy for prostate cancer. By 2016, he announced his retirement from public events.
David Charles Prowse is survived by his wife of 57 years Norma Prowse and their three children who all live a private life out of the camera’s eyes.
May the force be with you, David Prowse!
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