The 21 Men Who Played Anakin Skywalker

Star Wars

Feb 8

Matt Lanter, James Earl Jones, Hayden Christensen — Image Source: CultureSlate

How many actors have played Anakin Skywalker? Most fans will tell you five. However, that number does not include the contribution of the stunt doubles, body doubles, and voiceover artists who have all portrayed the Jedi-turned-Sith Lord in some way, shape, or form. Let’s have a look at all the men who helped create the legend.

The Stunt/Body Doubles

Darth Vader stunt doubles in *Obi-Wan Kenobi* Tom O'Connell (left) and Dmitrious Bistrevsky (right), with movement coordinator Olga Sokolova
Image Source: StarWarsNewsNet

21. Spencer Wilding

The Welsh actor is one of the most sought-after body doubles in the business. As a white walker in Game of Thrones, Remus Lupin’s wolf form, and Hagrid’s body double in Harry Potter, it is no wonder he was one of two men cast as Darth Vader in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

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20. Daniel Naprous

Darth Vader’s lightsaber moves and stunts on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story were performed by Naprous. Naprous is just as comfortable working with animals as humans and he has been the horsemaster on many movies including Kingsman: The Golden Circle and Wonder Woman.

19. Tom O’Connell

Tom O’Connell was responsible for playing Darth Vader in the fighting scenes in Obi-Wan Kenobi. Aside from playing the big man, he was also a Zabrak spice den guard in Episode 2 of the series.

18. Dmitrious Bistrevsky

Dmitrious was in the Darth Vader suit on all the other occasions when it was not Hayden Christensen in Obi-Wan Kenobi. He also played the Sith Lord in the Star Wars fan-made YouTube short Jedi with A GoPro 2.

17. Ben Cooke

Ben Cooke was the stunt double for Hayden Christensen during Revenge of the Sith. He also appeared in the prequel trilogy as fan-favorite Kit Fisto. He once again stepped in for Hayden Christensen in the 2007 movie Virgin Territory.

16. Joss Gower

Anakin’s stunt double in Attack of The Clones was Joss Gower. It wasn’t Gower’s first time working for Lucas as he also did Liam Neeson’s stuntwork during The Phantom Menace.

15. Daniel Stevens

Stevens was the second stunt double for Hayden Christensen on Attack of The Clones. He is another well-respected stunt coordinator and performer and went on to do stunt work on Avengers: Endgame, Thor: Love And Thunder, Spirited (as Ryan Reynolds’ stunt double), and The Mandalorian.

The Voice Actors

14. Mat Lucas

Has provided the voice for Anakin Skywalker in a whole host of games as well as Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series (Seasons 1- 3). He first took up the lightsaber in 2002 in the Clone Campaigns expansion pack for the PC game Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds. His notable performances include Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith video game and Star Wars: Battlefront. His last contribution to the Star Wars universe was in 2015 when he voiced Darth Vader in Star Wars: A Galaxy of Heroes.

13. Matt Lanter

Matt Lanter took over the role of Anakin in Star Wars: The Clone Wars after Lucas departed and has been a permanent fixture ever since, starring in Star Wars Lego: The Skywalker Saga and Tales of The Jedi.

12. Kirby Morrow

Kirby Morrow, unfortunately, passed away in 2020, a year where we sadly lost two Vaders (Morrow and Prowse) within ten days of each other. He was an insanely talented voice-over artist who worked heavily in anime. Morrow provided the voice of Anakin in several LEGO projects including LEGO Star Wars: Droid Tales and LEGO Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles.

11. Matt Sloane

Millennials might recognize Matt Sloane as Chad Vader from the viral YouTube sensation Chad Vader: Day Shift Manager. Now, the funny man is established in the Star Wars franchise as Darth Vader in The Force Unleashed II and Disney Infinity 3.0. He also voices Vader in several LEGO series and shorts.

10. Matt Levin

Matt Levin took the mantle of Anakin Skywalker briefly in 2001- 2002, appearing in two video games, Star Wars: Obi-Wan and Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds.

9. Fred Tatasciore

Fred might be more recognizable as Lieutenant Shaxs from Star Trek: Lower Decks, but he did start off in the rival franchise. He voiced Darth Vader in Star Wars: Lethal Alliance back in 2006 and reprised the role in LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. Tatasciore has worked on a number of Star Wars video game projects, playing different characters in between.

8. Scott Lawrence

Scott Lawrence aka. Sturgis Turner from JAG is the only person who can compete with James Earl Jones in regard to longevity. His first gig as Darth Vader was back in 1994 for Star Wars: TIE Fighter and has voiced him a whopping 18 times in video games in the last twenty years. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order was probably his most famous work.

Robot Chicken

Although not officially Lucasfilm, the Robot Chicken parody is so ingrained in the lore that it would be wrong not to include them.

7. Zac Efron

The High School Musical Star voiced Anakin in Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III. Although there were lots of rumors about Efron being cast in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, he never landed a role in the sequel trilogy.

6. Abraham Benrubi

Fans of ER might know him better as Jerry Markovic. In a galaxy far away from Cook County General Hospital, he played Darth Vader and Owen Lars in Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III.

The Big Five

5. James Earl Jones

If you don’t know who this is, do you even watch Star Wars? An actor and one of the most famous voices in Hollywood, James Earl Jones’ rich tones and heavy breathing helped make Vader the consummate villain in the original trilogy, Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars Holiday Special, Rebels, Rogue One, and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

4. David Prowse

Sadly passing away in 2020, David Prowse was a British bodybuilder who had played small parts in his own country (including Doctor Who) before being cast as Vader. The 6ft 6 actor seemed to be perfect for the role until he opened his mouth and a broad regional accent tumbled out, which was why James Earl Jones was hired for the dub. He played Darth Vader’s body in the original trilogy.

3. Hayden Christensen

Casting Director Robin Gurland reportedly saw 1,500 hopefuls before deciding on then-unknown Canadian actor Hayden Christensen to play Anakin Skywalker in the prequel trilogy. Hayden has taken a lot of flack for his performance, including winning two Razzies. Whether you blame the script or the actor, Hayden’s return in Obi-Wan Kenobi was universally welcomed.

2. Jake Lloyd

Jake Lloyd was picked out of 3,000 kids to play the young Skywalker, but after The Phantom Menace was released, bullying from fans online and kids at school became so intense that he gave up acting.

1. Sebastian Shaw

The face of Anakin Skywalker in Return of the Jedi was Sebastian Shaw. David Prowse was apparently furious that he had played the part for three movies and did not get a chance to be seen with the helmet off. It reportedly caused a feud between him and Lucas that lasted years. Shaw was a classically trained Shakespearean actor and nailed the emotional scenes. Ironically Shaw’s Force ghost was cut from the digitally remastered versions released after the prequel trilogy in favor of Hayden Christensen.

The Star Wars franchise is massive, and it is only getting bigger. There is no way one man can bear the burden of portraying Darth Vader in every single video game, animation, as well as live-action series, and movies. Historically, Vader has always been played by more than one person, and with James Earl Jones now in well-deserved retirement, more are likely to be added to this list.

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