In Memory of David Prowse (1935-2020)

David Prowse (1935-2020)

To all millions of Star Wars fans, it is with sorrow that the former British bodybuilder/actor David Prowse, the man who embodies the iconic villain Darth Vader in the original "Star Wars" trilogy, passed away on 28th November 2020 after a short illness. He was 85 years old.

While James Earl Jones is known to have provided the voice of Vader, Prowse's imposing six-foot and six-inch physical stature suits him in playing the Sith Lord, formerly known as Anakin Skywalker.

He began as a bodybuilder and competed in the Commonwealth Games in Great Britain in 1962, for which he won the British heavyweight weightlifting championship. After doing competitive weightlifting for several years, Prowse got his first screen role (albeit uncredited) in the 1967 James Bond spoof "Casino Royale", where he played Frankenstein's Monster. David later reprised the role in two Hammer films in the early 1970s, "Horror of Frankenstein" and "Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell".

Prowse was the centre of attention for an up-and-coming filmmaker named George Lucas, who has seen him in his small role as a bodyguard in Stanley Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange". He asked David to audition as either the Wookie Chewbacca or Darth Vader in his original 1977 sci-fi movie "Star Wars". However, Prowse opted for the latter while the former went to Peter Mayhew, not knowing he would play a masked character. The voice for Vader was famously dubbed by the booming voice of American actor James Earl Jones when Prowse's West Country accent was deemed unsuitable.

He returns as Vader in "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi". He eventually shared the suit with British Olympic fencer Bob Anderson, who did much of the lightsaber duels when Prowse failed to do it convincingly. When British actor Sebastian Shaw portrayed the face of Anakin Skywalker at the end of "Return of the Jedi", Vader got unmasked. At one point in 1978, Prowse accidentally blurted out that Darth Vader was Luke's father, which, at that time, he claimed was a lucky guess and not yet revealed until "The Empire Strikes Back". It strained his relationship with George Lucas and his production company, Lucasfilm. Prowse was a regular at several fan conventions but got officially barred from many Star Wars conventions due to his earlier controversies until ill health forced him to retire from fan conventions in 2016.

Prowse also starred in movies like "Vampire Circus" and "The People That Time Forgot" and TV shows including "The Saint", "Doctor Who", "Space 1999", and "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". He also appeared in two Star Wars-related documentaries, "Elstree 1976" and "I Am Your Father". The latter of which details his relationship with working in Star Wars.

All I can say is, Dave, wherever you are, you created one of the most iconic movie villains in history, and you are now one with the Force.

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In Memory of Sean Connery (1930-2020)

Sean Connery (1930-2020)

It is with sadness that I regret to inform you that Sean Connery. The Scottish-born actor, well-known for his iconic portrayal of James Bond, is dead. He was 90 years old. He had been long-regarded as one of the best actors to have played the famous British secret agent in seven films, instantly skyrocketing him into fame as one of the franchise's most popular and enduring international stars. His son Jason said that he had been unwell for some time. This illness led to his death in an overnight sleep in the Bahamas. There, he is surrounded by those he loves. Sean was widely considered by fans the best Bond seen in the series. It is then forever that in the scene of the first Bond movie, "Dr. No", Sean would utter these distinct words of the character as he introduces himself in his namesake "Bond... James Bond."

Regarding the information I learned about Sean, he was born on August 25th, 1930, in the Fountainbridge area of Edinburgh. He is the son of a Catholic factory worker and a Protestant domestic cleaner. After age 13, when he left school in poverty, Connery took odd jobs such as a coffin polisher, milkman, and lifeguard before enlisting in the Royal Navy. Three years later, his stomach ulcers got him removed from service. After his time in the Navy, he earned a reputation for being a "hard man" when he defended himself from six gang members, who followed him after they tried to steal from his coat. Sean took up bodybuilding and had a love of football, and at one point, was offered a contract at Manchester United for £25 a week before changing his goal to becoming an actor.

In 1953, Connery competed in the Mr. Universe competition in London. Starting his stage career, he was part of the musical "South Pacific" chorus. A year later, Connery first appeared as an extra in the film "Lilacs in the Spring" and had some minor roles on television. In 1957, Sean got his first leading role in BBC's television remake of "Blood Money", followed by his first lead role in a B crime movie called "No Road Back". The following year, he would star opposite Lana Turner in "Another Time, Another Place".

He continued to act and perfect his skill. Sean got approached by producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, who acquired the rights for Ian Fleming's James Bond novels and began searching for an actor to play 007. Sean got the part without an audition, and the rest is history. Upon its release, "Dr. No" was an instant success and made him an international star. He continued to play the agent in four consecutive films of the series, such as "From Russia with Love", "Goldfinger", "Thunderball", and "You Only Live Twice". In 1967, when "You Only Live Twice" was finished, Connery was tired of Bond and afraid of being typecast. He refused to return in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service", with the role later given to Australian actor George Lazenby. In 1971, he returned to play the character in "Diamonds Are Forever" after being convinced by Broccoli and Saltzman for a record of $1.25 million. Though a great deal of money would later tempt him in his last time to portray the character in 1983's "Never Say Never Again".

Outside of portraying 007, Connery had a long distinguished career in films, beginning in the mid-1960s to early-1970s with "Marnie", "The Hill", "A Fine Madness", "Shalako" and "The Molly Maguires". In 1974, the same year, he appeared in the post-apocalyptic sci-fi fantasy movie "Zardoz", which was a huge misstep. Sean was to earn a supporting role in a film adaptation of Agatha Christie's mystery novel "Murder in the Orient Express". His career continued to flourish in 1975 with such films as "The Wind and the Lion" and "The Man Who Would Be King" with his friend Michael Caine, and in 1976, he starred opposite Audrey Hepburn, where he played the aging Robin Hood in the film "Robin and Marian". But while the movie was not an instant success, it solidified his reputation as a versatile, serious screen actor. In the late 1970s, there were more setback movies for Sean, like "A Bridge Too Far", "Cuba", and "Meteor", but he did earn another hit movie by Terry Gilliam called "Time Bandits". His box office reputation would improve in films such as "Highlander" (except in the U.S.), "Name of the Rose" and "The Untouchables". The latter of which earned him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

In 1989, Connery was paired with Harrison Ford when he got cast as Indiana Jones's father (despite being 12 years older) by director Steven Spielberg in "The Last Crusade". Sean went on to star in notable successes like "The Hunt for Red October", "The Russia House", "Dragonheart", "The Rock", "Entrapment", and "Finding Forrester", as well as failures like "First Knight", "The Avengers" and "The League of Extraordinary Gentleman".

Connery retired from live acting in 2005. However, he has also done voice work, including as Bond in the video game adaptation of "From Russia with Love". He even voiced the title character in the animated short "Sir Billi the Vet" and later reprised his role in 2010 for "Sir Billi", in which he was also an executive producer. Sean received a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II in 2000. His first marriage was to Australian actress Diane Cilento in 1962, which bore him his only son Jason Connery, and they divorced in 1973.

We'll miss you, Sean, and wherever you are, you will always be my favourite James Bond!

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