Peter Mayhew

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Peter William Mayhew<ref name="theguardian.com">Template:Cite news</ref> (19 May 1944 – 30 April 2019) was a British-American actor. He was best known for portraying Chewbacca in the Star Wars film series. He played the character in all of his live-action appearances from the 1977 original to 2015's The Force Awakens before his retirement from the role.

Early life

Peter Mayhew was born on 19 May 1944, in Barnes, Surrey. At the age of 8, he was diagnosed with gigantism.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Mayhew also had a genetic tissue disorder called Marfan syndrome.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> His peak height was Template:Convert.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Career

Early work

Mayhew gained his first acting job when the producers of Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977) discovered him from a photograph in a newspaper article about men with large feet, and cast him in the role of the Minoton.<ref name="SWfaq">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Star Wars

When casting the original Star Wars (1977), director George Lucas needed a tall actor who could fit the role of the hairy alien Chewbacca. He originally had in mind Template:Convert bodybuilder David Prowse, but Prowse chose to play Darth Vader. This led Lucas to cast Mayhew, who was working as a hospital orderly in the emergency department at Mayday University Hospital in Surrey.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He became aware of a casting call for Star Wars which was filming at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire.<ref name="ABCNR">Template:Cite news</ref> The Template:Convert tall actor was immediately cast as Chewbacca after he stood up to greet Lucas.<ref name="ABCNR" /><ref name="Hayward">Template:Cite news</ref> Mayhew continued working as an orderly at the same hospital in between filming the original Star Wars trilogy.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Mayhew modelled his performance of Chewbacca after researching the behaviour of bears, monkeys and gorillas he saw at London Zoo.<ref name="Timesobit">Template:Cite news Template:Subscription required</ref> Lucas said Mayhew was Template:Qi.<ref name="Timesobit" /> The character did not have any lines, the sounds he made being derived from sound recordings of animal noises.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

File:PeterMayhew11.14.08ByLuigiNovi1.jpg

Mayhew at the 2008 Big Apple Con sitting in front of an image of Chewbacca

Mayhew played Chewbacca in five Star Wars films: the original trilogy (Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi), Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars: The Force Awakens.<ref name="Guardian">Template:Cite news</ref> He played the role in the 1978 television film Star Wars Holiday Special and in a 1980 appearance on The Muppet Show. He also recorded dialogue for the Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 3 finale episode "Wookiee Hunt".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Mayhew played the role in commercials and hospital appearances for sick children, and made numerous appearances as Chewbacca outside the Star Wars films. Mayhew, appearing as Chewbacca, was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the MTV Film Awards 1997.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

He also made other media appearances outside of playing Chewbacca. He appeared on NBC's Identity, where his identity was based on his role as Chewbacca and was a frequent guest in the early days of Slice of SciFi.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

While Mayhew portrayed Chewbacca in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, he was not in Star Wars: The Last Jedi but was listed in the credits as "Chewbacca Consultant".<ref name="IMDBLastJedi">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Mayhew retired from playing Chewbacca due to health issues. Joonas Suotamo shared the portrayal of Chewbacca with Mayhew in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and then completely replaced him in subsequent Star Wars films.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Other work

Outside Star Wars, Mayhew appeared in the 1978 horror film Terror, directed by Norman J. Warren.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":0">Template:Cite magazine</ref> In the English version of Dragon Ball GT: A Hero's Legacy, he provided the voice for Susha.<ref name=":1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He also appeared in Yesterday Was a Lie.<ref name="Telegraph">Template:Cite news</ref>

Books

Mayhew wrote two books for younger audiences: Growing Up Giant,<ref name="MayhewMayhew2013">Template:Cite book</ref> which explains that being different is a strength instead of a weakness, and the anti-bullying book for children My Favorite Giant.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Personal life and death

Mayhew moved to Wheathead Lane, Keighley, West Yorkshire, in 1987.<ref name="theguardian.com" /><ref name="Keighley">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He invested in and worked at a timber yard just over the City of Bradford border in South Craven, North Yorkshire.<ref name="theguardian.com" /><ref name="Timber">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He became a supporter of Keighley Rugby Union Football Club.<ref name="theguardian.com" /><ref name="Keighley" />

Mayhew married Mary Angelique "Angie" Luker (née Cigainero), a native of Texas, in 1999.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="theguardian.com" /> The two lived in Boyd, Texas, United States, where he had moved to in 2000.<ref name="theguardian.com" /><ref name="Timber" /> Peter was the stepfather to Mary's three children.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It was reported that his wife would head his namesake charity, the Peter Mayhew Foundation.

Mayhew became a naturalised citizen of the United States in 2005 at a ceremony in Arlington, Texas.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In an interview with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, he joked that he did not get a medal at this ceremony either, a reference to the closing scene in Star Wars during which Luke Skywalker and Han Solo get medals, but Chewbacca does not. Mayhew noted in an MTV interview that although Chewbacca does not get a medal in the film, he does have the last line of dialogue, when he roars.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Mayhew underwent double knee replacement surgery in 2013,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> having been a full-time wheelchair user for the previous two years and still largely reliant on it at the time of filming The Force Awakens.<ref name="Brez2019">Template:Cite magazine</ref> In July 2018, Mayhew announced via Twitter that he had successfully undergone unspecified spinal surgery to improve his mobility, and was recovering.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="theguardian.com" />

Mayhew died of a heart attack on 30 April 2019, at his home in Boyd, Texas, at age 74.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He was buried in Reno, Parker County, Texas, in Azleland Memorial Park and Mausoleum.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Template:Abbr
1977	Star Wars	Chewbacca		<ref name="Guardian" />
	Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger	Minoton	Uncredited	<ref name="SWfaq" />
1978	Terror	The Mechanic		<ref name=":0" />
1980	The Empire Strikes Back	Chewbacca		<ref name="Guardian" />
1982	Return of the Ewok		Video	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
1983	Return of the Jedi			<ref name="Guardian" />
1987	Star Tours		Short; uncredited	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2004	Comic Book: The Movie	Himself		citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2005	Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith	Chewbacca		<ref name="Guardian" />
2008	Yesterday Was a Lie	Dead Man		<ref name="Telegraph" />
2009	Fanboys	Himself	Uncredited
2015	Star Wars: The Force Awakens	Chewbacca	Shared role with Joonas Suotamo and final film role	<ref name="theguardian.com" />

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Template:Abbr
1977	Donny & Marie	Chewbacca	Guest	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
1978	Star Wars Holiday Special		TV special	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
1979	Hazell	Episode "Hazell and the Big Sleep"		Template:Citation needed
1980	The Muppet Show	Chewbacca	Episode: The Stars of Star Wars	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
1981	Dark Towers	The Tall Knight		<ref name=":0" />
1985	The Kenny Everett Television Show	Various	Episode #3.3	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2004	Dragon Ball GT: A Hero's Legacy	Susha (Gettō)	Voice; English dub; TV special	<ref name=":1" />
2011	Star Wars: The Clone Wars	Chewbacca	Episode: Wookiee Hunt; Special Thanks	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
	Glee		Episode: Extraordinary Merry Christmas
2012	Breaking In	Himself	Episode: Episode XIII
2015	Comic Book Men	Himself	Episode: Wookiee Fever

See also

• List of tallest people

External links

• [https://www.imdb.com/{{#if: 0562679

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• Star Wars bio
• Interview with Peter Mayhew on Slice of SciFi (starts at 36:55 of show)
• Template:Find a Grave