Peter Mayhew
An image from The Empire Strikes Back, one of the productions that also features Peter Mayhew.
Peter Mayhew

Peter Mayhew

May 19, 1944 — Barnes, London, England, UK

Peter Mayhew (May 19, 1944 – April 30, 2019) was a British-American actor, best known for playing Chewbacca in the Star Wars films.

Mayhew was born on 19 May 1944 in Barnes, Surrey, where he was also raised. His height was a product not of gigantism — "I don't have the big head" — but of an overactive pituitary gland secondary to a genetic disease called Marfan Syndrome. The overactive pituitary gland was treated successfully in his mid-teens. His peak height was 7 feet 3 inches (2.21 m)

Star Wars

Star Wars

1977

The Empire Strikes Back

The Empire Strikes Back

1980

Return of the Jedi

Return of the Jedi

1983

The Star Wars Holiday Special

The Star Wars Holiday Special

1978

Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy

Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy

2004

Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger

Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger

1977

Secrets of the Force Awakens: A Cinematic Journey

Secrets of the Force Awakens: A Cinematic Journey

2016

Return of the Ewok

Return of the Ewok

1982