Writing the announcement of the passing of Dave Prowse for Jedi News this morning, was possibly one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. Sat at my laptop with tears welling in my eyes, it made me realise the profound impact he’d had on my life.
We will all remember him fondly for portraying Darth Vader in the Original Trilogy, but for me it reaches deeper than that. Growing up in the UK in the 70’s, road safety was a key topic and Prowse was the figure head of the national campaign to help children learn to cross the road safely. Something that we take for granted every day, but this campaign brought me a superhero who was a gentle giant, there to protect me and my friends whenever we ventured across the street.
It was around the time of the release of The Empire Strikes Back, that I realised that this superhero was also the biggest villain of the silver screen, Darth Vader. For this he will always be the first name I ever associate with the Dark Lord of the Sith. He IS Darth Vader.
I was lucky enough to meet him on a few occasions. He was always happy to meet fans and spend time with them to chat away at conventions all over the world. I have many fond memories of my own exchanges and will I treasure them for years to come.
Rest in peace, clear skies and may the Force be with you, always!
Steve Galloway, Literature Editor
Back in the 1970s, when British television had only had three channels, I remember fondly the message that the Green Cross Code Man delivered to children, giving us a six-point plan on how and when it was safe to cross the road. At that age, I didn’t realise that the man was an actor playing the Green Cross Code man. The penny didn’t drop until Star Wars came out, and it was explained to me that Darth Vader was the Green Cross Code Man, and that Dave Prowse was the actor who played both roles!
I was fortunate to meet Dave on numerous occasions and interview him often; I even got to work with him at a couple of Toys ‘R’ Us UK events where Jedi News was asked to attend. I always found him very personable and willing to talk. He was brutally honest, which as we know, hurt his relationship with Lucasfilm irreparably. During his last few years on the convention circuit, we found common ground when he talked to me about his ailments and the pain he found himself in, and we were able to compare notes on the medication we were both taking.
I remember one occasion when, as he sat quietly behind a table during a convention at Earls Court, London in 2016, you could see he was in a lot of pain. I approached him and asked him how he was, and the first thing he said to me was ‘no interviews today please’. He had an empty chair next to him and I went and sat, and we talked for over 90 minutes, the longest conversation I had with him.
Dave was a giant in every sense; he loved meeting people and talking about his career. He brought both joy and fear to millions as the iconic villain Darth Vader, and he will be remembered warmly by all those who met him.
James Burns, Editor in Chief
Darth Vader. IGN named him the most iconic villain of all time and with good reason. For an entire generation, he was the bad guy, the figure of our nightmares and he didn’t take fools lightly. Not only that, but he was a villain with a very human side, a side that was ultimately redeemed, showing the audience that it is never too late to do the right thing. While the helmet was incredible, it was also expressionless, requiring a real person to bring it to life.
That person was Dave Prowse, who when asked if he wanted to be Chewbacca or Vader, chose the latter. His movements, his presence, brought our favourite villain to life. The hand gestures that all of us acted out, the ‘looks’ that Vader gave which meant someone was in for it, the lightsaber style and movements, all of it were brought to life by Prowse.
His performance, even behind a mask, cannot be underestimated. I was lucky enough to meet him in 2005 at Memorabilia, one of the first ever Star Wars guests I met. He was quiet and I was in awe. Darth Vader in the flesh! Yet that presence could be felt, even then. His passing is an extremely sad one for fans of Star Wars, we haven’t just lost the villain we loved to fear, but the hero who found his way back from the darkness…
Mark Alders, Literature Reviewer
Who can forget the moment that the dark form of Darth Vader strides through the doorway of the Tantive IV in A New Hope? Although I never had the chance to meet the man, I was lucky enough to stand in front of an original Darth Vader costume at Star Wars Identities in London in 2017. In that moment, as goosebumps prickled over my skin, I think I knew how the troopers aboard must have felt. Dave Prowse had no easy task performing as Darth Vader under that heavy armour, yet it was his physical performance that created one of the most iconic villains of all time. And now this half of Vader is gone. It seems 2020 is a year that has fallen to the Dark Side, yet May the Force be with You, Dave Prowse, and I hope that somewhere there’s a star ship being prepared for your arrival.
Kat Rees- Jauke, Literature Reviewer
The one thing that everyone remembers from the original trilogy is the ultimate villain. When he first entered the Tantive IV it wasn’t that booming voice or the breathing through the respirator that caught the viewer. It was that huge presence of a dark lord who towered over everyone he met. It was Dave Prowse’s physical presence that immortalised the ultimate Sith lord.
Sadly, I never met Dave like many of my colleagues have but today I share in the loss of our anti-hero. Rest in peace Dave Prowse, the original Lord Vader.
Jason Ling, Reporter
