Mark Hamill facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mark Hamill
Hamill in 2024
Born	Mark Richard Hamill (1951-09-25) September 25, 1951 (age 73) Oakland, California, U.S.
Alma mater	Los Angeles City College
Occupation	Actor voice artist
Years active	1970–present
Works	Full list
Spouse(s)	Marilou York ​ (m. 1978)​
Children	3
Signature

Mark Hamill (born September 25, 1951) is a famous American actor. You probably know him best as Luke Skywalker from the Star Wars movies. He played Luke in the first three films and also in the newer ones.

But Mark Hamill is also super famous for his voice acting! He's the voice of the Joker in many DC Comics cartoons and video games. This started with Batman: The Animated Series in 1992.

Besides Star Wars and the Joker, he has been in many other movies and TV shows. He also acted in plays on Broadway. Some of his other voice roles include the Hobgoblin in Spider-Man: The Animated Series and Fire Lord Ozai in Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Early Life and School

Mark Richard Hamill was born in Oakland, California, on September 25, 1951. His parents were Virginia Suzanne and William Thomas Hamill. His dad was a U.S. Navy Captain.

Mark was one of seven children. He had two brothers and four sisters. His family moved around a lot because of his father's Navy job. This meant Mark went to many different schools.

He attended Walsingham Academy and Edgar Allan Poe Middle School. At age 11, he moved to San Diego, California. He went to Hale Junior High School there.

Later, his family moved back to Virginia, and he went to Annandale High School. During his junior year, his dad was stationed in Japan. Mark then went to Nile C. Kinnick High School and joined the Drama Club. He graduated in 1969. After high school, he studied drama at Los Angeles City College.

Becoming an Actor

Mark Hamill started his acting career in the early 1970s. He had a regular role on the TV show General Hospital. He also starred in a short TV comedy called The Texas Wheelers.

He appeared in the first episode of Eight Is Enough. He also made guest appearances on popular shows like The Bill Cosby Show and The Partridge Family. Mark also acted in TV movies such as The City.

Star Wars Adventures

Mark Hamill in 2017, at the premiere of The Last Jedi

A friend, Robert Englund, suggested Mark audition for Star Wars. Mark's agent had already set up the audition, and he got the part of Luke Skywalker.

Star Wars came out in May 1977 and was a huge hit! It changed movies forever. Mark then appeared in the Star Wars Holiday Special in 1978. He also starred in the successful sequels, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.

Between the first two movies, Mark had a car accident. He broke his nose and cheekbone. For his roles in the sequels, he won the Saturn Award for Best Actor.

In 1980, he was a guest on The Muppet Show. He appeared as himself and as Luke Skywalker. He even helped C-3PO and R2-D2 look for Chewbacca.

Mark also voiced Luke Skywalker for the Star Wars radio shows. He later returned to the Star Wars universe in 2014. He voiced the ancient Sith Lord Darth Bane in the animated series The Clone Wars.

When The Walt Disney Company bought Lucasfilm, they made new Star Wars movies. Mark Hamill returned as Luke Skywalker in The Force Awakens (2015). He also played Luke in Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

He also had secret voice roles in other Star Wars movies. He was credited under different names like "William M. Patrick." Mark also played Luke Skywalker in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. For these, he was made to look younger using computer effects.

Beyond Luke Skywalker

Hamill in Amsterdam in 1980

After Star Wars, many people only saw Mark as Luke Skywalker. He wanted to show he could do other roles. He acted in movies like Corvette Summer (1978) and the World War II film The Big Red One (1980).

Mark also started acting on Broadway. He starred in plays like The Elephant Man and Amadeus. When Amadeus was made into a movie, Mark tried out for the role of Mozart. But the director felt people would only see him as Luke Skywalker.

He continued acting in films through the 1990s. He was in the science-fiction film Slipstream and the 1995 remake of Village of the Damned. In 2001, he played a supervillain named Cocknocker in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. This role made fun of his past characters.

On TV, he played the Trickster in The Flash in the 1990s. He also appeared on Saturday Night Live and 3rd Rock from the Sun.

Mark also starred in the Wing Commander computer games. He played the main character, Colonel Christopher Blair. He even directed and starred in a movie called Comic Book: The Movie (2004). This movie was about comic book fans and conventions.

