Though audiences might recognize him as the iconic villain, Darth Vader, David Prowse played his fair share of villains.

In fact, by the time he had the opportunity to don the Sith Lord’s cape and helmet, he had spent a few years playing a rather iconic villain.

Prowse appeared in multiple Hammer horror films, including The Horror of Frankenstein (1970) and Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1974). In both films, the actor played Frankenstein’s monster, an absolutely terrifying creature that struck fear into the hearts of audiences everywhere.

During an interview with the Stamford Advocate, Prowse confessed that playing the character had taken its toll after a while.

“At that time, I’d had a long career playing Frankenstein’s monster,” Prowse said. “I had all of these characters with horrible makeup jobs. I was really trying to get away from masked characters.”

When he was approached to join the Star Wars universe, Prowse was offered his pick of roles.

“When I went to see [George] Lucas, he said the first character they had in mind for me was Chewbacca. I asked who Chewbacca was, and they said he was this big sort of hairy gorilla. And then I said what’s the other one? And George said it was this villain named Darth Vader. And I said, ‘Thank you very much, George. I’ll take the villain's part.’”

Prowse’s choice put him on the path toward making cinematic history. “I’ve been placed in an absolutely fantastic, privileged position,” said the actor. “I get to travel all over the world, and we have fantastic fans.”