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Related: Culture Forums, Support ForumsR.I.P Chewbacca!
Peter Mayhew. May the force be with you!
Dang. I has a sad. I grew up with Chewy.
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R.I.P Chewbacca! (Original Post)
Wawannabe
May 2019
OP
MustLoveBeagles
(11,691 posts)1. Farewell Chewy
mr_lebowski
(33,643 posts)2. Sadness
NurseJackie
(42,862 posts)3. ...
Fla Dem
(23,905 posts)4. Nice article about Peter Mayhew. Always loved Chewbacca.
How Peter Mayhew became Chewbacca
By Helen Bushby
50 minutes ago
The London-born son of a policeman was diagnosed with gigantism, a condition that causes excessive growth, aged eight. Mayhew also had a related genetic tissue disorder called Marfan Syndrome.
He went on to reach a towering 7ft 2in (2.18m) and started his working life in engineering. But, according to his charity foundation, he felt "more fulfilled" working as an orderly at King's College Hospital in the capital.
He was spotted for his film career by chance, when a local reporter published a photograph of him. It was seen by the producers of Ray Harryhausen's action fantasy Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger. He had exactly what Star Wars creator George Lucas needed when he was casting Chewbacca - height. Lucas had initially asked Dave Prowse, but he bagged Darth Vader instead.
Mayhew was perfect for the role of Chewie, the loveable, even cuddly sidekick to Harrison Ford's intergalactic smuggler Han Solo. Han, the pilot of the Millennium Falcon, saved the Wookiee from imprisonment, sparking their life-long friendship.
More>>>>>>
https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-48147012
By Helen Bushby
50 minutes ago
The London-born son of a policeman was diagnosed with gigantism, a condition that causes excessive growth, aged eight. Mayhew also had a related genetic tissue disorder called Marfan Syndrome.
He went on to reach a towering 7ft 2in (2.18m) and started his working life in engineering. But, according to his charity foundation, he felt "more fulfilled" working as an orderly at King's College Hospital in the capital.
He was spotted for his film career by chance, when a local reporter published a photograph of him. It was seen by the producers of Ray Harryhausen's action fantasy Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger. He had exactly what Star Wars creator George Lucas needed when he was casting Chewbacca - height. Lucas had initially asked Dave Prowse, but he bagged Darth Vader instead.
Mayhew was perfect for the role of Chewie, the loveable, even cuddly sidekick to Harrison Ford's intergalactic smuggler Han Solo. Han, the pilot of the Millennium Falcon, saved the Wookiee from imprisonment, sparking their life-long friendship.
More>>>>>>
https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-48147012
Enjoyed this!
DinahMoeHum
(21,843 posts)5. Fair winds, Chewie.
May the Force be with you.
JuJuYoshida
(2,217 posts)6. RIP Peter, may the Force be with you
DFW
(54,527 posts)7. A British friend of mine still talks about an early TV interview with him after the first film
They were looking around for someone seven feet tall, and found Peter Mayhew, a hospital orderly in Surrey. He was aked how it was that he took the part, and his answer, in a thick local accent, was, "Well, I was just sittin' around the hospital all day. Wasn't nothin' else to do, was there?"