It is with heavy heart that I write these words. David Prowse, aka Darth Vader, aka The Green Cross Man, is “One with the Force.” According to CNN, Mr. Prowse passed away on November 28, 2020 after “a short illness.” Mr. Prowse was known to have suffered from prostate cancer and dementia during the last few years. He is the latest Star Wars actor to have passed away in the last decade, predeceased by Richard “Admiral Motti” LeParmentier, 2013; Carrie “Leia” Fisher, 2016; and Peter “Chewbacca” Mayhew, 2019.
But I’d rather focus on his life, which was full of accomplishments,
beyond being The Man in the Vader Suit. Other film roles were Frankenstein’s Monster (The Horror of Frankenstein, 1970) and a bodyguard in A Clockwork Orange (1971). He also appeared in TV series including The Saint, Dr. Who, and Space: 1999.
Mr. Prowse was proudest of his work as the UK’s iconic Green Cross Man, who promoted crosswalk safety for schoolchildren, from the 1970s to the 1990s. Yes, even after he became famous as the physical presence of Darth Vader. And his country clearly agreed with him, as it was his charity and Green Cross Man work – not the Dark Lord of the Sith – that earned him honors as a Member (the lowest rank) of the Order of the British Empire. In 2014, Mr. Prowse donned the Green Cross Man’s costume once more, for crossing safety spots aimed at adults using smartphones and other electronics while walking.
Unfortunately, Mr. Prowse and Star Wars’ creators weren’t always on good terms. A lot of that was likely due to the way LucasFilm handled the fact that he would be sharing the role with other actors (James Earl Jones voicing Vader and Sebastian Shaw, the original actor in the unhelmeted Return of the Jedi death scene). The plan to dub Vader’s lines seems never to have been communicated to Mr. Prowse directly, from what I’ve read. He later learned about Shaw’s RotJ appearance during an interview with a Daily Mail reporter during filming of that installment, according to his 2011 autobiography, Straight From the Force’s Mouth.
I am saddened by the loss of Mr. Prowse, yet another sad event this year. And yes, I cried a bit. But I also recalled with a smile the one time I was fortunate enough to meet David Prowse. It was at MegaCon in Orlando, probably in the late 1990s. The Rebel Legion and 501st Legion were hosting a dinner for the Star Wars guests at the con. Shy me somehow got up the courage to walk over and talk with him. It was like speaking with any other proud grandfather I’d ever met. Yes, he wanted to talk about his grandkids. (I don’t blame him.) But I also told him about seeing Return of the Jedi for the first time, a few weeks after its release. It was a crowded theater in a semi-rural part of Florida – and Darth Vader got a standing ovation when he tossed Palpatine into the reactor. For just a moment, I saw a gleam of pleasure in “Vader’s” eyes. One shared memory, a thank you for all the fun his signature role had given me, and still gives me, decades later. Thanks once more, Mr. Prowse…and Godspeed.
Linda Whitson
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