Best known worldwide for portraying the role of `Darth Vader` in the original Star Wars trilogy, David Prowse was an English bodybuilder, weightlifter and character actor who primarily works in British film and English TV industry. Standing at 6 feet 6 inches, Prowse had a sturdy built and he developed his interest in bodybuilding since his teenage years.

Prowse, before making it big in the film industry, in his early days started working as a bouncer and later started his professional career in weightlifting. He rose to fame after winning the British heavyweight weightlifting championship in 1961. In 1962, he represented England at the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Perth, Western Australia.

A Member of the Order of the British Empire, he received the honours in 2000 for his services to Charity and to Road Safety. Having made his appearance on the silver screen in an uncredited role in Casino Royale (1967), he later starred in Hammerhead (1968), which marked his acting debut in a feature film. His other notable film credits include The Horror of Frankenstein (1970), Black Snake (1973), Jabberwocky (1977), Return of the Jedi (1983), Saving Star Wars (2004), Elstree 1976 (2015) and Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), the latter being one of his last appearances. Prowse passed away in November 2020.