By Topher Gauk-Roger
10:02pm PDT, Jun 1, 2022
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It's been 45 years since George Lucas first took us to a galaxy far, far away when "Star Wars" — now known as "Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope" — opened in theaters on May 25, 1977. In honor of the beloved sci-fi film's big anniversary — along with the May 27, 2022, debut of the latest installment in the expansive media franchise, the miniseries "Obi-Wan Kenobi" — Wonderwall.com is taking a look back at all the bold-faced names who've portrayed Jedi over the years, beginning with the actor who started playing a young version of the Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi in the late '90s… Ewan McGregor made his debut as a young Obi-Wan Kenobi — then apprenticed to Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn — in 1999's "The Phantom Menace." Obi-Wan later scored an apprentice of his own: Anakin Skywalker, who ultimately succumbed to the dark side and, despite Obi-Wan's best efforts, became the Sith lord Darth Vader.
Keep reading to catch up with Ewan and more stars who've portrayed Jedi…
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Ewan McGregor's star has only risen since he joined the "Star Wars" universe. His eclectic list of accomplishments in the years since include his Golden Globe-nominated performance in "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen" and his Golden Globe-winning work in the acclaimed anthology series "Fargo," for which he also scored an Emmy nomination. Other hits include "August: Osage County," "The Impossible," "Angels & Demons," "Doctor Sleep" and the 2017 live-action remake of "Beauty and the Beast," in which he voiced Lumière. The Scottish star was most recently seen on the Netflix miniseries "Halston," for which he won an Emmy in 2021. He returns to the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi on a Disney+ series of the same name on May 27, 2022. In 2017, Ewan left his wife of more than two decades — Eve Mavrakis, with whom he shares four daughters — and quickly moved on with "Fargo" co-star Mary Elizabeth Winstead, with whom he connected on set. They welcomed a son, Laurie, in June 2020 and tied the knot in April 2022.
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After the original "Star Wars" trilogy concluded, Mark Hamill made efforts to avoid being pigeonholed by turning to Broadway roles and voiceover work. He's built a very successful career with his voice acting, becoming synonymous with the iconic comic book villain The Joker, whom he's voiced in various mediums since "Batman: The Animated Series" in the '90s. He also voiced characters on "The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance," "Regular Show" and "Metalocalypse" and took on the role of murderous doll Chucky in the 2019 "Child's Play" remake. Mark still makes on-camera appearances as well: He had notable stints on "Knightfall" and "The Flash" and popped up in 2014's "Kingsman: The Secret Service." And, of course, he's returned to the role of Luke Skywalker several times over the years, most recently on an episode of "The Book of Boba Fett" in early 2022. Mark married dental hygienist Marilou York a year after "A New Hope" debuted. They've since welcomed three children.
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Darth Vader isn't just the main antagonist in the original "Star Wars" trilogy — he's also one of the most iconic villains in film history. The evil Galactic Empire's chief enforcer — the corrupted former Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, who's secretly Luke and Leia's father — was intent on destroying Obi-Wan Kenobi and the rest of the Rebel Alliance.
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English bodybuilder David Prowse may have donned Darth Vader's iconic helmet, but it was James Earl Jones — who turned 90 in 2021 — who voiced the iconic villain in the original "Star Wars" trilogy. After portraying the Sith Lord and former Jedi, James starred in films like "Coming to America," "Field of Dreams," "The Hunt for Red October" and "The Sandlot." The Mississippi-born actor then won the hearts of two generations of children by voicing Mufasa in "The Lion King" — both the original 1994 cartoon and the 2019 remake. He also continued his long-running Broadway career and racked up Emmy nominations for his work on "By Dawn's Early Light," "Heat Wave, "Gabriel's Fire," "Picket Fences," "Under One Roof," "Frasier" and "Everwood." James, who's voiced Darth Vader several times in recent years, most recently returned to another of his most iconic roles: King Jaffe Joffer in 2021's "Coming 2 America." His second wife — actress Cecilia Hart, with whom he shares a son — died from ovarian cancer in 2016, more than three decades after they tied the knot.
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Jake Lloyd portrayed young Anakin Skywalker — a slave on Tatooine whom the Jedi prophesied would bring balance to the Force — in 1999's "The Phantom Menace."
