Mark Hamill has admitted his father was more proud of him working with Bob Hope than ‘Star Wars’.
The 71-year-old actor – who is best known for his iconic role as Luke Skywalker in the iconic space saga – revealed while his dad William Hamill lived to see his son’s success, it wasn’t the sci-fi franchise that won him over.
Mark Hamill told Parade magazine: “He did. In fact, what was funny was that ‘Star Wars’ came out and became this huge hit.
“But the thing that really impressed him wasn’t ‘Star Wars‘ — it was when I was on a Bob Hope special. That spoke to him because, like, ‘Oh my god, Bob Hope wants my son on his show!’ “
Mark’s dad was a US Navy captain, and didn’t exactly approve of his son’s passion for the arts.
Mark Hamill recalled: “I mean, he never really approved because I loved puppets and magic and comic books—all the things that he didn’t understand.
“At the dinner table, I’d say, ‘Hey, listen, everybody, I have a really good Elmer Fudd impression’ and do it.
“My father would say, ‘That’s all well and good, Mark, but being able to impersonate Elmer Fudd is not going to get you anywhere in life.’ I think he wanted me to follow in his footsteps.”
The rest of his family were “very supportive” of his goals, although none of his six siblings followed him into showbusiness.
He said: “My mom [Virginia] was very supportive. I have four sisters and two brothers and they were always a captive audience for my magic shows.
“I was the only one who went into show business. One of my brothers is a brilliant computer expert. Another brother always had a propensity for medicine.
“But you’ve got to follow your dreams.”
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