Anthony Daniels (born February 21, 1946 in Salisbury, England) is an English actor who portrayed and voiced the droid C-3PO in the Star Wars films. He is the only actor to be credited to appear in all nine Star Wars episodic films, as well as Solo: A Star Wars Story, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and the animated feature Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Biography[]
The character of C-3PO[]
Daniels posing with the pieces of his C-3PO costume from the Original Trilogy.
During the production of the original Star Wars film, Daniels helped George Lucas develop the character, voice, and mannerisms of C-3PO. Aside from playing the fussy droid in all nine movies, Daniels has reprised the role frequently over the past three decades. He's donned the shiny suit for various promotional work, including hosting The Making of Star Wars; for appearances on The Muppet Show and Sesame Street; for The Star Wars Holiday Special; for commercials including Kenner toys, an anti-smoking PSA, and even a breakfast cereal based on the character; and for prequel tie-ins such as Star Wars Connections and The Science of Star Wars. He also voiced C-3PO in a radio drama based on the original trilogy; for the Christmas-themed Christmas in the Stars album; for the Disney theme-park attraction Star Tours; for the animated film The Lego Movie; and for animated series like Droids, Star Wars: Clone Wars, The Clone Wars, and Star Wars Rebels. He provided both narration and all character voices for the Dark Force Rising and The Last Command audio books.
Other roles[]
Daniels has a cameo outside of the C-3PO costume in the Outlander nightclub scene early in Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones as a character named Dannl Faytonni.[2] Faytonni can also be seen at the Galaxies Opera House in Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith.[3] He later played the enslaved worker Tak in Solo: A Star Wars Story.[4]
Aside from portraying C-3PO and Dannl Faytonni, Anthony Daniels also played numerous minor characters such as CZ-3 in A New Hope. The exact number of such characters Daniels played is unknown.
Further Star Wars and C-3PO work[]
He was the only cast member of the original trilogy to voice his character in all three episodes of National Public Radio's dramatizations of that trilogy. (While Mark Hamill voiced Luke Skywalker for both A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, and Billy Dee Williams voiced Lando Calrissian for The Empire Strikes Back, when the Return of the Jedi adaptation was recorded many years later, Hamill and Williams were replaced by Joshua Fardon and Arye Gross, respectively.)
Daniels also contributed the foreword to the collected scripts of the Return of the Jedi radio drama, as their author, Brian Daley, died just as the episodes were being recorded. Daniels' other Star Wars writings include The New Wonder Column for Star Wars Insider magazine and a comic-book adventure for C-3PO and R2-D2 entitled The Protocol Offensive, published by Dark Horse Comics.
In The Phantom Menace, Daniels did the voice work for C-3PO but did not physically appear in the movie, as the character was a puppet instead of a costume—a prototype version of the protocol droid controlled by someone else. He actually controlled the puppet for 2002's Attack of the Clones, but all prototype scenes were cut, with the droid's first appearance in the movie being Daniels in costume. In this movie and 2005's Revenge of the Sith, he also dubbed the vocal tracks for some scenes that used computer-generated imagery.
Daniels was the host and narrator of Star Wars: In Concert.