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Jake Lloyd, who was only 10 at the time, received scathing reviews for his performance in "The Phantom Menace." After voicing young Anakin in a series of video games, he only acted in one more project: the sports drama "Maddison." The indie film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2001 but didn't land in theaters until 2005. The bullying he suffered from classmates caused him to retire from acting and retreat from public life, save for the occasional convention appearance. The Colorado native said in a 2012 interview that he destroyed all his "Star Wars" memorabilia and refused to re-watch the films. The former child star reportedly left Hollywood behind to study psychology at Chicago's Columbia College. Jake (seen here in 2011) made headlines again in 2015 when he was arrested for reckless driving, driving without a license and resisting arrest after leading police on a high-speed car chase. He spent some time behind bars before he was transferred to a psychiatric facility. In 2020, his family issued a statement saying that Jake has moved closer to his relatives and has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.
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Hayden Christensen portrayed an older version of Obi-Wan Kenobi's apprentice, Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, in 2002's "Attack of the Clones" and in 2005's "Revenge of the Sith," which chronicles his seduction by the dark side. His corruption is complete when he's severely injured during a lightsaber battle with his former mentor and reborn as the Sith lord Darth Vader.
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Hayden Christensen won two Razzie Awards for worst supporting actor for his work in the "Star Wars" franchise, which negatively impacted his career for years to come. He went on to star in "Factory Girl," "Awake" and "Takers," plus three films with his long-term off-and-on partner, Rachel Bilson: "Jumper," "New York, I Love You" and "American Heist." The duo, who got engaged in late 2008, welcomed a daughter, Briar Rose, in 2014. They called it quits for good in 2017 amid reports that he had an inappropriate relationship with Emma Roberts, his co-star in 2018's "Little Italy." Hayden returns to the role of Darth Vader on the 2022 Disney+ series "Obi-Wan Kenobi."
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Alec Guinness first brought Obi-Wan Kenobi to the big screen in 1977's "A New Hope" — more than two decades before Ewan McGregor portrayed a younger version of the Jedi Master in the prequel trilogy. Obi-Wan has the distinction of mentoring both Anakin Skywalker and his son, Luke Skywalker. He's also responsible for bringing together Luke and his long-lost sister, Leia.
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Alec Guinness was already a well-respected actor with an Oscar to his name when he was cast as Obi-Wan Kenobi in "Star Wars," for which he scored his fourth Academy Award nomination. (He earned yet another Oscar nomination for his work in "Little Dorrit" in 1989.) His other notable projects include an Emmy-nominated turn on "Smiley's People," the "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" miniseries and 1984's "A Passage to India." The English actor, who was known for playing countless Shakespearean roles throughout his career, also released three memoirs between 1985 and 1999. Alec married actress-playwright Merula Sylvia Salaman in 1938. They had one son, actor Matthew Guinness, and were still together when Alec (seen here in 1996) died at 86 from liver cancer in 2000.
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Liam Neeson portrayed Qui-Gon Jinn — a Jedi Master who believes deeply that young Anakin Skywalker is the prophesied chosen one who will bring balance to the Force — in 1999's "The Phantom Menace."
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Liam Neeson has since starred in a variety of films — from epic drams like "Gangs of New York" and "Kingdom of Heaven" to the rom-com "Love, Actually" and the action-packed 2010 reboot of "The A-Team." He also starred in the "Taken" franchise, appeared in Christopher Nolan's "Batman" trilogy and voiced Aslan in the three mid-2000s "The Chronicles of Narnia" movies. For more than a decade now, he's churned out an average of two or three films each year. Recent hits include "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs," "Widows" and "Men in Black: International." The Irish actor tragically lost his wife of 15 years, actress Natasha Richardson, when she died in 2009 after suffering a head injury in a skiing accident. Their two sons were born in 1995 and 1996.
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Samuel L. Jackson portrayed Jedi Master Mace Windu — a member of the Jedi High Council during the final years of the Galactic Republic who wields a unique purple-bladed lightsaber — in the "Star Wars" prequel trilogy.
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It wasn't long after Samuel L. Jackson made his final on-screen appearance as Mace Windu that he joined another major film franchise: the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He's portrayed Nick Fury countless time since launching the MCU in 2008 with "Iron Man." That same year, he returned to the role of Mace in the animated film "Star Wars: The Clone Wars." Other big hits include "Django Unchained," "Kingsman: The Secret Service," "Kong: Skull Island," "The Hitman's Bodyguard," "Glass," "The Legend of Tarzan" and "The Other Guys." More recently, he starred on the Apple TV+ miniseries "The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey," and up next, he's set to headline the Disney+ series "Secret Invasion." In 2022, Sam finally won an Oscar: an honorary lifetime achievement award recognizing his contributions to the film industry. He celebrated another major achievement two years earlier when he and wife LaTanya Richardson Jackson marked their 40th wedding anniversary. They share one child: daughter Zoe.
