Written by: John Heffernan

Often overlooked in many of his roles, Mark Hamill is one of the hardest working actors in the industry and today we will look at some of his more famous and smaller known roles. The most obvious role that people think of when they think of the actor is Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars Franchise. He began the series as the main character in Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (1977). He played Skywalker as the young protagonist who aims to defeat the evil villian and save the captured princess. This groundbreaking story arch would not be seen in any other medium at all (Please note the sarcasm). Not only did this film revolutionize the sci-fi film genre, it would also develop the industry through the use of sequels, spin-offs and prequels.

One thing that many television and film fans may not know is that Hamill is also an accomplished and legendary voice actor. Whether it be in video games, television or even animated film, it is amazing to see the range that he is able to reach. The most well known of his performances is that of the Joker in the Batman: The Animated Series and various other animated DC films. Many regard Hamill as the perfect actor in the role, thus conflicting with the mainstream opinion of Heath Ledger. While controversial, I believe that both are on the same caliber of acting skill.

If you get a chance please check out some of Hamill’s work. Voice actors are often overlooked as they are not as flashy as Hollywood actors. Hamill is a mix of both, yet some still seem to not know how much work this actor does each year!

– Star Wars Episode IV- A New Hope. Directed by George Lucas, Performances by Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford, Twentieth Century Fox, 1997.
– Butterworth, Kent, Radomski, Eric, Timm, Bruce, Sebast, Dick, Riba, Dan, Paur, Frank, Kirkland, Boyd, and Atlieri, Kevin. Batman: The Animated Series. Warner Bros. Television, 1992.