Known as the familiar actor behind Star Wars‘ Luke Skywalker and as the voice of Justice League’s Joker, Mark Hamill can be regarded as one of the remaining legendary actors from the late 1970s. Apart from having a career as an actor, Mark is equally as successful as a voice actor, particularly through voicing iconic characters like Chucky from Child’s Play and Lord Ozai from Avatar: The Last Airbender.
After majoring in drama, Hamill was able to get ahold of roles in soap operas such as General Hospital and The Texas Wheeler. This was the beginning of his years-long career, which would consist of countless awards. The story of Hamill ending up as Luke Skywalker is quite interesting, as Robert Englund (Nightmare on Elm Street) was the one who saw the auditions for Star Wars going on and considered Mark to be the perfect choice for the role.
The actor recalls not considering himself the main character, as he was working with highly skilled actors like Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher. When the 121 minutes long movie was finally released in 1977, it became one of the best hits of the era, launching Mark into the Hollywood limelight. He has since appeared in all of Star Wars films, and even the Disney+ series, The Mandalorian.
How Much Is Mark Hamill’s Net Worth?
After starring as Luke in all of Star Wars films and becoming an iconic voice actor, Mark has managed to build a net worth of more than $20 million. Additionally, Hamill is now also a successful producer, writer as well as a director. With accolades like an Emmy and Saturn Awards to his name, Mark has carved his place in the world of drama and film.
The biggest contributor to Hamill’s net worth was the money from the Star Wars movies, as despite having less experience, the actor was paid about $650,000 for the first film (A New Hope). Although it doesn’t seem on par with what today’s actors earn, that same amount would be almost 2.5 million dollars in today’s value. In spite of having just a minor role in The Last Jedi, he reportedly was paid around $3 million for the appearance, without having to say a single dialogue.
Even if Mark Hamill earned $2.5 million from working in the Star Wars Franchise, he still stands at only the 6th position of top earners, as Pedro Pascal dominates the list. Pedro received almost $600,000 for every episode of The Mandalorian, making him not only the top Star Wars earner but also the overall most-paid TV series actor.
Mark Hamill: The Face of Luke Skywalker
Hamill was born on September 25th, 1951 to a family of US Navy Captains. For the most part, he grew up in Oakland but as his father’s occupation revolved in the Navy, they had to move quite a handful of times during his high school years. He eventually joined Los Angeles City College, where Mark started to study more about drama and film.
After having early appearances in shows like The Patridge Family and The Bill Cosby Show, Mark got his big breakthrough Luke Skywalker. By portraying the light side of the force perfectly, he became one of the most popular actors, along with his co-star Harrison Ford. He continued to be part of subsequent sequels such as The Empire Strikes Back and Return of Jedi. In addition to that, Hamill also appeared in documentaries concerning the films.
When Disney acquired the rights for Star Wars, it wasn’t confirmed if Mark Hamill would be cast in his role, but soon enough Hamill revealed that he had been assigned a nutritionist and was gearing up to portray Luke Once again. The Last Jedi was released on December 15th, 2017 and Mark was cast in the role once again. Asides from being the face of Luke Skywalker, the actor is also known for his voice acting skills, which he recalls being inspired by people such as Clarence Nash, who voiced Donald Duck.
After his voicing for Joker impressed many viewers, he was made the part of many animated cartoons as well as anime to voice characters such as Colonel Musca from Castle In The Sky and Captain Stickybeard from Codename: Kids Next Door. Seeing his voice being so diverse, Mark was cast to be the voice behind the classic killer doll, Chucky, in Child’s Play. He still continues to be part of many shows, and hopefully, we might see him reprise his iconic role in the upcoming Star Wars movies.
Also Read: 25 Amazing Facts About The Mandalorian
