His father was a captain in the United States Navy; he grew up in California, Virginia, New York and Japan. He majored in drama at Los Angeles City College and made his acting debut on The Bill Cosby Show in 1970. He played a continuing role (Kent Murray) in TV's General Hospital and co-starred in the respected TV comedy series The Texas Wheelers. Real fame came with his film debut (he was voice only in Wizards) with the hero role of Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi. He experienced a disfiguring car crash, but later played in Broadway, returning to film in 1989.


Star Wars (1977): $650,000

Father of Nathan Hamill (b. 25 June 1979), Griffin Hamill (b. 4 March 1983), Chelsea Hamill (b. 27 July 1988). Attended Nile C. Kinnick High School (known as Yo-Hi) in Yokohama, Japan, where as a senior he played Henry Aldrich in the high school production of Clifford Goldsmith's "What A Life," Naval Base. School is now on the Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan, where it is known by its original name, Kinnick High. Original site of the high school where Hamill acted is now a MyCal department store. He did all his own stunts in Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) -- except two places: where "Luke Skywalker" jumps off the plank into the Sarlaac, turns, and flips back onto the plank and on the Death Star when Vader throws his saber at the supports of the catwalk. According to "The Making of Return of the Jedi" by John Philip Peecher (c. 1983), his stunt double, Colin Skeaping, performed both of these stunts. He did all his own stunts in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980), except in the scene in Cloud city where he is sucked out of a window. Is the 4th of 7 children. Appeared in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001), which also starred Carrie Fisher. It was the first time the two had starred together since Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983). Neither of them knew that the other was involved in the project until shortly after filming had been completed. Attended Annandale High School in Annandale, Virginia before his father was transfered. He kept his Luke Skywalker boots, from the first "Star Wars" movie. When the movie was re-released to theaters in the late 1990s, his son asked if he could wear the boots to a showing. Hamill said no, telling him he didn't think the boy would "get out alive" if fans knew his boots were the originals. Director Stephen Weeks originally wanted him for the part of "Sir Gawain" in Sword of the Valiant: The Legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (1984) but the producers refused and insisted on Miles O'Keeffe. Played the infamous Flash villain, The Trickster aka James Jesse (a word play for old west bandit Jesse James, a popular stunt for "Flash" creator Gardner Fox and other series writers), in both the short lived live action CBS series "The Flash" (1990), in 1991 (two episodes), and in the "Justice League" (2001) animated series in 2005, in the episode "Flash and Substance". He campaigned for George McGovern during the 1972 presidential race. He was a friend of Robert Englund, the actor best known for playing "Freddy Krueger" in the "Nightmare On Elm Street" films. Englund, himself, auditioned for the role of "Luke Skywalker" and, when he didn't get the part, he encouraged Mark to go and audition after him. Has actually played two roles in the Star Wars trilogy. That's Mark's voice on the P.A. system announcing that "The first transport is away," in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980). Is one quarter Swedish.