Peter Mayhew (born May 19, 1944 in Barnes, London, England) is an English actor best known for playing the Wookiee Chewbacca in the Star Wars movies. He is 7'3" (2.22 meters) tall.

Before getting into acting, Mayhew worked as an orderly at London's King's College Hospital. He received his first acting job in 1977 when the producers of the movie Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger discovered Mayhew from a photograph in a newspaper article about men with large feet, and they cast him in the role of the minotaur.

When casting roles for his first Star Wars film, producer George Lucas needed a tall actor who could fit the role for the beastly Chewbacca. He originally had in mind 6'7" bodybuilder David Prowse, but Prowse was instead cast to play the role of Darth Vader. This led Lucas on a search which turned up Mayhew, who says that all he had to do to be cast in the role of Chewbacca was stand up.

Mayhew has played the part of Chewbacca in four Star Wars films: the original Star Wars trilogy (A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi) and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. He also played the role in the 1978 television movie The Star Wars Holiday Special, as well as in an appearance on The Muppet Show and in commercials and for hospital appearances for sick children. When cast in the role he studied the movement of large animals at the zoo to come up with an authentic sense of movement for Chewbacca. When Mayhew grew ill in the shooting of The Empire Strikes Back a similarly tall stand in was used, but the actor could not match Mayhew's studied movement style and the scenes had to be reshot upon Mayhew's recovery.

Mayhew was honored when Chewbacca was given a Lifetime Achievement Award at the MTV Movie Awards 1997.

Mayhew now lives in Granbury, Texas, and is the owner of his own business. He took the oath to become a naturalized citizen of the United States on October 17, 2005 at a ceremony in Arlington, Texas. blank">http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/ap/20051017/112958688000.html In an interview with the Fort Worth Star Telegram he jokingly noted that he didn't get a medal at this ceremony either; a reference to the Star Wars scene in which Luke and Han get medals but the Wookiee gets none.

Mayhew also voiced the character Susha in the English version of _Dragon Ball GT: A Hero's Legacy. In 2008 he appeared in James Kerwin's scifi noir film, Yesterday Was a Lie.

Now residing in Texas, this former resident of Yorkshire, England, was working as a hospital attendant at the King's College Hospital in London when film producer Charles H. Schneer saw his photo, literally standing above the crowd around him. Charles H. Schneer cast him in Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977), Ray Harryhausen's newest special effects film. It was just over a year later that he was asked if he wanted to do another role. Mayhew was told it was for a big hairy beast. It was the role of Chewbacca, the faithful 200 year-old Wookiee in Star Wars (1977) and his life was changed forever. Following the original Star Wars trilogy films Mayhew has done several commercials in the wookiee costume including one for Cingular and Orange associated with Revenge of the Sith, Episode III. In 1997 the twentieth anniversary celebrations of Star Wars were announced with the release of the "Special Edition" and all the conventions started. He is now active on the "Star Wars" convention circuit where he signs autographs. He enjoys woodworking as a hobby when time permits and has a woodworking shop in his garage