Biographic - Sunday September 4, 2011 Comic Strip Licensing and Permissions

Transcript

The release of "Star Wars - The Complete Saga" on blu-ray disc- containing all six movies as well as more than 40 hours of bonus material and previously unseen footage- has fans of the epic space opera salivating. Three decades since the first movie smashed box-office records garnered 7 Oscar nominations and launched the merchandising empire that made creator George Lucas a multibillionaire, the public's appetite for all things "Star Wars" from animated shows to video games, and even Lego toys- remains as keen as ever! Before achieving sci-fi immortality as Luke Skywalker, Mark Hammill enjoyed a successful tv career, with credits ranging from "The Partridge Family" to recurring roles on the likes of "General Hospital" he is now a prolific video game and animated feature voice actor, voicing characters ranging from The Joker on "Batman" to Pierre Fluffbottom on "Biker Mice from Mars." Diminutive Carrie Fisher had to stand on a box for her scenes with Harrison Ford- but the role of Princess Leia made the daughter of Singer Eddie Fischer and actress Debbie Reynolds a big star in her own right. Academy Award winner Sir Alec Guinness received an Oscar for nomination for his portrayal of Obi-Wan Kenobi in "Star Wars" he also received 2% of the gross, which made him extremely wealthy. Frank Oz provided the voice and puppetry for Yoda in two movies- a task he had previously performed for Miss Piggy and Fozzie Bear on "The Muppets." The voice of Darth Vader was provided by James Earl Jones- but the man in the suit was bodybuilder Dave Browse, an actor familiar to U.K audiences as the Greencross Code man in t road safety commercials. Harrison Ford supplemented his acting income by working as a carpenter. After installing cabinets for George Lucas, he was cast in the director's 1973 movie "American Graffiti," before landing the role of Han Solo in the Star Wars movies. He went on to star for George Lucas and Steven Spielberg in the blockbuster "Indiana Jones" series. In 2007, Forbes reported that the "Star Wars" empire had so far generated $22 billion.

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