Daniels has returned to voice C-3PO in numerous animated projects,[5][6] including Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Due to his years of experience with the droid, Daniels was allowed to go through scripts before voice recording on The Clone Wars with Supervising Director Dave Filoni. During these sessions, Daniels was allowed to suggest changes to dialogue to ensure it fit with C-3PO's personality. To Filoni, such changes gave the audience a more authentic preformance from a legacy actor.[7]
In 2019, Daniels published an autobiography, I Am C-3PO: The Inside Story.[8]
Works[]
Filmography[]
| Year | Title | Series | Contribution(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope | C-3PO | ||
| 1978 | Star Wars Immunization PSA | C-3PO | A PSA promoting child immunization | |
| 1978 | The Star Wars Holiday Special | C-3PO | ||
| 1980 | Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back | C-3PO | ||
| 1980 | Star Wars Anti-Smoking PSA | C-3PO, Writer[9] | A PSA to stop smoking | |
| 1982 | Return of the Ewok | C-3PO | Unreleased, filmed to promote Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi | |
| 1983 | Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi | C-3PO | ||
| 1984 | Kellogg's C-3PO's cereal commercial 1 | C-3PO | Promoted the C-3PO's cereal | |
| 1984 | Kellogg's C-3PO's cereal commercial 2 | C-3PO | Promoted the C-3PO's cereal | |
| 1985 | "The White Witch" | Star Wars: Droids: The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO | C-3PO | |
| 1985 | "Escape Into Terror" | Star Wars: Droids: The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO | C-3PO | |
| 1985 | "The Trigon Unleashed | Star Wars: Droids: The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO | C-3PO | |
| 1985 | "A Race to the Finish" | Star Wars: Droids: The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO | C-3PO | |
| 1985 | "The Lost Prince" | Star Wars: Droids: The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO | C-3PO | |
| 1985 | "The New King" | Star Wars: Droids: The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO | C-3PO | |
| 1985 | "The Pirates of Tarnoonga" | Star Wars: Droids: The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO | C-3PO | |
| 1985 | "The Revenge of Kybo Ren" | Star Wars: Droids: The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO | C-3PO | |
| 1985 | "Coby and the Starhunters" | Star Wars: Droids: The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO | C-3PO | |
| 1985 | "Tail of the Roon Comets" | Star Wars: Droids: The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO | C-3PO | |
| 1985 | "The Roon Games" | Star Wars: Droids: The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO | C-3PO | |
| 1985 | "Across the Roon Sea" | Star Wars: Droids: The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO | C-3PO | |
| 1985 | "The Frozen Citadel" | Star Wars: Droids: The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO | C-3PO | |
| 1986 | The Great Heep | Star Wars: Droids: The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO | C-3PO | |
| 1986 | George Lucas' Star Tours | C-3PO | ||
| 1999 | Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace | C-3PO | ||
| 2002 | Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones | C-3PO, Dannl Faytonni | ||
| 2004 | "Chapter 15" | Star Wars: Clone Wars | C-3PO | |
| 2004 | "Chapter 16" | Star Wars: Clone Wars | C-3PO | |
| 2005 | "Chapter 21" | Star Wars: Clone Wars | C-3PO | |
| 2005 | "Chapter 23" | Star Wars: Clone Wars | C-3PO | |
| 2005 | Animal Icons: Star Wars Creatures | Narration | ||
| 2005 | Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith | C-3PO, Dannl Faytonni | ||
| 2008 | Star Wars: The Clone Wars | C-3PO | ||
| 2008 | "Destroy Malevolence | Star Wars: The Clone Wars | C-3PO | |
| 2008 | "Bombad Jedi" | Star Wars: The Clone Wars | C-3PO | |
| 2009 | "Trespass" | Star Wars: The Clone Wars | C-3PO | |
| 2009 | "Blue Shadow Virus | Star Wars: The Clone Wars | C-3PO | |
| 2009 | "Hostage Crisis" | Star Wars: The Clone Wars | C-3PO | |
| 2009 | "Senate Spy" | Star Wars: The Clone Wars | C-3PO | |
| 2010 | "The Zillo Beast Strikes Back" | Star Wars: The Clone Wars | C-3PO | |
| 2010 | "Evil Plans" | Star Wars: The Clone Wars | C-3PO | |
| 2011 | "The Citadel" | Star Wars: The Clone Wars | C-3PO | |
| 2011 | LEGO Star Wars: The Padawan Menace | C-3PO | ||
| 2011 | "Mercy Mission" | Star Wars: The Clone Wars | C-3PO | |
| 2011 | "Nomad Droids" | Star Wars: The Clone Wars | C-3PO | |
| 2012 | LEGO Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out | C-3PO | ||
| 2013 | "The Phantom Clone" | LEGO Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles | C-3PO | |
| 2013 | "Menace of the Sith" | LEGO Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles | C-3PO | |
