CHERUBS is very grateful for the autographed photo donated by Mark Hamill!
Date of Birth
25 September 1951,
Concord, California, USA
Birth Name
Mark Richard Hamill
Height
5' 9" (1.75 m)
Mini Biography
His father was a captain in the United States Navy; he grew up in California, Virginia, New York and Japan. He majored in drama at Los Angeles City College and made his acting
debut on
"The Bill Cosby Show" (1969) in 1970. He played a continuing role (Kent Murray) in TV's
"General Hospital" (1963) and co-starred in the respected TV comedy series
"The Texas Wheelers" (1974). Real fame came with his film
debut (he was voice only in
Wizards (1977)) with the hero role of Luke Skywalker in
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). He experienced a disfiguring car crash, but later played in
Broadway, returning to film in 1989.
IMDb Mini Biography By: Ed Stephan stephan@cc.wwu.edu>
Spouse
Trade Mark
The voice of joker on Batman:The Animated Series and animated Batman films
Trivia
Father of
Nathan Hamill (b. 25 June 1979), Griffin Hamill (b. 4 March 1983),
Chelsea Hamill (b. 27 July 1988).
In an ironic counterpoint to his problem of being typecast as a upright hero like "Luke Skywalker" in live-action roles, he has found that his successful career as an animation voice actor has typecast him as a player of flamboyant villains like "The Joker" in the animated
"Batman" (1992) series.
Attended Nile C. Kinnick High School (known as Yo-Hi) in Yokohama, Japan, where as a senior he played Henry Aldrich in the high school production of Clifford Goldsmith's "What A Life," Naval Base. School is now on the Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan, where it is known by its original name, Kinnick High. Original site of the high school where Hamill acted is now a MyCal department store.
Hamill met his wife, Mary Lou York, when she was his dental hygienist.
He did all his own stunts in
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) -- except two places: where "Luke Skywalker" jumps off the plank into the Sarlaac, turns, and flips back onto the plank and on the Death Star when Vader throws his saber at the supports of the catwalk. According to "The Making of Return of the Jedi" by John Philip Peecher (c. 1983), his stunt double,
Colin Skeaping, performed both of these stunts.
He accidentally hit
Peter Stormare during a fight scene in
Commander Hamilton (1998).
He did all his own stunts in
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980), except in the scene in Cloud city where he is sucked out of a window.
He was originally cast as David on
"Eight Is Enough" (1977), and asked to be released from his contract before
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) came out because he sensed the movie would be successful, and Hamill wanted to focus on his movie career. ABC refused to release him from his contract, thinking that having a successful movie star connected with the show would help "Eight is Enough" (1976). Hamill was then in a car crash in December 1976 and injured his face. This made him unavailable for shooting the TV series, and ABC was forced to recast the role of David, which then went to
Grant Goodeve.
Is the 4th of 7 children.
Auditioned for
American Graffiti (1973).
Appeared in
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001), which also starred
Carrie Fisher. It was the first time the two had starred together since
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983). Neither of them knew that the other was involved in the project until shortly after filming had been completed.
Claims his inspiration for the vocal interpretation as The Joker on the animated
"Batman" (1992) came from a mixture of Hannibal Lecter and
Jerry Lewis.
Attended Annandale High School in Annandale, Virginia before his father was transfered.
In 1995, he appeared in
Village of the Damned (1995) for director
John Carpenter. That same year, Carpenter released another movie:
In the Mouth of Madness (1995). A newspaper boy was played by
Hayden Christensen, who went on to play his father (Anakin Skywalker) in the Star Wars prequels.
He kept his Luke Skywalker boots, from the first "Star Wars" movie. When the movie was re-released to theaters in the late 1990s, his son asked if he could wear the boots to a showing. Hamill said no, telling him he didn't think the boy would "get out alive" if fans knew his boots were the originals.
Though in the Star Wars trilogy he shoots a pistol and swings a light saber right- handed, he eats and writes left-handed. He can be seen eating left-handed in
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) when in Yoda's home and writing left-handed on a guest appearance on the show
"3rd Rock from the Sun" (1996).
