Every Actor Still Alive From The Main Cast Of The Original Star Wars Trilogy
Being part of a franchise as big as Star Wars tends to overshadow much of an actor's other work. That's doubly true for the original trilogy cast, as they effectively created — alongside George Lucas and the production team — the galaxy that's since become so massively popular. Fortunately, many of them have had equal success elsewhere, building expansive careers that happen to include one of the biggest pop culture brands of the modern era.
Sadly, several decades after "Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope" premiered, not all the actors who helped make the property what it is today are still with us. Original cast members like David Prowse, Peter Mayhew, Alec Guinness, and the legendary Carrie Fisher have passed away, leaving lasting legacies behind.
Original trilogy supporting players are still alive, such as lead Ewok performer Warwick Davis, original Bib Fortuna actor Michael Carter, and Kenneth Colley, the man behind the villainous Admiral Piett. When it comes to the main cast of the original Star Wars trilogy, these are the actors who are still with us.
Mark Hamill
Mark Hamill never quite had the movie star career he seemed destined for after being cast as Luke Skywalker. But the career he has had is arguably more impressive. After "Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi," Hamill transitioned away from the big screen and into the world of voice acting, where he became one of the most prolific and acclaimed performers of the last several decades. His most famous voice role, of course, is that of the Joker in the Batman universe — a character as evil as Luke Skywalker is heroic and beloved.
Hamill has spent some time in front of the camera as well. He returned to Star Wars in the sequel trilogy, getting to explore a compelling new arc for Luke in Rian Johnson's "Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi." The actor has also played substantial roles in movies like "Brigsby Bear" and "The Machine," and TV shows like "The Fall of the House of Usher."
When he's not acting in a new project, Hamill tends to stay pretty active in the Star Wars fan community online. He remains a cherished icon for fans, and his career doesn't seem to be slowing down in the slightest.
Harrison Ford
Somehow, into his 80s, Harrison Ford is still one of the most active stars in Hollywood. Not only did he reprise Han Solo for the Star Wars sequel trilogy, but he even stepped back into the role of Indiana Jones for 2023's "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny."
Those remain unequivocally Ford's most noteworthy roles, but he hasn't been content with just appearing in legacy sequels. He's also starred in the critically acclaimed Apple TV+ series "Shrinking" opposite Jason Segel and the "Yellowstone" spin-off "1923." It's been an incredibly busy couple of years for someone who's largely kept to himself for much of the 21st century, but Ford has given good reasons for his increased workload.
"I think it's the place I feel most useful," the actor told The Hollywood Reporter in a 2023 interview. "It's what I know the most about. I lost my chops as a carpenter. I haven't ever played fiddle. But I feel comfortable wrestling with how to make behavior out of words on a page and tell a story, and I'm still excited about the prospect of telling a story. I think this is a service occupation — telling stories. We need it."
Billy Dee Williams
Lando Calrissian may not have entered the original Star Wars trilogy until halfway through "The Empire Strikes Back," but he instantly becomes as integral to the saga as Luke, Han, Leia, or Chewie. That immediate charisma is due to Billy Dee Williams' charming talents, as the actor steals every scene on Cloud City and takes Lando all the way to the Battle of Endor and the destruction of the second Death Star.
Like many original trilogy actors, Williams reprised his role for the sequel trilogy, with Lando playing a key part in "Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker." The actor has returned to the galaxy far, far away several times throughout his career, voicing the character in projects like "Star Wars Rebels," the Lego Star Wars shorts on Disney+, and the 2022 video game "Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga." He's also appeared in films like the 2015 drama "The Man in 3B," but for the most part, Williams seems to be enjoying life and not worrying too much about work these days.
James Earl Jones
Though his face never appears in any of the movies, James Earl Jones may be the most recognizable Star Wars actor because of his famous voice. As Darth Vader, Jones created arguably the most iconic movie villain in history, and he's returned many times over the years to voice the character in projects like "Star Wars Rebels" and "Rogue One." His other recent roles include voicing Mufasa in Disney's 2019 CGI remake of "The Lion King" (reprising his part from the original) and King Jaffe Joffer in the 2021 Eddie Murphy sequel "Coming 2 America."
