Peter
William
Mayhew
Born in Barnes, Surrey, England, United Kingdom
Ancestors 
[sibling(s) unknown]
Husband of
[private wife (1950s - unknown)]
[children unknown]
Died
at age 74
in Boyd, Wise County, Texas, United States
Profile last modified
| Created 9 Jan 2016
This page has been accessed 6,487 times.
Biography
Peter Mayhew is Notable.
English-American actor, known best for his portrayal of the Wookiee Chewbacca in the Star Wars franchise.
Peter William Mayhew was born 19 May 1944 in Barnes, Surrey, England, United Kingdom to Walter H. Mayhew and Constance E. Yeates.[1] In adulthood, he stood 7'4" tall (2.21 m).[2] While some would claim that Peter's height and appearance was due to gigantism, he had denied this and pointed to having treatment for a pituitary gland disorder at age 15,[3] which may have been Marfan's syndrome.[4] He was married to Angie Jones in 1999, and together they had three children.[5]
Starting his life in engineering, Peter felt he was better suited to serving others in hospital work.[5] Peter worked as an hospital orderly in King's College Hospital's Radiology department until he appeared in Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger as Minoton (uncredited). George Lucas and 20th Century Fox were informed of his role by a makeup artist on Sinbad and requested Peter to apply for a new unknown film named Star Wars (1977). George let him know he had the role if all he did was show up and when he did show up, Peter stood to greet them and Lucas knew he had his Wookiee. Peter loved his Star Wars family and put everything he had into being the best Chewbacca he could, going so far as to study the movements of bears, gorillas, and and monkeys to base his action as Chewie on. Chewbacca became one of the most beloved characters in film history.[6]
Peter reprised his role in The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978), Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, as well as the prequel trilogy film Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005) and the sequel trilogy film Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015). In addition he cameoed as Chewbacca on an episode of The Muppet Show (1980) and at the 1997 MTV Movie Awards. Due to his frail health, he consulted on Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017), and Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), mentoring his successor, 6'11" Joonas Suotamo.[2][5]
Between movies, Peter lived quietly, often focusing on his charity work, in Yorkshire, England. Following his marriage to Angie, they moved to Boyd, Texas. He became a United States citizen in 2005.[5]
Peter died 30 Apr 2019 at age 74 in Boyd, Texas, United States, following a heart attack.[7][2] Peter is interred at Azleland Memorial Park and Mausoleum, Reno, Parker County, Texas.[8]
Sources
- ↑ "England and Wales Birth Registration Index, 1837-2008," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV7S-ZKDH : 1 October 2014), Peter W Mayhew, 1944; from "England & Wales Births, 1837-2006," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing Birth Registration, Surrey North Eastern, Surrey, England, citing General Register Office, Southport, England.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Washington Post, Obituary
- ↑ Star Wars actor Peter Mayhew in Melbourne for Supanova Fan Convention. The Sydney Morning Herald, April 12, 2014.
- ↑ 'Star Wars' Actor, Peter 'Chewbacca' Mayhew, 70, Stricken With Pneumonia — Sends Fans Message From Hospital. The Inquisitr, January 20, 2015.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 The Peter Mayhew Foundation
- ↑ Peter Mayhew, the actor who brought Chewbacca to life, has died
- ↑ Zarrell, Matt; Rothman, Michael (2 May 2019). "'Star Wars' actor Peter Mayhew dies at the age of 74, family says". ABC News. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
- ↑ Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 12 December 2019), memorial page for Peter Mayhew (19 May 1944–30 Apr 2019), Find A Grave: Memorial #198812150, citing Azleland Memorial Park and Mausoleum, Reno, Parker County, Texas, USA ; Maintained by Find A Grave .
See also:
- Peter Mayhew on Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia
- Peter Mayhew on Wookieepedia, the Star Wars Wiki
- Peter Mayhew on Internet Movie Database (IMDb)
- This WikiTree profile is referenced from Wikidata: Item Q560552, en:Wikipedia
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- Peter Mayhew - best known as Chewbacca - has died May 2, 2019.
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Categories: This Day In History May 19 | This Day In History April 30 | Actors | Star Wars Actors | Authors | Example Profiles of the Week | Barnes, Surrey (London) | Boyd, Texas | Azleland Memorial Park and Mausoleum, Reno, Texas | Featured Connections Archive 2022 | Featured Connections Archive 2023 | Notables