Peter Cushing

Peter Wilton Cushing OBE (May 26, 1913 – August 11, 1994) was a British actor who gained wide recognition for his roles in the Hammer Studios horror films of the 1950s to the 1970s alongside Christopher Lee. When developing the 1977 film Star Wars, George Lucas cast Cushing in the role of Grand Moff Tarkin to provide a human counterpart for the primary villain, Darth Vader, although Cushing claimed he was approached for the role of the noble Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. Cushing accepted the role on the basis that he felt his fans would enjoy seeing him in a science fiction film. His part in the film was recorded over a two-week period in May 1976.

The boots created for Cushing's character were ill-suited for the size of his feet, leading the actor to ask Lucas to let him wear slippers and to shoot his scenes from the waist up. Cushing was a courteous but good-humored figure and became well-liked among the film's other cast members, with Carrie Fisher commenting that she found it difficult to act as though she hated his character. He admitted that he struggled with the level of technical jargon and special effects used in the film but worked hard to ensure that his character's dialogue sounded confident.

Given Cushing's well-known status, he was paid a higher salary than the film's lead actors—Fisher, Mark Hamill, and Harrison Ford—and promotional materials presented Tarkin as the main villain. Cushing enjoyed the film greatly and was proud of its success, describing his only disappointment as that his character's death meant that he could not reprise the role in the sequels. Cushing's involvement in Star Wars later influenced Lee's participation in the prequel trilogy films on account of their friendship. In the 2016 film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Cushing's likeness was recreated via motion capture over the performance of Guy Henry as Tarkin, with permission granted by Cushing's estate. His portrayal of Tarkin influenced the performances of several other actors in Star Wars projects, including Stephen Stanton, Richard E. Grant, and Giancarlo Esposito.

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