It’s a sad moment for the pop culture world. BBC News reports that David Prowse, the actor who portrayed the iconic Darth Vader on camera in the original Star Wars trilogy, has died at the age of 85 after a short illness.
He landed Vader, his best-known role, after George Lucas noticed him portraying a bodyguard in A Clockwork Orange and the towering 6’6” bodybuilder a chance to audition for roles. As he told the BBC in an interview, he chose the role of Vader over Chewbacca (played by the late Peter Mayhew) because people “always remember the bad guys.” Lucas dubbed over Prowse’s dialogue with James Earl Jones’ as he wanted a deeper, more sinister-sounding voice, but there’s no question that Prowse’s acting (which included on-set voice) defined Vader — the character wouldn’t be as intimidating otherwise.