Died at 82
male
Peter Mayhew (May 19, 1944 – April 30, 2019) was a British-American actor, best known for playing Chewbacca in the Star Wars films. Mayhew was born on 19 May 1944 in Barnes, Surrey, where he was also raised. His height was a product not of gigantism — "I don't have the big head" — but of an overactive pituitary gland secondary to a genetic disease called Marfan Syndrome. The overactive pituitary gland was treated successfully in his mid-teens. His peak height was 7 feet 3 inches (2.21 m)
Peter Mayhew
Chewbacca
for Chewbacca in Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Suggested by stevenkelly
Thirty years after the fall of the Empire, the New Republic has restored democracy to the galaxy, but a radical terrorist movement known as the First Order seeks to destroy everything the Rebel Alliance fought to build. During a raid on a Republic archive, stormtrooper technician RA-2187 refuses to participate in the massacre of innocent civilians, attracting the suspicion of the fearsome Kylo Ren. Escaping with a stolen map leading to the missing Luke Skywalker, she reluctantly joins forces with Republic pilot Sam Solo as they flee the First Order. Sam gradually realizes that the woman he once viewed as an enemy is actually a victim of lifelong indoctrination. Guided by Ambassador Han Solo and General Leia Organa, Rey witnesses the compassion and unity that define the Republic, forcing her to question everything she has ever known. Meanwhile, Kylo Ren reports to the resurrected Darth Plagueis, who manipulates him into carrying out a devastating plan to cripple the Republic from within. After the First Order launches a surprise assault on the Resistance and later attempts to destroy Coruscant through sabotage, Rey chooses to stop running from her past and fight for the people who accepted her. The mission culminates in Han Solo's tragic confrontation with Kylo—revealed to be his son, Ben Solo—and a climactic duel in which Rey discovers her connection to the Force but is ultimately defeated and scarred by Kylo. Although the Republic saves countless lives and prevents the destruction of its capital, the victory comes at great personal cost. Inspired by her newfound purpose, Rey sets out to find Luke Skywalker, no longer fleeing fear but running toward hope.
