Actor Peter Mayhew, who won over fans worldwide as the Wookiee warrior Chewbacca in the blockbuster “Star Wars” movies, has died at the age of 74, his family announced on Thursday.
Mayhew died on Tuesday at his home in Texas, surrounded by loved ones, the family said in a statement released on the actor’s Twitter account. “He put his heart and soul into the role of Chewbacca and it showed in every frame of the films from his knock-kneed running, firing his bowcaster from the hip, his bright blue eyes, down to each subtle movement of his head and mouth,” the statement said.
“But, to him, the Star Wars family meant so much more than a role in a film. The relationships that began then grew into the friends and family that he would love for decades to come.” The towering British-born actor, the son of a policeman who measured seven feet three inches (2.21 meters), was working as a hospital attendant in London when he was discovered by film producer Charles Schneer. He was first cast in the film “Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger,” in an uncredited role. But he then was cast in the role that would define his career — as the co-pilot and best friend of Han Solo (Harrison Ford) in the original “Star Wars” film released in 1977. He would go on to appear in “The Empire Strikes Back,” “Return of the Jedi” and “Revenge of the Sith.”
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