Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker in the 1977 Star Wars was born on September 25, 1951, in Oakland, California.

Hamill grew up in many different states as his father was a captain in the U.S. Navy. His major was drama at Los Angeles City College.

The first time he appeared on television was in 1963 on the soap opera General Hospital. That led to many small parts in other T.V. shows.

Hamill languished in obscurity until he was chosen for the role of Luke Skywalker by George Lucas. Hamill was only 25 years old at the time and did not know how popular this movie would make him.

Before the filming of Star Wars, Hamill was involved in a car accident and had to get extensive surgery on his face. The accident left him with some permanent scars on his face that can be seen in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.