Mark Hamill

Early life

Mark Richard Hamill was born on September 25, 1951, in Oakland, California. His father, William Thomas Hamill, was a U.S. Navy captain. He is one of seven children, with two brothers, Will and Patrick, and four sisters, Terry, Jan, Jeanie, and Kim. His father has English, Irish, Scottish, and Welsh ancestry and his mother was of half Swedish and half English descent. Hamill has described his father as a staunch Roman Catholic, and "Nixon Republican". Hamill has stated that he had a troubled relationship with his father who could not understand his childhood obsession with movies and comic books, seeing them as frivolous things that he should outgrow.

His father's changes of station and attendant family moves led to the Hamill children switching schools often. During his elementary years, he attended Walsingham Academy in Williamsburg, Virginia, and Edgar Allan Poe Middle School in Annandale, Virginia. At age 11, he moved to the 5900 block of Castleton Drive in San Diego, California, where he attended Hale Junior High School. During his first year at James Madison High School in San Diego, his family moved back to Virginia, and Hamill attended Annandale High School. By his junior year, his father was stationed in Japan, where Hamill attended and was a member of the Drama Club at Nile C. Kinnick High School, from which he graduated in 1969. He later enrolled at Los Angeles City College, majoring in drama.

Career

Beginnings

Hamill's early career included a recurring role on the soap opera General Hospital, and a starring role on the short-lived sitcom The Texas Wheelers. He portrayed the oldest son, David, in the pilot episode of Eight Is Enough, though the role was later performed by Grant Goodeve. He also had guest appearances on The Bill Cosby Show, The Partridge Family, Room 222 and One Day at a Time.

Star Wars

Robert Englund was auditioning for a role in Apocalypse Now when he walked across the hall to where auditions were taking place for George Lucas's Star Wars. After watching the auditions for a while, he realized that Hamill, his friend, would be perfect for the role of Luke Skywalker. He suggested to Hamill that he audition for the role; as it turned out, Hamill's agent had already set up the audition that gave him the role. During his screen test, Hamill presumed that he was playing a sidekick to Harrison Ford's Han Solo and was unsure whether or not the film was supposed to be a comedy.

Released in May 1977, Star Wars was an enormous, unexpected success and had a huge effect on the film industry. Hamill went on to appear in the less-than-successful Star Wars Holiday Special in 1978, and later starred in the successful film sequels The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. During the time between the first two films, Hamill was involved in a serious car accident, fracturing his nose and left cheekbone. The accident was the reason why Empire starts with his character's injury. False rumors spread that his face had required plastic surgery. For his part in both of the sequels, Hamill was honored with the Saturn Award for Best Actor, given by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. In 1980, he made a guest appearance on The Muppet Show, both as himself and as Luke Skywalker in the episode The Stars of Star Wars. The crossover episode also starred Anthony Daniels as C-3PO and R2-D2, who joined Luke on a search for Chewbacca.

Hamill reprised the role of Luke Skywalker for the radio dramatizations of both Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back. For the Return of the Jedi radio drama, the role was played by a different actor.

Editions of Joseph Campbell's The Hero with a Thousand Faces (which influenced Lucas as he was developing the films) issued after the release of Star Wars in 1977 used the image of Hamill as Luke Skywalker on the cover.

Hamill has appeared in several documentaries, including The Making of Star Wars and Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy. He also narrated the 1980 documentary, SP FX: The Empire Strikes Back and the 1983 documentary, From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga.

Hamill returned to the Star Wars universe in 2014, when he voiced the ancient Sith Lord Darth Bane in the last episode of season 6 of the animated series The Clone Wars. He was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for his performance.

Other work

After the success of Star Wars, Hamill found that audiences identified him very closely with Luke Skywalker. He became a teen idol, appearing on the cover of teen magazines such as Tiger Beat. He attempted to avoid being typecast by appearing in the 1978 film Corvette Summer and the 1980 World War II film The Big Red One. He also appeared in The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia (1981) and Britannia Hospital (1982). Further distancing himself from his early blockbuster role, Hamill started acting on Broadway, starring in plays such as The Elephant Man (1979), Amadeus (1983), Harrigan 'N Hart (1985, for which he received a Drama Desk Award nomination), Room Service (1986) and The Nerd (1987–88). When Amadeus was adapted for film in 1984, Hamill auditioned to reprise his role as Mozart, but lost the part to Tom Hulce. A studio executive told the producers of the film, "I don't want Luke Skywalker in this film". The film director, Milos Forman told Hamill that, "No one is believing that the Luke Skywalker is the Mozart." Hamill also made television appearances—in a 1986 episode of Amazing Stories and a 1987 episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

After a six-year hiatus from film, Hamill returned to the big screen in the 1989 science-fiction film Slipstream. He continued to star in films throughout the 1990s, including Midnight Ride and The Guyver in 1991, the 1995 remake of Village of the Damned, and the 1998 Swedish action film Hamilton. Hamill appeared in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001) as the supervillain Cocknocker, a role that is a parody both of himself and of roles he played in the past.

