What was David Prowse's Net Worth and Salary?
David Prowse was an English actor and champion weightlifter who had a net worth of $3 million at the time of his death. David Prowse is best known for playing Darth Vader in the original trilogy of "Star Wars" films. Although Prowse starred as Darth Vader, the voice of that role was provided by James Earl Jones.
He also appeared in such films as "Up the Chastity Belt," "A Clockwork Orange," "Black Snake," and "White Cargo." In the UK, Prowse was famous for his role as the Green Cross Man in the Green Cross Code multimedia campaign for road safety.
Prowse wrote two notable books, 1979's "Fitness is Fun" and 2011's "Straight From the Force's Mouth".
David Prowse died on November 28, 2020, at the age of 85.
Early Life and Education
David Prowse was born on July 1, 1935 in Bristol, England to Gladys and Charles. As a youth, he attended Bristol Grammar School.
Weightlifting and Training
In 1962, Prowse won the British heavyweight weightlifting championship, and represented England in the weightlifting event at the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Perth, Australia. The following year, he left Bristol and moved to London, where he worked for a weightlifting company. In his weightlifting prime, Prowse weighed around 282 pounds and was able to deadlift up to 784 pounds. After stepping away from competitive weightlifting, he became a trainer for many British wrestlers. Prowse later helped train Christopher Reeve for the 1978 film "Superman" and Cary Elwes for the 1987 film "The Princess Bride." Meanwhile, he became a fitness consultant for the British luxury department store Harrods, and opened a series of gyms in London.
Film and Television
In 1968, Prowse had his first credited acting role, in the Eurospy thriller film "Hammerhead." Also that year, he appeared in an episode of the ITV series "The Saint." In 1970, Prowse played Frankenstein's monster in "The Horror of Frankenstein," having played a version of the character before in the parody film "Casino Royale" (in which he was uncredited). He then had a big year in 1971, appearing in three films: the comedies "Up the Chastity Belt" and "Carry On Henry" and Stanley Kubrick's dystopian crime film "A Clockwork Orange." The following year, Prowse had a small part in the horror film "Vampire Circus." In 1973, he had roles on the big screen in Russ Meyer's "Black Snake" and Ray Selfe's "White Cargo" and a small-screen role in the children's science-fiction television series "The Tomorrow People." Prowse went on to portray Frankenstein's monster for the third time in his career, in 1974's "Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell." Also that year, he appeared in the thriller "Callan." In 1976, Prowse appeared in an episode of the ITV science-fiction television series "Space: 1999."
Prowse debuted his most iconic role in 1977, as the antagonist Darth Vader in the blockbuster space opera film "Star Wars." He embodied the character's physical form, while James Earl Jones provided the sonorous voice. Prowse reprised his role in the sequels "The Empire Strikes Back" (1980) and "Return of the Jedi" (1983), although he felt sidelined in both when fight choreographer and stuntman Bob Anderson was used in his place during lightsaber battles. Among his other big-screen credits, Prowse appeared in the fantasy films "Jabberwocky" and "The People That Time Forgot," both in 1977, and the independent films "Saving Star Wars" (2004) and "The Kindness of Strangers" (2010). On the small screen, he was known in the UK for playing the superhero the Green Cross Man in the Green Cross Code campaign for road safety. Prowse appeared in a series of public information films for the campaign from 1975 to 1990. Toward the end of his career, he appeared as himself in some documentary films about the legacy of "Star Wars," including "Elstree 1976" and "I Am Your Father."
Star Wars Salary
David Prowse's salary for the Star Wars films is not known. It is known that James Earl Jones earned $7,000 for the first film. We also know that James turned down equity points on the first movie that would have eventually translated into tens of millions of dollars. David was offered points on the second film, "Return of the Jedi," unfortunately, due to "Hollywood accounting," he never earned a dime from these residuals despite the fact that it still stands as one of the 20 highest grossing films of all time.
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Late-Career Activities
Due to his role as Darth Vader, Prowse was a regular on the "Star Wars" convention circuit for many years. However, in the summer of 2010, franchise creator George Lucas banned Prowse from attending any further official "Star Wars" fan conventions. There was no reason given other than Prowse having supposedly "burnt too many bridges" with Lucasfilm.
Among his other activities, Prowse had a business partnership with Welsh musician Jayce Lewis, whom he had first met at a science-fiction convention when the latter was a teenager. Prowse served as Lewis's manager and PR person, and was featured in his science-fiction music video for the song "Shields."
Personal Life and Death
With his wife Norma Scammell, whom he wed in 1963, Prowse had three children.
In 2009, Prowse revealed that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. After undergoing radiation therapy, he was reportedly in remission. Later, in 2014, it was reported that Prowse had dementia. Due to his ill health, he retired from all public appearances in late 2017. On November 28, 2020, Prowse passed away in London, England at the age of 85.
