Anthony Daniels
Anthony Daniels | |
|---|---|
 Daniels in 2005 | |
| Born | 21 February 1946 Salisbury, Wiltshire, England |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, mime artist |
| Years active | 1976—present |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Website | anthonydaniels |
Anthony Daniels (born 21 February 1946) is an English actor and mime artist. He is known for playing C-3PO in the Star Wars film series. He is the only actor to have appeared in all of the major films in the series,[1] as well as its many spin-offs (TV shows, video games, etc.).
Daniels was the voice of Legolas in the Ralph Bakshi animated adaptation of The Lord of the Rings (1978). He has appeared intermittently on British television in various dramas, including playing a pathologist in Prime Suspect starring Helen Mirren. Daniels is currently an adjunct professor at Carnegie Mellon University's Entertainment Technology Center.[2]
Early life
Daniels was born in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England, the son of a plastics company executive.[3] He studied law for two years at university and then dropped out to participate in amateur dramatics and attend Rose Bruford college. After leaving school in 1974, Daniels worked on BBC Radio and for the National Theatre of Great Britain at The Young Vic. Whilst working in the theatre, he was invited to meet director George Lucas who was casting for Star Wars. Daniels at first turned down the interview but was persuaded by his agent to meet Lucas.[4]
Never a science fiction fan, Daniels has said that before his role in Star Wars the only science fiction film he had ever seen in a theatre was 2001: A Space Odyssey in 1968; he was so displeased with the film that he walked out after 10 minutes and demanded his money back.[5] However, in a 2011 interview he said that he had watched it for longer than 10 minutes, and having since watched it in full, now regards it as a masterpiece. In the same interview, he said he enjoyed post-apocalyptic films such as Mad Max.[6]
He speaks fluent French.[7][8]
Career
Star Wars
Daniels has played C-3PO in all of the Star Wars feature films from the original installment in the series, as both the body and voice of the golden robot. Kenny Baker, who played R2-D2 in the series until his death in 2016, revealed that he and Daniels did not get along.[9][10]
In Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, he wore a blue Spandex costume so that during editing of the movie his body could be turned into many different wires and circuits. Daniels has reprised the role for various promotional work such as hosting The Making of Star Wars, Star Wars Connections and The Science of Star Wars; for appearances on The Muppet Show, Sesame Street and an anti-smoking public service announcement; the Star Wars Holiday Special;[11] in advertising for Star Wars licensed products such as Kenner toys; and even a breakfast cereal based on the character.[12]
Daniels voiced C-3PO in the Star Wars radio serial based on the original trilogy. He is the only cast member of the original Star Wars trilogy to voice his character in all three parts of NPR's dramatisations of the trilogy. He voiced C-3PO for four animated series: Droids, Star Wars: Clone Wars, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and Star Wars Rebels. Other C-3PO voicework by Daniels includes: the Christmas-themed Christmas in the Stars album; the multiple Walt Disney theme park attractions, Star Tours and Star Tours: The Adventures Continue; the fan film/show Raiders of the Lost Jedi Temple of Doom: A Fan Film of Epic Proportions and the Star Tours shutdown ceremony as a part of the Disney's Hollywood Studios' "Last Tour to Endor" event at Star Wars Celebration V in Orlando, Florida. He also provided the narration and all character voices for the audio books Dark Force Rising and The Last Command.[13]
Daniels contributed the foreword to the collected scripts of the Return of the Jedi radio drama, as their author Brian Daley died just as the episodes were being recorded. Daniels' other Star Wars-related writings include the Wonder Column for Star Wars Insider magazine and a comic book adventure for C-3PO and R2-D2 entitled The Protocol Offensive, published by Dark Horse Comics.[14]
Daniels controlled the puppet for 2002's Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones, but all these scenes were cut, with the droid's first appearance in the film being Daniels in costume. In this film and 2005's Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, he also performed the vocal tracks for scenes that featured a computer generated C-3PO. Daniels is the only actor to act in the original seven films, the 2008 Clone Wars film, and the related television series.[15]
Daniels hosted the Star Wars: In Concert North American tour.[16]
Daniels also makes cameo appearances as a humanoid in two scenes of the feature films. His character, Lieutenant Dannl Faytonni, is named as a tribute to his own name, albeit in modified form. The character appears in the Outlander nightclub scene early in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones as a man in blue uniform who can be seen in a cutaway reaction shot after Obi-Wan disarms the bounty hunter Zam Wesell. Faytonni can also be seen at the Galaxies Opera House in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith.[17]
Daniels reprised his role as C-3PO in The Lego Movie when his character made a cameo appearance along with other crew members of the Millennium Falcon.[18]
Daniels reprised his role as C-3PO in the seventh Star Wars film, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which began filming in May 2014 and was released in December 2015.[19] J.J. Abrams, the director for The Force Awakens, told Daniels that he was only going to be the voice of C-3PO in the film. However, Abrams changed his mind and decided Daniels would wear the suit in the film as well. Abrams made a new C-3PO suit for Daniels to wear during filming using 3D printing that allows Daniels a great deal more mobility and comfort than the original suit. Daniels is also signed to appear as C-3PO in the two sequels following The Force Awakens;[20] they will be released in 2017[21][22] and 2019, respectively.