His television work includes a guest appearance as the Trickster on two episodes of The Flash (1990), cameo appearances on MADtv as the estranged father of Ms. Swan, and an appearance on Saturday Night Live, in which he played himself being sold in a Star Wars-themed home shopping sale. He appeared in single episodes of 3rd Rock from the Sun (1997), and Just Shoot Me! (1998), in two episodes of seaQuest DSV (1995) as Tobias LeConte, and in the episode "Mind over Matter" of the series The Outer Limits (1995).

When the Wing Commander series of computer games started using full motion video cut scenes, Hamill was cast as the series protagonist, Colonel Christopher Blair, a role he played in Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger, Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom and Wing Commander: Prophecy. In the 1999 Wing Commander film, Blair was played by Freddie Prinze Jr., although Hamill had a voice cameo. Hamill appears in Squadron 42—the single-player campaign from the Star Citizen computer-game universe—as Lieutenant Commander Steve "Old Man" Colton.

Voice acting

Hamill first performed voice acting work in the early 1970s, voicing the character Corey Anders on the Saturday morning cartoon Jeannie by Hanna-Barbera Productions. He later played Sean in the Ralph Bakshi film Wizards, which was released just three months before Star Wars in 1977. The voice role he is most known for is Batman's archenemy the Joker, the success of which has led him to portray a wide variety of characters in television, film, anime, and video games (mostly similar super-villains).

Hamill was the voice of The Hobgoblin in the 1990s Spider-Man animated series. His other Marvel superhero genre roles include the Gargoyle in the animated series The Incredible Hulk, Maximus in Fantastic Four, Klaw in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes and multiple characters in Ultimate Spider-Man. Hamill voiced Solomon Grundy and Trickster in the DC Animated Universe series Justice League and Justice League Unlimited, and played the murderous gangster Tony Zucco in The Batman, an animated series unrelated to the various series in the DC animated universe. He voiced Spectre in an episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold, and provided the voice of archvillain Kavaxas in the fifth and final season of 2012's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Non-comic-related television roles include the deranged shock jock anchorman Dr. Jak in Phantom 2040, Principal John Smith in the Totally Spies episode "Soul Collector", Christopher "Maverick" Blair in Wing Commander Academy, the Walter Lantz character Buzz Buzzard in The New Woody Woodpecker Show, the flamboyant robot Lawrance "Larry" 3000 in Time Squad, the pirate Captain Stickybeard in Codename: Kids Next Door, Fire Lord Ozai in Avatar: The Last Airbender, the Skeleton King in Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!, multiple roles in Metalocalypse, and the groundskeeper Skips in Regular Show. He also voiced himself in two episodes of the Disney animated series Pepper Ann.

Hamill guest-starred as himself in The Simpsons episode "Mayored to the Mob". On the accompanying audio commentary, he said he was a fan of the show since its 1987 debut on The Tracey Ullman Show, and that it was a personal thrill to work with Dan Castellaneta, the voice of Homer Simpson. He has also guest-starred in Family Guy, and was a recurring voice actor on Seth Green's Robot Chicken.

In addition to television voice acting, Hamill has starred in multiple animated films such as The Captain of the Guard in Sinbad: Beyond the Veil of Mists, the biblical figure Judah in Joseph: King of Dreams, the evil wolf Niju in Balto II: Wolf Quest, and Chanukah Zombie in Futurama: Bender's Big Score. He was also the voice of Headmaster Matthew Callahan in the 1998 American adult animated superhero film Gen 13.

Writing

Hamill is the co-writer of The Black Pearl, a comic book miniseries published by Dark Horse Comics. He wrote an introduction to the Trade Paperback Batman: Riddler Two-Face which reprints various stories involving the Riddler and Two-Face to tie in with Batman Forever. He has also written several stories for Simpsons Comics, including "Catastrophe in Substitute Springfields!", which parodies DC's Crisis on Infinite Earths and also references several other classic comics.

Views and activism

Politics

Hamill is an outspoken advocate of the Democratic Party. In 2005, Hamill stated that "it gives me a cold shiver down my spine" to have Luke Skywalker be compared to George W. Bush. Prior to the 2008 presidential election, Hamill urged students at Point Park University to vote for Barack Obama, describing him as "a once in a lifetime candidate". Prior to the 2012 presidential election, he referred to Mitt Romney as a "snake oil salesman", and said in an appearance on The Young Turks that Obama was like "a cross between Obi-Wan and Yoda".

