A Geek's Cogitations, Conjectures and other Cortical Experiences

Tag: Peter Mayhew

HMDYK About Peter Mayhew

Today would have been Peter Mayhew’s 77th birthday. We lost Peter two years ago, mere days after the Star Wars Celebration in Chicago. I was fortunate enough to be there and to snap a picture of him. My daughter was with me and she alleges that he turned and smiled at her. We miss you Peter. In honor of his birthday I ask, how much do you know about Peter Mayhew?

Peter was born in London, England. His towering height was actually a genetic condition called Marfan syndrome. People with this condition are typically tall and thin with long appendages. There are often pulmonary, visual and skeletal complications with Marfan syndrome but the cardiovascular issues are the more serious complications. Peter passed away after suffering a heart attack in 2019; it wouldn’t surprise me if it was a complication of Marfan.

Once Chewbacca, Always Chewbacca

Peter was working as an orderly for King’s College Hospital when he was offered a role in Star Wars. Just like his co-star, David Prowse, he was given the choice between Darth Vader or Chewbacca. He chose Chewbacca because he wanted to play the hero; just as David Prowse chose Darth Vader because he wanted to play the villain. How fortuitous for the both of them.

Peter has 26 credits on IMDB and for more than half of them he is Chewbacca. His Twitter tag is @TheWookieRoars (which is now the Peter Mayhew Foundation and maintained by his family). To say Peter loved being Chewbacca is an understatement. In fact, under Personal Details on IMDB, it lists “Chewbacca” as his Alternate Name.

His other credits, though few, include a recurring role in Dark Towers (1981) and some bit roles in shows or movies I’ve never heard of. In the movie Killer Ink from 2016, his character is Uncle Clyde and that would be his last credited character role.

He trained Joonas Suotamo to carry on the mantle of Chewbacca and it’s an amazing job. I hope Disney has some plans to bring Chewie back to the screen once again, big screen or the small screen. The Rise of Skywalker is dedicated to Peter’s memory.

Once again, RIP Peter Mayhew and thank you.

/MTFBWY

Breathe. Just breathe. Now reach out.

Happy Birthday Peter Mayhew

It’s been a year since Peter Mayhew passed away. Today would have been his 76th birthday, perhaps now it should be known as “Chewbacca Day”. There’s not much more I can say about Peter that I haven’t already said. The man is as legendary as the character he brought to life. Joonas is doing amazing work keeping the legacy alive, but then again he was coached from the man himself.

Happy Birthday Peter. Thank you for your amazing work and give the Princess and R2 our best.

/MTFBWY

Breathe. Just breathe. Now reach out.

2019 Year In Review

2019 Year In Review2019 was the final year of the decade, which means we are entering the second decade of the new millennium (and 20 years since the “dreaded” Y2K scare). It’s still hard to tell if all of us still like each other. Political differences continue to divide us and it’s depressing, infuriating and scary. I don’t do politics on this blog so, in the words of Forrest Gump, that’s all I have to say about that. 2019 was an OK year, depending on your perspective. These perspectives is what I am going to get into for my 2019 Year In Review.

Celebrity Deaths

We lost over 150 celebrities this year. I’m not going to mention all of them, only the ones that I found particularly depressing. I’m not trying to down play the deaths of the others because it sucks when we lose anyone. Before I begin I would just like to note that Kirk Douglas and Betty White are not on this list.

Celebrity Deaths: Internet

Tardar Sauce, aka Grumpy Cat (7) passed away this year. If you don’t know who Grumpy Cat was, then you are living under a rock. Her permanent scowl was a condition caused by a genetic mutation but created thousands of meme. She was an Internet sensation.

Celebrity Deaths: TV

The television death that seemed to be most notable was the death of Caroll Spinney (85) who was the original Big Bird on Sesame Street from 1969 to 2018. Best known for his comedy on The Carol Burnett Show, Tim Conway (85) passed away this year. He was so talented and so hilarious. If you haven’t seen his Elephant Story bit from the show, you are missing out! Luke Perry‘s (52) sudden death was truly heartbreaking. He’s mostly known for his role as Dylan in 90210 and, more recently, as Fred Andrews on Riverdale.

The Star Trek Deep Space 9 series lost two lovable characters his year. René Auberjonois (79) passed away this year. While he had many television and film roles, he always has been and always will be Odo to me. Unfortunately the bad news for DS9 doesn’t end there. Aron Eisenberg (50) played the lovable Ferengi Nog on Deep Space 9; in fact he was probably my favorite Ferengi. RIP gentlemen. Thank you for the awesome memories.

Celebrity Deaths: Movies

The following celebrities are primarily known for their movie roles. We lost Doris Day this year, but she lived a long and extraordinary 97 years! Also, from the golden years of film, Peter Fonda (79) passed away; he was the son of Henry Fonda, the brother of Jane Fonda and the father of Bridget Fonda. The actor with one of the coolest names in Hollywood passed away, Rip Torn. While it really sucks that he’s gone, I did not know he was 88 when he passed. I mostly remember him from the Men In Black movies.

