Star Wars Cast List

Mark Hamill Luke Skywalker

Mark Hammill is an American actor who mainly worked in television before getting cast in Star Wars. When his friend Robert Englund was auditioning for Apocalypse Now, he saw that they were auditioning for Star Wars across the hall, and recommended to Hammill that he audition for the role of Luke. The role of Luke Skywalker became so iconic that Hammill had trouble breaking out into other roles. In addition to live-action roles, he has had an extensive career as a voice actor.

Harrison Ford Han Solo

Harrison Ford was originally an audition reader for Star Wars auditions, but Lucas was so impressed by his work that he cast him. He had previously worked with George Lucas on American Graffiti. His other films include the Indiana Jones franchise, The Frisco Kid, Blade Runner, Witness, The Mosquito Coast, Frantic, Patriot Games, Presumed Innocent, The Fugitive, Sabrina, Air Force One, What Lies Beneath, Paranoia, and Blade Runner 2049.

Carrie Fisher Leia

The daughter of Hollywood royalty—Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher—Carrie Fisher was only 19 when she auditioned for the role of Princess Leia. She had already appeared in the 1975 film Shampoo at the time, but Star Wars was what put her on the map. Her other films include The Blues Brothers, Hannah and Her Sisters, When Harry Met Sally..., Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, and the television show Catastrophe. In addition to acting, she was a beloved and successful writer, penning the popular novel Postcards from the Edge, a thinly veiled autobiography about her battle with addiction in Hollywood, which was turned into a film starring Meryl Streep.

Peter Cushing Grand Moff Tarkin

Peter Cushing was an English actor who is perhaps best known to American audiences for his role as Tarkin in Star Wars. His other films include Laurence Olivier's Hamlet, Nineteen Eighty-Four, The Abominable Snowman, and The Mummy.

Alec Guinness Obi-Wan Kenobi

Alec Guiness was an English actor who had a prolific film career. His films include The Ladykillers, Great Expectations, Oliver Twist, The Bridge on the River Kwai (for which he won an Oscar), Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago, A Passage to India, and Star Wars.

David Prowse/James Earl Jones Darth Vader

The acting duties were assigned to two separate actors for the evil Darth Vader. David Prowse acted as his body, while James Earl Jones provided his voice. David Prowse is an English character actor and former bodybuilder. His other films include A Clockwork Orange, Jabberwocky, and Casino Royale.

James Earl Jones is a prolific screen actor and recipient of an Honoroary Academy Award. His films include The Lion King, Dr. Strangelove, The Great White Hope, Claudine, Field of Dreams, The Sandlot, and Patriot Games.