Mark Hamill

Biography

Mark Hamill is best known for his portrayal of Luke Skywalker in the original Star Wars trilogy - Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977), Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) - a role he would reprise in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015). Hamill also starred and co-starred in the films Corvette Summer (1978), The Big Red One (1980), and Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014). Hamill's extensive voice acting work includes a long-standing role as the Joker, commencing with Batman: The Animated Series (1992). Mark Richard Hamill was born in Oakland, California, to Virginia Suzanne (Johnson) and William Thomas Hamill, a captain in the United States Navy. He majored in drama at Los Angeles City College and made his acting debut on The Bill Cosby Show (1969). He played a recurring role (Kent Murray) on the soap opera General Hospital (1963) and co-starred on the comedy series The Texas Wheelers (1974). Robert Englund auditioned for a role in Apocalypse Now (1979) when he walked across the hall where auditions were taking place for George Lucas's Star Wars saga. After watching the auditions for a while, he realized that Hamill, his friend, would be perfect for the role of Luke Skywalker. He suggested to Hamill that he audition for the role; Hamill did, and won the role. Released on May 25, 1977, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) was an enormous unexpected success and made a huge impact on the film industry. Hamill also appeared in The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978) and later starred in the successful sequels Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983). For both of the sequels, Hamill was honored with the Saturn Award for Best Actor given by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. He reprised the role of Luke Skywalker for the radio dramatizations of both "Star Wars" (1981) and "The Empire Strikes Back" (1983). For the radio dramatization of "Return of the Jedi" (1996), the role was played by a different actor. With the acquisition of Lucasfilm by the Walt Disney Company, it was announced that there would be more Star Wars films, starting with Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), which was released on December 18, 2015. Hamill appeared in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) and will continue to star in the current trilogy, alongside fellow Star Wars actors Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher, reprising their roles as Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia Organa, respectively.

Filmography

Movie Name Release Date
Star Wars: The Last Jedi January 26, 2018