Hamill endorsed P.G. Sittenfeld in the 2016 Ohio Senate election. He has been highly critical of President Donald Trump, describing his cabinet picks in 2016 as "a who's-who of really despicable people". In 2017, he criticized Trump's tweets by reading them out in his Joker voice.

During the 2020 presidential election, Hamill participated in an ad campaign for presidential candidate Joe Biden. Hamill met with President Biden at the White House in May 2024 and endorsed Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. He told The Sunday Times in 2025 that he considered moving to London or Ireland after Trump won the 2024 election. He said his wife "didn't respond right away but a week later she said, 'I'm surprised you would allow him to force you out of your own country.' That son of a bitch, I thought. I'm not leaving."

During the 2022 Brazilian general election, Hamill expressed support for Workers' Party candidate Lula.

During the 2024 London mayoral election, Hamill expressed support for Labour Party politician Sadiq Khan as Mayor of London, describing him as "a driving force in cleaning up London's air" and sharing his love for London as a city he spent years living in.

Russo-Ukrainian war

On September 29, 2022, Hamill became an ambassador of the United24 fundraising platform, which raises funds to support Ukraine in the Russo-Ukrainian war.

In March 2023, Hamill expressed support for Ukraine, saying, "A fairy tale about good versus evil is resonant with what's going on in Ukraine". As a further show of support, Hamill lent his voice to the app Air Alert, that warns about Russian air attacks against Ukraine. On March 25, 2023, a drawing was held for posters signed by Hamill; it raised more than $300,000 for RQ-35 Heidrun reconnaissance drones.

Israeli–Palestinian conflict

In October 2023, Hamill, along with over 700 other Hollywood professionals, signed an open letter condemning the Palestinian militant group Hamas, demanding the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip, and expressing support for Israel in the Gaza war. In April 2024, Hamill said he "fully support[ed]" Gaza and Palestine while still condemning Hamas.

LGBTQ rights

Hamill has expressed support for the transgender community. In December 2019, he apologized for liking a tweet by J. K. Rowling in which she expressed support for gender-critical activist Maya Forstater, saying, "Ignorance is no excuse, but I liked the tweet without understanding what the last line or hashtags meant. It was the first four lines I liked and I didn't realise it had any transphobic connotation." In 2023, Hamill again apologized for liking a tweet by Rowling directed at transgender broadcaster India Willoughby.

In March 2022, Hamill tweeted the word "gay" 69 times together with a rainbow emoji in response to the "Don't Say Gay" bill passed in Florida.

Personal life

On January 11, 1977, before shooting one of his scenes in Star Wars, Hamill was in a car accident in which he fractured his nose and left cheekbone. As a result, a double was used for the landspeeder pickup shots.

Hamill was also an early fan of David Letterman, having occasionally appeared on Late Night with David Letterman, as well as taping every episode and keeping a journal documenting the show. After encountering writer Chris Elliott, Hamill was asked for assistance in helping determine the 1,000th Viewer Mail that Letterman had answered. His practice continued to Letterman's new show on CBS, but eventually stopped.

In January 2025, Hamill and his wife evacuated their home in Malibu, California, due to the Palisades Fire. Hamill later moved to a rented house in Los Feliz.

Relationships and family

According to a 1981 profile in People, Hamill's "first serious love" was actress Anne Wyndham, cast as his sister on General Hospital, with whom he had an offscreen relationship. He would later describe experiencing seasons of on-set awkwardness while working with her after their relationship ended. In a 2017 interview, he attributed his long, happy marriage to a non-actor to learning, through his relationship with Wyndham, the dangers of being in a relationship with a fellow actor.

On December 17, 1978, Hamill married dental hygienist Marilou York in a private civil ceremony. They have three children: Nathan Elias, Griffin Tobias, and Chelsea Elizabeth. Nathan was born during the production of The Empire Strikes Back and had a cameo appearance as one of the Royal Guards of Naboo in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. Chelsea made a photographic appearance as an infant Axel Walker in the 1990 television series The Flash; the same photograph was used in the 2014 series. All three have cameos as Resistance soldiers in The Last Jedi. In addition to his three children, Hamill has a granddaughter through his oldest son Nathan.

Written works

Forewords

Hamill, Mark (2003). Foreword. Animation on DVD: The Ultimate Guide. By Mangels, Andy. Stone Bridge Press. ISBN 978-1-880656-68-6.