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Luke Skywalker
Background:
Actor Mark Hamill first drew Hollywood's attention after
portraying the hero role of Luke Skywalker in Star Wars (1977), Star
Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Star Wars:
Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983). He then was best known for
his voice work which included The Joker in the animated series
Batman: Gotham Knights (1997), The New Batman Superman Adventures
(1997), and The Batman/Superman Movie (1998). He also had several
projects in video games like Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex
(2001), Batman: Vengeance (2001), Grandia Xtreme (2002), Dark
Chronicle (2002), and X2 - Wolverine's Revenge (2003).
On stage, Mark spent several years starring in plays such as
Mozart, The Nerd, The Elephant Man, Room Service and Harrigan n'
Hart, for which he earned a Drama Desk Nomination for Best Actor in a
Broadway play.
Military Brat
Childhood and Family:
The forth child of William and Suzanne Hamill, Mark Hamill was
born on September 25, 1951, in Oakland, California. As the son of a
US Navy Captain, young Mark and his six bothers and sisters (Terry,
Jan, Jeanie, William Jr., Kim, and Patrick) regularly moved to
different locations within the United States and even lived in Japan.
During his time in Japan, Mark attended Japan's Yokohama High
School and graduated in 1969. When his family relocated to
California, Mark continued his studies at the Los Angeles City
College where he majored in theater arts.
Having married Marilou York (dental hygienists) in 1978, Mark
became the father of three: sons Nathan (born June 25, 1979), Griffin
(born March 4, 1983) and daughter Chelsea (born July 27, 1988). The
family currently has a happy life in Malibu, California.
The Joker
Career:
Mark Hamill's professional acting debut occurred when he appeared
in The Bill Cosby Show in 1970. He then was seen as Kent Murray in
the soap opera General Hospital (1972-1973) and co-starred in the
comedy series The Texas Wheelers (1974, portrayed Doobie Wheeler).
He continued to take roles in several TV movies including Sarah T.
(1975), Delancey Street: The Crisis Within (1975), Eric (1975),
Mallory: Circumstantial Evidence (1976), and The City (1977). He
also lent his voice for Fred Flintstone and Friends (1977, TV) and
his film debut Wizards (1977).
However, true recognition arrived when he landed the role of brave
young Luke Skywalker in Star Wars (1977), Star Wars: Episode V - The
Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the
Jedi (1983). Afterwards, he tried his luck with theater. On
Broadway, Hamill was seen in The Elephant Man, and Amadeus, and
received excellent feedback about his work, including a Drama Desk
Nomination for Best Actor. Mark did return to the screen by
providing his voice for Warriors of the Wind (1984), Castle in the
Sky (1986), and The Little Mermaid (1989). He also appeared in
Slipstream (1989) and Fall of the Eagles (1989).
In the 1990s, Mark was well known as a voice actor in animations
and video games. On the small screen, Mark lent his voice to several
animated characters in Commander Toad in Space (1993), Swat Kats: The
Radical Squadron (1993), The Red Planet (1994), Phantom 2040 (1994),
Adventures from the Book of Virtues (1996), and Cow and Chicken
(1997). Mark also provided the voice for villain The Joker in the
popular animation Batman: Gotham Knights (1997), The New Batman
Superman Adventures (1997) and The Batman/Superman Movie (1998).
Additionally, Mark's voice was cast in video games Gabriel Knight:
Sins of the Fathers (1993), Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger
(1994), Bouncers (1994), Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom
(1995), Full Throttle (1995), Starsiege (1998), Wing Commander:
Prophecy (1997), and Balto II: Wolf Quest (2002)
Entering the new millennium, Hamill did more voice work. He can
be heard in the animated films Sinbad: Beyond the Veil of Mists
(2000), Earth Day (2000), Dr. Bob Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders
(2000), and Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (2000). He also was
involved in the video game projects Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of
Cortex (2001), Batman: Vengeance (2001), Soldier of Fortune II:
Double Helix (2002), The Scorpion King: Rise of the Akkadian (2002),
Grandia Xtreme (2002), Dark Chronicle (2002), and X2 - Wolverine's
Revenge (2003). While on the small screen, Mark provided his voice
for The Wrong Coast (2004, as Jameson Burkright) and Super Robot
Monkey Team Hyperforce Go (2004, as The Skeleton King). While doing
voice work, Mark also acted in the films Thank You, Good Night (2001,
played Karl), Baxter and Bananas (2002, as Bananas), Reeseville
(2003, portrayed Zeek Oakman), and Wolf Tracer's Dinosaur Island
(2004, played Blake). In Comic Book: The Movie (2004, DVD). Mark not
only starred in the film but also showed his talent as a writer and
director. In 2005, the movie won Best Live-Action DVD Premiere Movie
at the DVD Exclusive Awards in Los Angeles.
Mark will have more voice projects. He will provide his voice in
Thru the Moebius Strip (2005, as the character of Simon Weir) and
Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles (2005, as Commander Taylo).
Awards:
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