Peter Mayhew
Actor · Died April 30, 2019, aged 74 · Barnes, London, England, UK
Peter Mayhew (May 19, 1944 – April 30, 2019) was a British-American actor, best known for playing Chewbacca in the Star Wars films. Mayhew was born on 19 May 1944 in Barnes, Surrey, where he was also raised. His height was a product not of gigantism — "I don't have the big head" — but of an overactive pituitary gland secondary to a genetic disease called Marfan Syndrome. The overactive pituitary gland was treated successfully in his mid-teens. His peak height was 7 feet 3 inches (2.21 m)
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Biography from TMDB.
- May 19, 1944
- April 30, 2019 (aged 74)
- Barnes, London, England, UK
- Actor
- 15 on MovieCove · 19 credits in all
Known for
What are Peter Mayhew's films like?
Across their 8 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Society.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 1 · Earnest 7
Light 4 · Serious 3 · Dark 1
A split, not a type: Grounded 3 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 4
A split, not a type: Gentle 4 · Charged 2 · Intense 2
A split, not a type: Steady 4 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 3
Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 1
Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 0
Casual 3 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 1
Easy watch 5 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 1
Resolved 6 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 1
Roles they play
- Heroas Chewbacca in The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)
- Allyas Chewbacca in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Moods and endings
- Happy5
- Bittersweet1
- Ambiguous2
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Peter Mayhew's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 12 of their 15 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Disney+ (7).
- Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) · actor
- Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) · actor
- Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) · actor
- Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) · actor
- The Muppet Show (1976) · actor
- Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015) · actor
- Glee (2009) · actor
Subscription and free streaming for Peter Mayhew's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
19 credits, 15 with a MovieCove page; 13 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
Elstree 1976(2015)
Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films
Yesterday Was a Lie(2009)
Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films
Glee(2009)
Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
Comic Book: The Movie(2004)
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
Comic Book Villains(2002)
Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films
The Very Best of the Muppet Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
Return of the Ewok(1982)
Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
The Kenny Everett Television Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
Dark Towers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Terror (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
The Muppet Show(1976)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all shows
Career shape
Star power in the 95th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 18 titles from 1976 to 2015; peak year 1977.
Biggest box office
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)
Highest rated
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)
Film career
Peak 1977 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.
- 1977Screen debut· Star Wars
- 1977Screen debut· Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger
- 1978First top-billed film· The Star Wars Holiday Special
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.
How do Peter Mayhew's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 56th percentile, the median of all 13; across their 8 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 66th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up6
- 50th to 74th2
- 25th to 49th6
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
6 of their 15 titles are Universally Loved.
- Universally Loved6
- Cult Classic2
- Crowd Pleaser1
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed5
Reviewers score the acting 50/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles; fans 60, detractors 27. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Peter Mayhew's work okay for kids?
Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.
Who does Peter Mayhew work with?
People who share at least 2 of Peter Mayhew's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Harrison Ford shares the most, 6.
Writers
- George LucasShared titles: Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983), Return of the Ewok (1982), The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978), Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)See all 4 shared titles with George Lucas
- Lawrence KasdanShared titles: Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983), Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)See all 2 shared titles with Lawrence Kasdan
Actors
- Harrison FordShared titles: Secrets of the Force Awakens: A Cinematic Journey (2016), Elstree 1976 (2015), Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983), Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980), The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978), Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)See all 6 shared titles with Harrison Ford
- Mark HamillShared titles: Secrets of the Force Awakens: A Cinematic Journey (2016), Elstree 1976 (2015), Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983), Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980), The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978), Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)See all 6 shared titles with Mark Hamill
- Anthony DanielsShared titles: Elstree 1976 (2015), Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983), Return of the Ewok (1982), Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980), The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978), Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)See all 6 shared titles with Anthony Daniels
- Carrie FisherShared titles: Secrets of the Force Awakens: A Cinematic Journey (2016), Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983), Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980), The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978), Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)See all 5 shared titles with Carrie Fisher
Composers and editors
- John WilliamsShared titles: Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983), Return of the Ewok (1982), Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)See all 4 shared titles with John Williams
- Marcia LucasShared titles: Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983), Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)See all 3 shared titles with Marcia Lucas
- Paul HirschShared titles: Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)See all 2 shared titles with Paul Hirsch
Producers
- Howard G. KazanjianShared titles: Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983), Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)See all 2 shared titles with Howard G. Kazanjian
- Gary KurtzShared titles: Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)See all 2 shared titles with Gary Kurtz