Daniels reprised his role as C-3PO in a surprise cameo for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story in 2016. It is the first stand-alone film in the Star Wars Anthology series.
In March 2017, ANA Airlines began domestic service of a plane styled after C3PO. Daniels was there to personally sign the plane.[23]
Other acting roles
Daniels was the voice of Legolas in the Ralph Bakshi animated adaptation of The Lord of the Rings (1978). He has appeared intermittently on British television in various dramas, notably in a recurring role in Prime Suspect starring Helen Mirren. He also played the priest in the British spoof horror film I Bought a Vampire Motorcycle (1990).[24][25]
Daniels has appeared at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Florida, for the Star Wars Weekends as he gave his "inside the saga" story.[clarification needed][citation needed]
Other work
Daniels is an adjunct professor at Carnegie Mellon University's Entertainment Technology Center.[16]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Star Wars | C-3PO | [24] | |
| 1978 | The Lord of the Rings | Legolas Greenleaf | [24] | |
| 1980 | The Empire Strikes Back | C-3PO | [24] | |
| 1982 | Return of the Ewok | Video short, unreleased | ||
| 1983 | Return of the Jedi | [24] | ||
| 1987 | Star Tours | Uncredited | ||
| 1990 | I Bought a Vampire Motorcycle | Priest | [25] | |
| 1999 | Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace | C-3PO | [24] | |
| 2002 | Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones | C-3PO & Dannl Faytonni | [24] | |
| 2005 | Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith | [24] | ||
| 2008 | Star Wars: The Clone Wars | C-3PO | Voice | |
| 2011 | Star Tours: The Adventure Continues | Short, voice | ||
| 2014 | The Lego Movie | Voice | [18] | |
| 2015 | Star Wars: The Force Awakens | [24] | ||
| 2016 | Rogue One: A Star Wars Story | |||
| 2017 | Star Wars: The Last Jedi | Post-production | [21][22] |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Star Wars Holiday Special | C-3PO | TV Special | [11] |
| 1979 | Turning Year Tales | John | Episode: Dear Harriet | |
| 1980 | The Muppet Show | C-3PO | Season 4, Episode 17: The Stars of Star Wars | |
| Sesame Street | 4 episodes | |||
| 1984 | The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady | Kenneth | 7 episodes | |
| 1985 | Star Wars: Droids | C-3PO | 13 episodes | |
| 1986 | The Great Heep | TV Movie | ||
| 1987 | Three Up Two Down | Rupert Fairfax | Episode: Mirror Mirror on the Wall | |
| 1988–89 | Square Deal | Julian | 3 episodes | |
| 1990 | Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color | C-3PO | Episode: Disneyland's 35th Anniversary Celebration, voice | |
| 1995 | Prime Suspect | Pathologist | Inner Circles and The Lost Child, TV movies | [24] |
| The Famous Five | Professor Dobson | Episode: Five on a Secret Trail | ||
| 1997 | Star Wars: Droids – The Pirates and the Prince | C-3PO | Video, voice | |
| 2001 | Urban Gothic | Mr Tidyman | Episode: Serotonin Wild | |
| 2002 | Star Wars: Connections | C-3PO | TV Short | |
| 2004 | Holby City | Colonel Donald Humphries | Episode: In the Line of Fire | |
| Ghosts of Albion Embers | Lord Nelson | TV movie, voice | ||
| 2004–05 | Star Wars: Clone Wars | C-3PO | 4 episodes, voice | |
| 2006 | Lilo and Stitch: The Series | Episode 65, Link | ||
| 2008–11 | Star Wars: The Clone Wars | 11 episodes, voice | [18] | |
| 2010 | Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III | TV movie, voice | ||
| 2011 | Lego Star Wars: The Padawan Menace | TV movie, voice | ||
| 2012 | Lego Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out | TV movie, voice | ||
| 2012–13 | Dirigible Days | Narrator | Executive producer, 5 episodes | |
| 2013 | Lego Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles | C-3PO | 3 TV movies | |
| 2014 | The New Yoda Chronicles | 3 TV movies | ||
| Star Wars Rebels | Episode: Droids in Distress, voice | [18] | ||
| 2015 | Lego Star Wars: Droid Tales | 5 episodes, voice |
Documentaries
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | The Making of Star Wars | C-3PO, host | TV movie documentary |
| 1978 | 50th Academy Awards | C-3PO (presenter) | TV special |
| 1983 | Classic Creatures: Return of the Jedi | C-3PO/himself | TV movie documentary |
| From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga | |||
| 2004 | Empire of Dreams | Video documentary | |
| 2005 | Science of Star Wars | TV documentary miniseries |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Monopoly Star Wars | C-3PO | Writer, voice | |
| 2008 | Star Wars: The Clone Wars | Voice | ||
| 2009 | Star Wars: The Force Unleashed – Ultimate Sith Edition | |||
| 2015 | Disney Infinity 3.0 | |||
| 2015 | Star Wars Battlefront | |||
| 2016 | Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens | [26] |
References
- ^ "Anthony Daniels on 4 Decades of Life As C-3PO". Vulture. 24 March 2017.