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Carrie Fisher famously portrayed Princess Leia Organa — a spy for the Rebel Alliance who's Darth Vader's daughter and Luke Skywalker's long-lost sister — in the "Star Wars" franchise. She's gifted in the ways of the Force and briefly trains to become a Jedi along with her brother, though she ultimately chooses instead to become a general in the Resistance.
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After the original "Star Wars" trilogy, Carrie Fisher appeared in hits like "The Man with One Red Shoe," "Hannah and Her Sisters" and "When Harry Met Sally," though she turned to mostly smaller films, voice work and guest starring spots on TV following the '90s. The talented writer also became an in-demand script doctor, pitching in on movies like "The Wedding Singer" and "Sister Act." She wrote and starred in the one-woman play "Wishful Drinking," which enjoyed a successful Broadway run and became the basis for her book of the same name — one of several she penned — as well as an Emmy-nominated HBO special. She later scored Emmy nominations for her guest spots on "30 Rock" and "Catastrophe." The multi-talented performer — who was briefly married to Paul Simon in the early '80s and welcomed a daughter, actress Billie Lourd, with former partner Bryan Lourd — claimed in her 2016 memoir, "The Princess Diarist," that she and Harrison Ford had an affair while shooting "A New Hope." Sadly, Carrie — who was open about her struggles with bipolar disorder and addiction over the years — died of cardiac arrest at 60 in late 2016. (Multiple drugs were in her system at the time of her death.) She returned to the role of Princess Leia — now known as General Organa — in the "Star Wars" sequel trilogy, which was filmed before her death.
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Arguably the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy, we first met Master Yoda in 1980's "The Empire Strikes Back" living in exile on the swamp planet Dagobah, where he trains Luke Skywalker in the ways of the Force before succumbing to old age.
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Jim Henson veteran Frank Oz voiced and puppeteered Yoda after cutting his teeth on "The Muppet Show" and "Sesame Street," on which he worked until 2014. (He continued voicing the diminutive Jedi Master after the beloved character went CGI in the prequel trilogy.) He's also known for his work in the films "The Blues Brothers" and "Blues Brothers 2000," "An American Werewolf in London," "The Dark Crystal," which he co-directed with Jim Henson, "Trading Places," "Labyrinth" and "Inside Out." Most recently, he appeared on-screen in 2019's "Knives Out" and in the 2021 indie film "Echoes of Violence." The accomplished director has helmed movies like "The Muppets Take Manhattan," "Little Shop of Horrors," "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," "HouseSitter," "The Indian in the Cupboard," "In & Out," "Bowfinger," "The Score," the 2004 remake of "The Stepford Wives," "Death at a Funeral" and "What About Bob?" He was married to Robin Garsen from 1979 to 2005 and wed motivational speaker Victoria Labalme in 2011. He has four children.
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Adam Driver made his debut as Kylo Ren — Han Solo and Leia Organa's only child — in 2015's "The Force Awakens." While training to become a Jedi under his uncle, Luke Skywalker, the former Ben Solo is seduced by the dark side. He joins the Knights of Ren while seeking to honor the legacy of his grandfather, Darth Vader.
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The same year he made his final appearance as Kylo Ren in 2019's "The Rise of Skywalker," Adam Driver returned to his Broadway roots in "Burn This" — and scored his first Tony nomination for his efforts. He also earned his first two Oscar nominations — for "BlacKkKlansman" in 2019 and for "Marriage Story" in 2020 — and fourth Emmy nomination: for hosting "Saturday Night Live." (He previously scored three Emmy nominations for his work on "Girls.") He's since starred in "Annette," "The Last Duel" and "The House of Gucci." Next year, Adam will celebrate his 10th wedding anniversary with Joanne Tucker, with whom he shares a son.
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Daisy Ridley made her debut as the Force-sensitive orphan scavenger Rey — who trains to become a Jedi under Luke Skywalker — in 2015's "The Force Awakens."
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In the years since Daisy Ridley made her final appearance as Rey in 2019's "The Rise of Skywalker," the English actress had starred in two films: 2021's "Chaos Walking" and 2022's "The Bubble." Since mid-2019, there have been rumors that she and long-term partner Tom Bateman are either secretly engaged or married. The "Murder on the Orient Express" co-stars are set to collaborate again on "Magpie" — she came up with the idea for the upcoming thriller, in which she's set to star, and he wrote the screenplay.
