No other character in the Star Wars series is as iconic as Darth Vader. His black suit, booming voice, and tall stature make him an intimidating villain. But just how tall was Darth Vader?
According to Star Wars canon, Darth Vader stood at 6 foot 8 inches when wearing his full cybernetics and armor (suit). And before he put on the suit, Darth Vader (aka Anakin Skywalker) stood at 6 foot 2 inches.
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How Tall is Darth Vader (With and Without the Suit)?
According to the official Star Wars canon, Darth Vader is 6 foot 8 inches. And prior to becoming Darth Vader, Anakin Skywalker is said to have stood at 6 foot 2 inches.
The height difference between Anakin before and after he puts on the suit is due to the reconstruction of his body.
During their epic lightsaber battle, Obi-Wan defeats Anakin by cutting off both of his legs. When Darth Sidious finds Anakin, he gives him medical treatment, which involves being fitted with various cybernetics, including prosthetic legs.
Additionally, the helmet he wears does not fit flush on his head, as it consists of an inner helmet with a breathing apparatus, cybernetic controls, etc. and an outer protective shell that sits on top.
These two facets combined help explain the 6-inch difference between Anakin and Darth Vader.
Darth Vader’s Weight
In full armor, Darth Vader is said to weigh 120 kilograms (according to Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know). This translates into roughly 264 pounds.
The weight of Anakin Skywalker prior to donning the Darth Vader suit is a bit more difficult to pinpoint.
While there is no official answer, in Star Wars Legends, he was said to weigh 84 kilograms or roughly 185 pounds.
The source of this fact likely comes from a 2005 interview with Hayden Christensen who plays Darth Vader in the prequel trilogy.
During the interview, he states that he had to bulk up for the part, gaining 25 pounds to reach 185.
Darth Vader’s Age
When Darth Vader dies saving Luke from Darth Sidious at the end of Return of the Jedi, he is 45 years old.
In contrast, when he first becomes Darth Vader and puts on the suit, he is only 22 years old. This means that he spends 23 years as Darth Vader.
Who Has Worn the Darth Vader Suit?
Many people have worn the Darth Vader suit throughout the filming of the Star Wars franchise, and few of them have been the exact height Darth Vader is said to be.
For actors shorter than Darth Vader, platform shoes and camera angles are used to give the appearance that the actor is as tall as Darth Vader.
Below is a roundup of everyone who has put on the Vader suit and their height. This includes actors and stuntmen.
Original Trilogy
- David Prowse 6 foot 6 inches – plays Darth Vader in A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi (some sources credit him as standing 6 foot 7 inches)
- Sebatsian Shaw 6 foot 2 inches – plays Darth Vader in Return of the Jedi during the unmasking scene and as the Force ghost of Anakin Skywalker
- Bob Anderson 6 foot 1 inch – is the stuntman/swordmaster for Darth Vader in A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi
- C. Andrew Nelson 6 foot 5 inches – plays Darth Vader in multiple video games and has a small scene in a re-release of the The Empire Strikes Back
Prequel Trilogy
- Hayden Christensen 6 foot 0 inches – plays Anakin Skywalker in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, including when Darth Vader dons the suit for the first time
- Gene Bryant 6 foot 6 inches – plays Darth Vader in a few scenes in Revenge of the Sith (is uncredited)
Other Movies & Media
- Spencer Wilding 6 foot 6 inches – plays Darth Vader in Rogue One (most of his scenes are cut from the film)
- Daniel Naprous 6 foot 5 inches – plays Darth Vader in Rogue One
- Hayden Christensen 6 foot 0 inches – plays Darth Vader in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series
- Tim O’Connel 6 foot 4 inches – swordmaster playing Darth Vader in 6 episodes of the Obi-Wan Kenobi series
- Dmitrious Bistrevsky 6 foot 7 inches – stuntman playing Darth Vader in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series.
Honorable Mentions
It is also worth mentioning that while James Earl Jones, the iconic voice of Darth Vader, never actually puts on the suit, his height is well within the range of the actors who did, at 6 foot 2 inches.
Additionally, there was a brief point in Revenge of the Sith where Anakin Skywalker took on the name Darth Vader before needing to put on the suit.
During this point in the film, we primarily see Hayden Christensen, but there are two other individuals who potentially appeared: Ben Cooke (6 foot 0 inches) and Christian Simpson (6 foot 2 inches).
Even though Hayden did most of his own stunts, he did have a stunt double, Ben Cooke. Considering this, it is highly likely that this individual was part of the shooting of the final lightsaber battle between Obi-Wan and Anakin (now Darth Vader).
Christian Simpson was the stand-in for Hayden Christensen, which means there is a small chance he was featured as Anakin becomes Darth Vader.
How Tall Do You Have to Be to Play Darth Vader at Disney?
Disney has actors portraying Darth Vader at many different locations. This includes Disneyland in California, Disney World in Florida, Disney parks in international locations (i.e., Paris), and even on Disney cruise ships.
With such a wide variety of locations, there is no set height requirement for the actor portraying Darth Vader. Instead, it is up to each location to choose what their requirement will be.
For example, a job post from 2015 which was posted on Reddit required that the actor be 6 foot 3 ½ inches. As suggested in the responses, the exactness of this measurement was likely due to the need to fit an existing costume.
Generally speaking, Darth Vader is said to be a towering figure. And the shortest on-screen actor to ever put on the suit stood at 6 foot even.
So a height requirement of 6 feet or greater would likely be requested to play the part of Darth Vader at any Disney location.
Conclusion
Darth Vader is a larger-than-life figure. Standing at 6 foot 8 inches and weighing over 250 pounds in his full space suit/armor, he makes for a very menacing villain.
While not all of the actors/stuntmen are quite this tall, they were all made to appear the same size using platform shoes, stilts, and camera tricks. If this had not been done, the shorter Darth Vaders would have taken away some of the fear the character inspires.
While we have no idea who will don the Darth Vader suit next, we can bet that the next person(s) will be at least as tall as the previous wearers (all 6 foot and up). But Vader’s official height will remain at 6 foot 8 inches.