Peter Mayhew, a British actor, (born May 19, 1944 – died April 30, 2019), is most famously known for his role as Chewbacca in the Star Wars movies. He was born in England, specifically in London's Barnes area.
Before his prominent role in Star Wars, Peter Mayhew was employed at Mayday University Hospital, situated in Thornton Heath, Croydon, Surrey, as a hospital aide. His acting career began with the role of a Minotaur in a previous movie that was being filmed nearby. Ray Harryhausen and Sam Wanamaker, the producers, discovered Mayhew through a photograph featured in a newspaper article highlighting men with notably large feet. His performance as the Minotaur in the 1977 film left a positive impression on several individuals in the film industry, leading to offers for future acting opportunities, which he accepted. Following his work as the Minotaur, Mayhew received a call from 20th Century Fox, informing him about the production of Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope and inviting him to audition for a character. Mayhew commented that opportunities to star in films were rare, prompting him to accept the offer and travel to Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire, which was conveniently located near the hospital where he worked.
Upon entering the office, Mayhew noticed paintings of the characters created by Ralph McQuarrie displayed on a wall. Darth Vader, listed as "Six foot nine," was at one end. Mayhew jokingly remarked that Vader was "too small" and then examined the other characters. At the opposite end was Chewbacca, whose initial design Mayhew described as "almost like a Neanderthal man" with a small sign indicating "Eight foot plus, blue eyes." As Mayhew himself had blue eyes, he chose to audition for the role of Chewbacca. Immediately after, George Lucas, the director, entered the room accompanied by Gary Kurtz, the producer. Mayhew stood up instinctively, a habit he attributed to his English upbringing. Lucas glanced up, shook Mayhew's hand, and remarked to Kurtz, "I think we found him." Subsequently, Lucas and Kurtz proceeded to explain the character and the costume design. Initially, Chewbacca was intended to wear shorts and a vest, but Lucas advised against it, considering Chewbacca's animalistic nature.
Originally, Lucas considered David Prowse, who was six feet tall, for the role of Chewbacca, but ironically, Prowse opted to portray Darth Vader because he "didn't want to be a masked character." As a result, Mayhew was selected for the role of Chewbacca. His initial scene was Docking Bay 94, where Han Solo was conversing with Jabba the Hutt. Upon being cast, he studied the movements of large animals at the zoo to develop a genuine sense of movement for Chewbacca. Mayhew did not provide Chewbacca's vocalizations; instead, the film's sound designer, Ben Burtt, created them by combining the growls of various animals.
Beyond his performances as Chewbacca in the movies, he also made appearances as the character in numerous commercials and visited hospitals to entertain sick children. Mayhew resided in Granbury, Texas. In an interview with the Fort Worth Star Telegram, he humorously mentioned that he did not receive a medal at an event, alluding to the Star Wars scene where Luke and Han are awarded medals, but Chewbacca is not.
He also made a cameo appearance as himself in Star Wars Fanboy, a feature-length fan film by the Paducah Imperials FanForce, where he scared away stormtroopers using Wookiee sounds, some of which he created himself on set.
Mayhew's family announced his death on April 30, 2019, at his home in North Texas.
- Official website (content now obsolete; backup link)
- Peter Mayhew on StarWars.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
- Peter Mayhew at the Internet Movie Database
- Peter Mayhew on Wikipedia