Mayhew's story shows how a chance meeting can define a life. A hospital orderly in Surrey, he was cast as Chewbacca after standing up to greet George Lucas. He gave the wordless character warmth by studying bears, monkeys and gorillas at London Zoo. That physical care helped make Chewbacca one of cinema's best-loved figures across almost four decades. Mayhew also wrote children's books about being different, drawing on his own experience of gigantism. Colleagues remembered him as gentle and dignified, and fans still associate those qualities with the character he played.
Key Milestones
1977: Appeared as Chewbacca in the original Star Wars film
1980: Returned in The Empire Strikes Back and guested on The Muppet Show
2005: Reprised the role in Revenge of the Sith
2015: Played Chewbacca for the last time in The Force Awakens, sharing the role with Joonas Suotamo
2019: Died at his home in Boyd, Texas
Peter William Mayhew (19 May 1944 – 30 April 2019) was a British-American actor. He was best known for portraying Chewbacca in the Star Wars film series.
He played Chewbacca in the Star Wars films from 1977 until The Force Awakens in 2015.
Diagnosed with pituitary gigantism in childhood, he reached a peak height of 7 feet 3 inches.
He became a United States citizen in 2005 and lived in Boyd, Texas, until his death.
Career highlights
1977Cast as Chewbacca: Hired after meeting George Lucas
1980The Muppet Show: Guest role in Star Wars crossover
1997MTV Lifetime Achievement: Accepted while dressed as Chewbacca
2005Revenge of the Sith: Returned to the role; became US citizen
2015The Force Awakens: Final live-action Chewbacca performance
Did you know?A newspaper photograph about men with large feet led to his first acting job, playing the Minoton in the 1977 film Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger.