Director
Stephen Weeks originally wanted him for the part of "Sir Gawain" in
Sword of the Valiant: The Legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (1984) but the producers refused and insisted on
Miles O'Keeffe.
Mark and his "Star Wars" co-star
Harrison Ford were both considered for the role of the bumbling wizard "Schmendrick" in the 1982 animated adaptation of
The Last Unicorn (1982).
Played the infamous Flash villain, The Trickster aka James Jesse (a word play for old west bandit Jesse James, a popular stunt for "Flash" creator
Gardner Fox and other series writers), in both the short lived live action CBS series
"The Flash" (1990), in 1991 (two episodes), and in the
"Justice League" (2001) animated series in 2005, in the episode "Flash and Substance".
Worked for free on
Britannia Hospital (1982)
He campaigned for
George McGovern during the 1972 presidential race.
For the New Jedi Order novelization he reprized his role as Luke Skywalker playing his own voice in a commercial.
He was a friend of
Robert Englund, the actor best known for playing "Freddy Krueger" in the "Nightmare On Elm Street" films. Englund, himself, auditioned for the role of "Luke Skywalker" and, when he didn't get the part, he encouraged Mark to go and audition after him.
Got along quite well with his _Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)_ cast mate
Ian McDiarmid, as they both had a taste for British comedy.
Has actually played two roles in the Star Wars trilogy. That's Mark's voice on the P.A. system announcing that "The first transport is away," in
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980).
Trained with sword master
Bob Anderson for his role as
Luke Skywalker; Anderson also trained
David Prowse (Darth Vader).
Is one quarter Swedish.
Personal Quotes
I have a sneaking suspicion that if there were a way to make movies without actors, George (Lucas) would do it.
Acting in 'Star Wars' I felt like a raisin in a giant fruit salad, and I didn't even know who the cantaloupes were.
"I had the accident way before Star Wars came out, but what really happened has been terribly distorted. I broke my nose, that's it! But I've read accounts about how my face has been reconstructed with plastic surgery and how I was pulling myself along the highway with one arm looking for help. I even heard that I drove off a cliff! That's the best one of all." - Mark Hamill on his auto accident.
The idea of The Force is basically "Religion's Greatest Hits".
You know how there are some stars out there who know how to market themselves? I don't have that.
You know where [the pride] comes from? It's not so much from the industry ... but the 9-year-old kid who looks at you like a cross between Superman and Santa Claus. And you'd have to be a really, really hardened cynic not to be moved by that. Not only that, but just doing the interviews for this animation series, I can't tell you how many people have said, 'I got into the business because of that movie.' ... I totally understand that because I remember walking out of
Jason and the Argonauts (1963) and saying, 'I don't know how they got those skeletons to fight, but someday I want that to be my job. To make skeletons fight.'
I never saw myself so much as an actor. I wanted to be a cartoonist like
Charles M. Schulz and create my own world and be able to have a studio at home and not commute and be able to be with my family. I just didn't have the skills to pull that off and so I've gravitated toward theater because I like all of it.
I think theater has given me the opportunity to show what a character actor I can be.
I've learned that the movies [Star Wars] will never finally end. It just goes on and on and on and on. I mean, it's going to be in 3D, then it's going to be smellivision, then it's going to be a ride in an amusement park, then they'll come to your house and perform it with puppets on your lawn ... it'll never end! I accepted that a long time ago.
I can't tell you how much we laughed on the set to have
Alec Guinness in a scene with a big, furry dog that's flying a space ship.
I love comic books.
I'm waiting for my body to catch up with my age.
I've been married to a dental hygienist for years and if you think I haven't heard "Use the Floss" you'd be mistaken.
[When asked by
Kevin Smith on
"Dinner for Five" (2001) if he's tired of talking about "Star Wars"] To be honest with you, sure. I'm human. I mean, I like ice cream, but I don't eat it three times a day. And I've forgotten a lot of it. If I was still working on it, it might be different, but I've put it in perspective. I want to be supportive without being critical, but it's not mine anymore.
Salary
Where Are They Now
(November 2003) Performing in "Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks" at the Belasco Theater on Broadway.
(November 2005) In a commercial for Comcast High-speed Internet and Cable.
