Peter Mayhew, 7ft 2 inches tall, was plucked from obscurity in 1976, when he was working as an orderly at London's King's College Hospital. Producer Charles H. Schneer cast him as a minotaur in Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger after seeing a photograph of Mayhew in an article about a man with large feet. That lead to Mayhew being cast as Chewbacca in 1977's Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, and the rest is history. Mayhew was a mainstay at Star Wars conventions around the world, including the bi-annual Star Wars Celebration, and he was heavily involved in the Make-A-Wish foundation, Wounded Warriors and the Star Wars organization the 501st Legion, a fan collective that creates authentic props and costumes. he was my favourite Character in the Star wars films...May he R.I.P and thank you for the fun Peter...
Remember him well. He was brought on stage in a wheelchair at the Orlando Star Wars Celebration we attended in 2017. We didn't see him, but saw the video from there. I also remember the lady that bought the Chewbacca Halloween mask, put it on in her vehicle and became a national celebrity for doing it.