Mark Hamill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mark Hamill
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Hamill in 2025
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Mark Richard Hamill
September 25, 1951 Oakland, California, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Los Angeles City College (AA) |
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| Years active | 1970–present |
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Full list |
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Marilou York
(m. 1978) |
| Children | 3 |
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Mark Richard Hamill (born September 25, 1951) is an American actor. He is most famous for playing Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars movies. He is also a well-known voice actor, especially for his role as the Joker in many animated DC Comics shows, starting with Batman: The Animated Series in 1992.
In the 1980s, Hamill acted in Broadway plays like The Elephant Man and Amadeus. He also appeared in movies like Corvette Summer (1978) and The Big Red One (1980). More recently, he was in the movie Brigsby Bear (2017) and the Netflix series The Fall of the House of Usher (2023).
As a voice actor, Hamill has played many famous characters. Besides the Joker, he voiced the Hobgoblin in Spider-Man: The Animated Series, Fire Lord Ozai in Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Skips in Regular Show. He also voiced Chucky in the 2019 movie Child's Play.
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Early Life and Family
Mark Richard Hamill was born on September 25, 1951, in Oakland, California. His father, William Thomas Hamill, was a Captain in the U.S. Navy. Mark is one of seven children. He has two brothers, Will and Patrick, and four sisters, Terry, Jan, Jeanie, and Kim.
Because his father was in the Navy, his family moved around a lot. This meant Mark had to change schools often. He lived in Virginia and California. When he was in high school, his father was stationed in Japan. Mark graduated from Nile C. Kinnick High School in Japan in 1969, where he was a member of the Drama Club. After high school, he studied drama at Los Angeles City College.
Acting Career
Early Roles
Mark Hamill's first jobs included a role on the TV show General Hospital and the comedy series The Texas Wheelers. He also had guest roles on shows like The Partridge Family and One Day at a Time. He appeared in several TV movies, including The City and Sarah T.
Becoming Luke Skywalker
Mark Hamill's friend, actor Robert Englund, was auditioning for a movie when he saw that auditions for George Lucas's Star Wars were happening nearby. Englund thought Hamill would be perfect for the part of Luke Skywalker and told him to try out. Hamill's agent had already scheduled the audition, and he won the role.
Star Wars was released in 1977 and became a massive, unexpected hit. It changed the movie industry forever. Hamill became famous and appeared in the sequels The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Between the first two films, Hamill was in a serious car accident that injured his face. For his acting in the sequels, he won the Saturn Award for Best Actor.
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Hamill returned to the Star Wars universe many years later. He voiced the ancient Sith Lord Darth Bane in the animated series The Clone Wars in 2014.
When The Walt Disney Company bought Lucasfilm, they started making new Star Wars movies. Hamill returned as Luke Skywalker in The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019). He also appeared as a younger Luke Skywalker in the TV shows The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett using digital technology.
In May 2025, Hamill said he was done playing Luke Skywalker. He felt it was time to focus on new characters and the future of the series.
Life After Star Wars
After Star Wars, many people only saw Hamill as Luke Skywalker. To show he could play other roles, he acted in the war film The Big Red One (1980) and other movies. He also began acting on Broadway in plays like The Elephant Man and Amadeus.
Throughout the 1990s, he starred in films like The Guyver (1991) and the remake of Village of the Damned (1995). He also made a funny appearance as a villain in the movie Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001).
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Hamill has also been in many TV shows. He played the villain Trickster in both the 1990 and 2014 versions of The Flash. He also appeared in shows like Chuck, Criminal Minds, and the historical drama Knightfall.
In 2004, Hamill directed and starred in the movie Comic Book: The Movie. As a big fan of comic books, he based his character on an exaggerated version of himself. The movie was filmed during the 2002 San Diego Comic-Con.
Voice Acting Career
Hamill is a very successful voice actor. He is famous for playing a wide variety of characters, especially villains.
The Joker
Hamill's most famous voice role is Batman's enemy, the Joker. He started voicing the character in 1992 in Batman: The Animated Series. He continued to play the Joker in other shows, movies, and video games for many years. This includes the popular Batman: Arkham video game series.
He has said that he loved playing the character and was protective of the role. For his performance as the Joker, he has won several awards, including a British Academy Games Award.
After the death of Kevin Conroy, the actor who voiced Batman alongside him for many years, Hamill said he would likely not voice the Joker again. He felt that his Joker needed Conroy's Batman. However, he did voice the character in projects that Conroy had worked on before he passed away.
Other Voice Roles
Hamill has voiced many other characters in cartoons and video games. Some of his famous roles include:
- The Hobgoblin in Spider-Man: The Animated Series
- Fire Lord Ozai in Avatar: The Last Airbender
- Skips in Regular Show
- The Skeleton King in Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!
- Skeletor in Masters of the Universe: Revelation
He has also voiced characters in English versions of Japanese animated films by Hayao Miyazaki, such as Castle in the Sky and The Boy and the Heron.
Personal Life
On January 11, 1977, just before filming a scene for Star Wars, Hamill was in a car accident. He broke his nose and cheekbone. A double was used for some of his shots in the movie.
On December 17, 1978, Hamill married Marilou York. They have three children: Nathan, Griffin, and Chelsea. All three of his children had small roles as Resistance soldiers in The Last Jedi.
Hamill is active in politics and supports the Democratic Party. He has encouraged people to vote and has often shared his political views. He has also used his famous Joker voice to read and criticize tweets from political figures.
In 2022, Hamill became an ambassador for United24, a platform that raises money to support Ukraine during its conflict with Russia. He even lent his voice to a Ukrainian air raid alert app, signing off with the famous line, "May the Force be with you."
Written Works
Hamill co-wrote a comic book miniseries called The Black Pearl, which was published by Dark Horse Comics. He has also written stories for Simpsons Comics.
Awards and Recognition
Mark Hamill has received many awards for his work in film, television, and video games.
- Saturn Awards: He won Best Actor twice for The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. He won another Saturn Award for Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
- British Academy Games Awards: He won Best Performer for his voice work as the Joker in Batman: Arkham City.
- Disney Legends: He was named a Disney Legend in 2017 for his contributions to the company.
- Hollywood Walk of Fame: He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2018.
- Daytime Emmy Awards: He won for his voice work in Elena of Avalor.
See also
In Spanish: Mark Hamill para niños
- Asteroid 110026 Hamill