In 2014, Mark appeared in the movie Kingsman: The Secret Service. He played a professor who was an expert on climate change. He also returned as the Trickster in the newer The Flash TV series. In 2019, he joined the cast of Knightfall. He played Master Talus, a Templar who trains new knights.

The Voice Behind Famous Characters

Mark Hamill started voice acting in the early 1970s. He voiced Corey Anders in the cartoon Jeannie. He also played Sean in the film Wizards before Star Wars came out.

His most famous voice role is the Joker. But he has voiced many other characters in cartoons, movies, and video games.

• He was The Hobgoblin in Spider-Man.
• He voiced Fire Lord Ozai in Avatar: The Last Airbender.
• He played Skips in Regular Show.
• He voiced many characters for Marvel Comics and DC Comics shows. These include Solomon Grundy and Tony Zucco.
• He also voiced himself in two episodes of Pepper Ann.

Mark Hamill has also been a guest voice on The Simpsons and Family Guy. He was a regular voice actor on Seth Green's Robot Chicken.

In animated movies, he voiced the evil wolf Niju in Balto II: Wolf Quest. He also voiced characters in Japanese animated films like Castle in the Sky and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.

For video games, he voiced Detective Mosely in Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers. He was also Adrian Ripburger in Full Throttle. He voiced Master Eraqus in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep. The creator of Kingdom Hearts is a big fan of Mark Hamill.

In 2019, Mark voiced Chucky in the Child's Play movie remake. He also voiced skekTek in The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance on Netflix. In 2021, he voiced Skeletor in Masters of the Universe: Revelation.

Mark Hamill even voices the English alerts for a Ukrainian air raid warning app. He uses Luke Skywalker's voice and says, "May the Force be with you." He has also helped raise money for Ukraine.

The Joker: A Fan Favorite

Hamill in 2011

Mark Hamill's role as the Joker started in Batman: The Animated Series in 1992. He continued to voice the Joker in many other cartoons and movies. These include Superman: The Animated Series and Justice League. He also voiced the Joker in the films Batman: Mask of the Phantasm and Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker.

He has also voiced the Joker for toys and amusement park rides. He really enjoys playing the character and feels protective of him.

Mark has voiced the Joker in several Batman video games. These include Batman: Vengeance, Batman: Arkham Asylum, and Batman: Arkham City. He initially said Arkham City might be his last time as the Joker. But he returned for Batman: Arkham Knight in 2015, where the Joker appeared as a vision.

Mark Hamill has won awards for his voice work as the Joker. These include a British Academy Games Award for Best Performer.

In 2023, Mark said he probably wouldn't voice the Joker again. This was because his co-star, Kevin Conroy, who voiced Batman, had passed away. Mark felt that "Without Kevin there, there doesn't seem to be a Batman for me." However, in 2024, it was announced he would voice the Joker in the game MultiVersus. He also made a brief appearance as the Joker in the film Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part Three alongside Kevin Conroy's final Batman performance.

Writing and Other Projects

Mark Hamill is also a writer. He co-wrote a comic book series called The Black Pearl. He also wrote an introduction for a Batman comic book.

He has written several stories for Simpsons Comics. One of his stories, "Catastrophe in Substitute Springfields!", made fun of famous comic book events.

Personal Life

Mark Hamill married dental hygienist Marilou York on December 17, 1978. They have three children: Nathan, Griffin, and Chelsea.

His son, Nathan, was born when The Empire Strikes Back was being made. Nathan later had a small role in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. All three of his children had small roles as Resistance soldiers in The Last Jedi. Mark also has a granddaughter named Autumn.

Mark Hamill is a supporter of the Democratic Party. He has spoken out about politics. He also enjoys collecting old comic books.

In October 2023, Mark Hamill and many other Hollywood professionals signed a letter. It condemned the group Hamas and asked for the release of hostages in Gaza. It also showed support for Israel in the 2023 Israel–Hamas war.

Helping Others

Mark Hamill is an ambassador for United24. This is a platform that raises money to help Ukraine in its war against Russia.

In March 2023, he held a drawing for signed Star Wars posters. This raised over $300,000 for reconnaissance drones for Ukraine.

Awards and Nominations

Images for kids

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  Hamill at the premiere of F.I.S.T. in 1978

See also

In Spanish: Mark Hamill para niños

• Asteroid 110026 Hamill