Peter Mayhew at the 2019 Star Wars Celebration in Chicago

The last celebrity death is the one that sucks the most. In April, just a couple of weeks after his appearance at the Star Wars Celebration in Chicago, Peter Mayhew (74) passed away. He is a legend for his role as Chewbacca and the epitome of a gentle giant. He loved his role as Chewbacca and he will be greatly missed. However, its comforting to know that now, he is fulfilling his obligation to Han Solo, and he’s taking care of the princess. RIP Chewie.

Thank You Peter Mayhew

Why do I find it so difficult to talk about the passing of a man I never knew but who was also a huge part of my life? Last week we lost our favorite Wookie. Peter Mayhew portrayed our beloved Chewbacca through 40 years and 5 movies. Chewie was more than a character to Peter, he was apart of who he was (much like C-3PO is to Anthony Daniels, except maybe not quite as eccentric). It’s so easy to forget that the actors are not as immortal as the characters they have brought to life. While the characters will live on forever losing someone like Peter Mayhew (or Carrie Fisher and Kenny Baker) still feels like you lost an awesome family member whom you never met. It feels trite but suffice it to say, thank you Peter Mayhew; thank you for making Chewie real for us.

My Favorite Chewbacca Moment

Chewbacca is probably the most beloved character in the Star Wars franchise and among the best characters in the history of film. It’s hard to choose a favorite moment because Chewie has so many of them. Peter portrayed Chewie in five of the Skywalker Saga films (Revenge of the Sith, A New Hope, Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens). If I have to pick a favorite moment and, given that my favorite movie of the saga is Empire Strikes Back, then it’s when Luke is preparing to leave and bids Han and Chewie farewell, Chewie suddenly hugs Luke. It always brings a smile to my face.

Remembering Peter Mayhew

Click to enlargeI have been to two Celebration events, 2002 and this year (2019); and at both events I saw Peter Mayhew, but just in passing. In 2002 he was walking around the convention floor, on his way to his autograph session. He would stop occasionally to take pictures with fans, always with the same goofy smirk you often see in all his convention photos. I regret never signing up for a picture or autograph. The picture on the left is one I took as I was passing by his autograph session. My daughter tells me he turned and smiled at her before we walked away.

https://twitter.com/HamillHimself/status/1124093358798929920?s=20

As you can see the actors that knew him well had wonderful things to say about Peter. A “gentle giant” that loved his work, loved the franchise and loved his fans. It’s sucks saying good-bye but, as Luke said, “Nobody’s ever really gone”.

Thank you Peter Mayhew and May the Force Be With You.

Breathe. Just breathe. Now reach out.

May Should Be Star Wars Appreciation Month

I really do think May should be Star Wars Appreciation Month. I recently posted this tweet:

Of course I’m sure most people are not quite as in tune with the nerd culture to understand just how many days in May are (or can be) linked to Star Wars. I’m sure everyone knows the two more popular days but there are more than you think. So I’m here to enlighten everyone on the days in May with Star Wars significance.

The Star Wars days in May

  • May 1st – The lesser known 501st Day (because 5/01, get it?). The day we appreciate the 501st Legion.
  • May 4thStar Wars Day (because May the Fourth Be With You). This is the more popular Star Wars day, which began back in 2008.
  • May 5/6th – The lesser known Revenge of the Fifth (Sixth), this isn’t as officially observed as May 4th, but a fun play on words nonetheless.
  • May 14th – George Lucas’ Birthday. I’ve even seen this referred to as “The Maker Day”.
  • May 19thPeter Mayhew‘s (aka Chewbacca) Birthday.
  • May 25th – The anniversary of the release of A New Hope back in 1977, and the release of the Han Solo movie this year. Since it’s also Towel Day, many observe it as Geek Pride Day

There you have it. There are several days in May that have significant, or “punny” references to Star Wars. I found an article that essentially agreed with my theory, however the author attempted to associate every day in May with some kind of Star Wars reference, most of which are a stretch. I don’t think every day needs to be acknowledged, a handful is sufficient.

/MTFBWY

The Force. It calls to you. Just let it in.

 

Favorited By A Wookie

I have to share my moment of nerdy personal triumph. Lately I’ve been using Twitter more but mostly to try to elicit responses from celebrities that are often quite vocal on twitter. I’ve been successful a couple of times but the most recent acknowledgement really had my geek ovaries tingling:

wookie-fav

If you haven’t figured it out, Peter Mayhew is the actor that donned the Chewbacca costume in all the Star Wars movies in which he was present. A few weeks ago he was admitted into the hospital with pneumonia and the flu. He was absent from twitter while he was recovering and I was glad to see he had recovered. I did not expect him to actually see my tweet, let alone favorite it.

minion_keboard_smI could get so much more accomplished if I only had minions!

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