Dave Prowse, Actor who Played Darth Vader, Dies at 85

British actor David Prowse, who played Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy. (EPA)
British actor David Prowse, who played Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy. (EPA)
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Dave Prowse, Actor who Played Darth Vader, Dies at 85

British actor David Prowse, who played Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy. (EPA)
British actor David Prowse, who played Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy. (EPA)

Dave Prowse, the British weightlifter-turned-actor who played Darth Vader in the original “Star Wars” trilogy, has died. He was 85.

Prowse died Saturday after a short illness, his agent Thomas Bowington said Sunday.

Born in Bristol, southwest England, in 1935, Prowse represented England in weightlifting at the Commonwealth Games in the 1950s before breaking into movies with roles that emphasized his commanding size, including Frankenstein’s monster in a pair of horror films.

Director George Lucas saw Prowse in a small part in “A Clockwork Orange” and asked the 6-foot-6-inch (2-meter) actor to audition for the villainous Vader or the wookie Chewbacca in “Star Wars.”

Prowse later told the BBC he chose Darth Vader because “you always remember the bad guys.”

Physically, Prowse was perfect for the part. His lilting English West Country accent was considered less ideal, and his lines were dubbed by James Earl Jones.

Prowse was also known to a generation of British children as the Green Cross Code Man, a superhero in a series of road safety advertisements

“Ant-Man” director Edgar Wright paid tribute to Prowse on Twitter.

“As a kid Dave Prowse couldn’t be more famous to me; stalking along corridors as evil incarnate in the part of Darth Vader & stopping a whole generation of kiddies from being mown down in street as the Green Cross Code man,” he wrote. “Rest in Peace, Bristol’s finest.”



Marvel’s $80 Popcorn Bucket Sets World Record in Los Angeles 

A Marvel’s Fantastic Four Galactus Popcorn Bucket is displayed during a showing of "Fantastic Four: First Steps" movie at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California, on July 24, 2025. (AFP)
A Marvel’s Fantastic Four Galactus Popcorn Bucket is displayed during a showing of "Fantastic Four: First Steps" movie at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California, on July 24, 2025. (AFP)
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Marvel’s $80 Popcorn Bucket Sets World Record in Los Angeles 

A Marvel’s Fantastic Four Galactus Popcorn Bucket is displayed during a showing of "Fantastic Four: First Steps" movie at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California, on July 24, 2025. (AFP)
A Marvel’s Fantastic Four Galactus Popcorn Bucket is displayed during a showing of "Fantastic Four: First Steps" movie at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California, on July 24, 2025. (AFP)

A colossal $80 popcorn container shaped like Marvel's planet-devouring villain Galactus is offering a unique twist on movie snacks.

During its unveiling in Los Angeles, the container drew excited fans to the TCL Chinese Theatre and set a Guinness World Record.

The mammoth movie snack holder, tied to the upcoming "Fantastic Four: First Steps" film, measures 20 inches (51 cm) wide and 17.5 inches tall. It boasts a capacity of 341 ounces (10 liters) – enough to satisfy even Galactus' cosmic appetite.

Lacey Noel, a tour guide at the TCL Chinese Theatre, presented the bucket to eager onlookers. "It is $80 and people are currently eating it up," she said.

The Galactus container isn't just about size. It features a metallic finish and piercing bright blue LED eyes, adding to its appeal as a display piece long after the popcorn is gone. Fans lined up at the theater's concession stand, eager to get their hands on the limited-edition item.

This record-breaking popcorn bucket represents more than just a novel way to serve cinema snacks. It's part of a broader strategy by movie studios and theaters to lure audiences back to the big screen with exclusive, tangible experiences that can't be replicated at home.

Chris Banda, a fan who purchased the Galactus bucket, praised the initiative.

"I think these buckets are fantastic," he said. "I obviously wouldn't have got this if I didn't come to the theaters and I think it's designed very well and it's got a lot of popcorn, so cool."