Darth Vader actor Dave Prowse dies aged 85

Actor Dave Prowse, alias Star Wars’ villain Darth Vader, after receiving a MBE for services to charity and road safety for playing the Green Cross Code man (John Stillwell/PA)

Dave Prowse, the Bristol actor who played Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy, has died aged 85.

The weightlifter-turned-actor, who also earned an MBE for playing the Green Cross Code Man to promote road safety, died after a short illness, his agent Thomas Bowington said in a Facebook post.