Star Wars: No Darth of talent behind space opera’s great villain

At the heart of the first Star Wars movie was the famous showdown between Luke Skywalker, played by Mark Hamill, and his father Darth Vader. Five actors so far have portrayed the villain who started life as Anakin Skywalker.

• David Prowse: The former bodybuilder was never heard in the original Star Wars movies, but it was his strapping body inside that shiny black Vader suit. Prowse’s imposing 6ft 6in stature was perfect for Vader, but his Bristol accent was another matter.
• James Earl Jones: The voice of Vader was already an award-winning star of stage and screen when the original Star Wars was being developed by George Lucas. In 2005, the veteran star reprised Vader for Revenge of the Sith. He returned to the role nine years later in the animated Star Wars Rebels.
• Sebastian Shaw. The veteran actor was 77 when he appeared in Return of the Jedi. The face revealed during the unmasking of Darth Vader was his. Originally the Force ghost incarnation of Anakin at the end of the film, he was digitally replaced by Hayden Christensen in the 2004 re-release. The move sparked a outcry from hardcore fans. Shaw died of natural causes in 1994, aged 89.
• Jake Lloyd:
• Young Lloyd, also known as Jake Broadbent, was only 10 when he played the gifted child in 1999’s Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Unfortunately, the experience left him embittered. After portraying Anakin in some video games, he quit acting and blamed the movie for his decision.
• Hayden Christensen: The Canadian actor took over one of the most high-profile roles in cinema from child actor Jake Lloyd.

Cast as a teenage Anakin, opposite Ewan McGregor and Natalie Portman in 2002’s Episode II: Attack Of The Clones and 2005’s Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith, he portrayed the Jedi’s transformation into Darth Vader.