| 2013 | "The Dark Side Rises" | LEGO Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles | C-3PO | |
| 2013 | "Attack of the Jedi" | LEGO Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles | C-3PO | |
| 2014 | "Escape from the Jedi Temple" | LEGO Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles | C-3PO | |
| 2014 | "Race for the Holocrons" | LEGO Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles | C-3PO | |
| 2014 | "Raid on Coruscant" | LEGO Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles | C-3PO | |
| 2014 | "Droids in Distress" | Star Wars Rebels | C-3PO | |
| 2014 | "Clash of the Skywalkers" | LEGO Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles | C-3PO | |
| 2015 | "Exit from Endor" | LEGO Star Wars: Droid Tales | C-3PO | |
| 2015 | "Crisis on Coruscant" | LEGO Star Wars: Droid Tales | C-3PO | |
| 2015 | "Mission to Mos Eisley" | LEGO Star Wars: Droid Tales | C-3PO | |
| 2015 | "Flight of the Falcon" | LEGO Star Wars: Droid Tales | C-3PO | |
| 2015 | "Gambit on Geonosis" | LEGO Star Wars: Droid Tales | C-3PO | |
| 2015 | Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens | C-3PO | ||
| 2016 | Rogue One: A Star Wars Story | C-3PO | ||
| 2017 | "Beasts of Echo Base" | Star Wars Forces of Destiny | C-3PO | |
| 2017 | Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi | C-3PO | ||
| 2018 | Solo: A Star Wars Story | Tak | ||
| 2018 | "The Recruit" | Star Wars Resistance | C-3PO | Credited in Part 1[10] |
| 2019 | Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker | C-3PO | ||
| 2020 | The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special | C-3PO | ||
| 2022 | "Part I" | Obi-Wan Kenobi | C-3PO | |
| 2022 | LEGO Star Wars Summer Vacation | C-3PO[11] | ||
| 2023 | "Part Seven: Dreams and Madness" | Ahsoka | C-3PO[12] |
Bibliography[]
| Year | Title | Format | Contribution(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995–1999 | The Wonder Column | Star Wars Insider department | Writer | |
| 1996 | Return of the Jedi: The National Public Radio Dramatization | Radioplay | Wrote introduction | Script by Brian Daley |
| 1997 | Star Wars Droids: The Protocol Offensive | Comic book | Author | Co-written with Ryder Windham |
| 2012 | Dark Force Rising audiobook | Audio novel | Voiced C-3PO | Penguin House Audio |
| 2012 | The Last Command audiobook | Audio novel | Voiced C-3PO | Penguin House Audio |
| 2015 | Episode IV: A New Hope Read-Along Storybook and CD | Young reader | Voiced C-3PO | |
| 2019 | I Am C-3PO: The Inside Story | Autobiography | Author | |
| 2021 | The Wonder Column | Star Wars Insider article | Writer | Special edition of the column for Star Wars Insider 200 |
Gameography[]
| Year | Title | Contribution(s) | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Star Wars: Pit Droids | C-3PO | PC-3OC, iPhone |
| 2015 | Disney Infinity 3.0 | C-3PO | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One |
| 2016 | LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens | C-3PO | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Wii U, 3DS, Xbox 360, Xbox One |
| 2019 | Star Wars: Project Porg | C-3PO | Magic Leap One |
| 2020 | Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy's Edge | C-3PO | Oculus Quest |
| 2021 | Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy's Edge – Last Call | C-3PO | Oculus Quest |
| 2022 | LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga | C-3PO | PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch |
Sources[]
Notes and references[]
- ↑
This Week! in Star Wars Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Comes Home, the Child Lands at New York Toy Fair, and More! | This Week! In Star Wars on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
- ↑ Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones
- ↑ Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
- ↑ Solo: A Star Wars Story
- ↑
Star Wars: Droids: The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO — "The White Witch"
- ↑
Star Wars: Clone Wars — "Chapter 15"
- ↑
Evil Plans Episode Featurette on StarWars.com (backup link)
- ↑ From the Pages of Star Wars Insider: Anthony Daniels on His New Memoir and Journey as C-3PO on StarWars.com (backup link)
- ↑ "Anthony Daniels: Remembering That Galaxy Far, Far Away" — The Lucasfilm Fan Club Magazine 1
- ↑ Star Wars Resistance — "The Recruit"
- ↑ LEGO Star Wars Summer Vacation
- ↑ Ahsoka — "Part Seven: Dreams and Madness"
External links[]
- Official website
- Anthony Daniels (@anthonydanielsoffial) on Instagram
- Anthony Daniels (@ADaniels3PO) on Twitter
- Anthony Daniels on Wikipedia
- Anthony Daniels at the Internet Movie Database
- Anthony Daniels (C-3PO) by Dennis Pellegrom on Star Wars Interviews (September, 2005) (content now obsolete; archived from the original on February 5, 2023)
- Every C-3PO Costume Explained By Anthony Daniels on the Wired YouTube channel (backup link)