- ^ "Faculty / Staff | Entertainment Technology Center". www.etc.cmu.edu. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
- ^ Lubow, Arthur. "The Forces Behind Jedi: Making Movie History Took Lucas & Co. to the Outer Limits", People, vol. 20, no. 6, 8 August 1983.
- ^ "The Official Anthony Daniels Web Site". anthonydaniels.com.
- ^ Dermot O'Leary Show, BBC Radio 2, 21 March 2009.
- ^ "C-3PO: Q&A with Anthony Daniels". The Independent. Archived from the original on 15 December 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ by General_Kenobi (4 November 2007). "Anthony Daniels et Roger Carel 2_PC - vidéo Dailymotion". Dailymotion.com. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
- ^ "Q & A". Anthony Daniels. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
- ^ Williams, Andrew. (27 October 2009). "Kenny Baker". Metro.
- ^ Famous co-stars who absolutely hated each other www.news.com.au, November 4 2014.Retrieved January 2 2017.
- ^ a b William Thomas; Ian Freer (3 December 2015). "The Star Wars Holiday Special: may the farce be with you". empireonline.com. Empire. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
- ^ Kevyn Cortez (19 September 2015). "Star Wars Episode VII's Anthony Daniels Confirms Practical C-3P0 Suit". movienewsguide. Movie News Guide. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
- ^ Trudi Miller Rosenblum (5 November 1994). "Avalanche of Audiobooks set for Holidays". Billboard. 106 (45). Retrieved 2 December 2015.
- ^ "Star Wars: Droids – The Protocol Offensive". darkhorse.com. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
written by See Threepio actor Anthony Daniels
- ^ Alice Vincent (18 September 2014). "C3P0 will get a new suit for Star Wars VII". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
The only actor to appear in all six Star Wars films
- ^ a b MaryCatherine (15 September 2009). "Adjunct Professor Anthony Daniels to Narrate North American tour of Star Wars: In Concert". ETC Global News. Carnegie Mellon University.
- ^ "4 Actors Who Played Multiple Star Wars Roles". starwars.com. 13 May 2015. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
- ^ a b c d Jessica Boulton (20 September 2015). "Star Wars C-3P0 on how R2-D2 was no Force to reckon with and Princess Leia in a bikini was boring". Mirror. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
even had a cameo in 2013's The Lego Movie
- ^ "Star Wars: Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill reunite for latest film". BBC News. 29 April 2014.
- ^ Rainey, James (4 September 2015). "'Star Wars': Anthony Daniels Slams Disney's 'Kremlin Attitude' Over 'Force Awakens'". Variety. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
- ^ a b "Star Wars: Episode VIII Now Filming". StarWars.com. Star Wars. 15 February 2016. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
- ^ a b Christopher Hooton (23 January 2017). "Star Wars 8 gets official title: The Last Jedi". independent.co.uk. Independent. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
- ^ https://www.japantoday.com/category/business/view/anas-4th-star-wars-jet-goes-into-domestic-service
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Ryan Gilbey (3 September 2015). "'The secrecy has been ludicrous': Star Wars actor Anthony Daniels on the new film and his life as C-3PO". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
- ^ a b Kim Newman (1 January 2000). "I Bought a Vampire Motorcycle Review". Empire. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
- ^ Dan Brooks (28 June 2016). "The Bricks Are Calling to You: Inside LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens". starwars.com. StarWars.com. Retrieved 31 July 2016.
Same thing with Anthony Daniels. We got him to reprise C-3PO.
External links
- Official website
- Anthony Daniels at IMDb
- Anthony Daniels at the TCM Movie Database
- Anthony Daniels at AllMovie
- Multimedia Q&A with Daniels from the BBC website for the Ghosts of Albion
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
- 1946 births
- Audio book narrators
- Carnegie Mellon University faculty
- English male film actors
- English male television actors
- English male voice actors
- Living people
- People educated at Giggleswick School
- People from Salisbury
- 20th-century English male actors
- 21st-century English male actors
- Male actors from Wiltshire