who played darth vader in the original star wars movies?
David Prowse
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 Shaw was particularly known for his performances in productions of Shakespeare plays which were considered daring and ahead of their time . In 1966 , he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company , where he remained for a decade and delivered some of his most acclaimed performances . He also wrote several poems and a novel , The Christening , in 1975 . He is also known for his brief but important performance in Return of the Jedi , the original third installment in the Star Wars franchise , in which he portrayed an unmasked Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker 's ghost in the original version of the film . 

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 In 1982 , Shaw was chosen for the small but crucial role of redeemed Anakin Skywalker in Return of the Jedi , the third and final film in the original Star Wars trilogy . Although David Prowse played the costumed scenes and James Earl Jones voiced Darth Vader , just as they had in the first two films , Shaw was cast in a single scene with Mark Hamill , during the moment aboard Death Star II when Luke Skywalker unmasks his dying father . Since the scene was unquestionably the emotional climax of the film , the casting crew sought an experienced actor for the role . 

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 Star Wars : Episode I – The Phantom Menace is a 1999 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas , produced by Lucasfilm and distributed by 20th Century Fox . It is the first installment in the Star Wars prequel trilogy and stars Liam Neeson , Ewan McGregor , Natalie Portman , Jake Lloyd , Ian McDiarmid , Anthony Daniels , Kenny Baker , Pernilla August and Frank Oz . 

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 James Earl Jones provides the voice of Darth Vader 

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 Remaining cast members included Tiny Ron Taylor as Lothar , Terry O 'Quinn as Howard Hughes , Jon Polito as Otis Bigelow , Ed Lauter as Agent Fitch , Eddie Jones as Malcolm the Mechanic and Robert Miranda as Spanish Johnny . Rocketeer creator Dave Stevens has a cameo as the German test pilot who is killed when the Nazis ' version of a rocket backpack explodes during the takeoff sequence . 