At 93 years old, though, Jones has understandably stepped back from acting. In 2022, BBC reported that he'd be officially retiring from the Darth Vader role, which was already being augmented by old remastered audio. The report also claimed Jones had agreed to a deal with Disney, allowing the company to digitally recreate his Vader voice for future material.
Ian McDiarmid
You might think that Ian McDiarmid would be the oldest member of the original Star Wars trilogy cast, as his character — the evil Emperor Palpatine — isn't exactly a young buck in "Return of the Jedi." In reality, the actor is only 79 years old. He wasn't even 40 when he first appeared in the role, leaving plenty of time for him to reprise the villain in the prequel trilogy and "The Rise of Skywalker."
Though he's dabbled in other screen roles apart from Star Wars, McDiarmid has primarily been a stage actor and director. The Scottish thespian has continued to perform on stage and via audio dramas, still showing a preference for Shakespeare, but he's admittedly less active these days. Given the incredible career that he's built, that's more than understandable.
As far as his Star Wars legacy goes, McDiarmid seems to be nothing but appreciative and content. "As a kid, I always wanted to be the baddie," he said in a 2021 interview with The Guardian. "As he gets older, he gets more destructive. In the last movie, he defied death, which was great to play ... What's fascinating is that he never went away from those movies; his ghastly presence ran them. I get a strange satisfaction from that." McDiarmid must still enjoy playing Darth Sidious, as he's returned several times to voice him in shows like "Star Wars: The Bad Batch" and "Tales of the Jedi."
Anthony Daniels
C-3PO and R2-D2 are still basically the Star Wars mascots and the characters who first brought viewers into George Lucas' galaxy far, far away back in 1977. Though Artoo actor Kenny Baker sadly passed away in 2016, his counterpart, English actor Anthony Daniels, is still thriving.
A veteran stage performer, Daniels' onscreen career never diverged much beyond his recurring role as C-3PO. However, he's been arguably the franchise's most consistent actor, rarely giving up the role to a substitute performer. From the sequel trilogy and "Obi-Wan Kenobi" to voice roles in "Star Wars Rebels" and "Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga," he's returned time and time again to put his iconic spin on his most famous character.
"Once I'd done the second one, it became a given that I would do the others," Daniels told StarWars.com in 2019, referring to "The Empire Strikes Back." "I had connected with Threepio by then, I almost needed to look after him." Though he felt a bit like a side player in the early days of the Star Wars fandom due to his face being hidden onscreen, the actor says he eventually found his place as a core piece of the franchise's history. "I was not allowed to be a part of it, and it took me many, many years to begin to feel a part ... So there is a journey there."
Frank Oz
We'd be remiss not to mention Frank Oz on a list of the core Star Wars original trilogy cast. Though Yoda doesn't enter the story until "The Empire Strikes Back" and only has one scene in "Return of the Jedi," no fan would call him a side character. In many ways, he's why the Force and the Jedi became such central ideas in modern pop culture, in large part due to Oz's impeccable puppeteering and vocal performance.
Oz doesn't work in Hollywood quite as often as he once did, but he still acts. He plays lawyer Alan Stevens in Rian Johnson's murder mystery "Knives Out," Dante in the 2021 thriller "Echoes of Violence," and has reprised Yoda several times, including projects like "The Rise of Skywalker" and "Star Wars Rebels."
Equally known for his Muppets work, Oz revealed in a 2021 interview with The Guardian that he hasn't been asked to return in some time. "I'd love to do the Muppets again, but Disney doesn't want me, and Sesame Street hasn't asked me for 10 years. They don't want me because I won't follow orders, and I won't do the kind of Muppets they believe in," he said. "People don't understand, anyone can do a voice. It's not the voice — it's the soul."