Anthony Daniels
Anthony Daniels is an English actor and mime artist, best known for playing in 11 Star Wars films, from Star Wars to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. He wore the costume and voiced his character in the films and several animated television series. Initially, Daniels did not want to play a robotic character however, Ralph McQuarrie's first concept painting of C-3PO and R2-D2 on Tatooine evoked empathy from him.
For a long time, Daniels has held the distinction of being the Star Wars film actors|only actor to have either appeared in or been involved] with all theatrical films in the series. He has been involved in many of their spin-offs, including television series, video games, and radio serials. His other roles included CZ-3 in Star Wars, Tak in Solo: A Star Wars Story and more. Daniels also portrayed C-3PO in several commercials, non-canon films including The Lego Movie and non-canon television shows including The Muppet Show. Outside the films, he has narrated and hosted some documentaries and has hosted several events including Star Wars: In Concert since 2009. Daniels has recounted the challenges he faced while filming Star Wars in Tunisia in several documentaries including Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy. His involvement in the franchise and association with his character from meeting film director George Lucas in November 1975 to wrapping up on The Rise of Skywalker has been detailed in his 2019 memoirs, I Am C-3PO: The Inside Story.
Prior to his involvement in the franchise, Daniels appeared in several theatrical productions including Tom Stoppard's Guildenstern Are Dead">Rosencrantz and Guildenstern">Guildenstern Are Dead. He voiced Legolas in Ralph Bakshi's animated adaptation of The [Lord of the Rings (1978 film)|The Lord of the Rings]. He has appeared intermittently on British television in various dramas, including playing a pathologist in Prime Suspect starring Helen Mirren and Colonel Donald Humphries in Holby City. Daniels was an adjunct professor at Carnegie Mellon University's Entertainment Technology Center.
Early life
1946-1975: Education and theatre
Daniels was born in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England, the son of a plastics company executive. He regularly attended the theatre with his parents and expressed an interest in acting after seeing Dick Whittington at the age of five. At the age of seven, he watched the 1953 BBC science fiction television series, The Quatermass Experiment and a few years later Doctor Who. Daniels wanted to pursue acting however, his parents persuaded him to study law.Daniels was educated at Giggleswick School and studied law for two years at university. During those two years, he was member of an amateur dramatic society. After receiving encouragement from a teacher, John Law to pursue acting, Daniels dropped out to participate in amateur dramatics and attend Rose Bruford College. During that time he learned several techniques from acting, improvisation and mime classes. After leaving the college in 1974, Daniels won the List of [Carleton Hobbs Bursary winners|annual Carlton Hobbs Award] and worked on BBC Radio and for the National Theatre of Great Britain at The Young Vic. He worked with Paul Blake, a future co-star in Star Wars, on his first television job. Daniels appeared in William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing and Macbeth. Daniels portrayed Guildenstern in Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. He acted opposite Christopher Timothy who portrayed Rosencrantz. Timothy described Daniels as a dedicated and serious actor. Daniels persuaded Timothy to audition for the part of Han Solo. In December 1975, Harrison Ford was ultimately cast as the character. Daniels took part in the play at the Criterion Theatre in Piccadilly Circus, a week before he flew from London to Djerba to begin filming Star Wars. He was a member of the BBC's Radio Drama Company performing in several of their productions and speaks fluent French.
On 14 November 1975, whilst working in the theatre and appearing in a Young Vic production of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, he was invited to meet director George Lucas in Soho Square, who was casting for Star Wars. Daniels at first turned down the interview but was persuaded by his agent to meet Lucas. Daniels has said that before his role in Star Wars, the only science fiction film he had ever seen in a theatre was 2001: A Space Odyssey in 1968; he was so displeased with the film that he walked out after ten minutes and demanded his money back. After Daniels was cast as, Lucas recommended that he watch the film in its entirety to study HAL 9000's voice. In a 2011 interview, Daniels said that he now regards 2001 as a masterpiece and that he also enjoys post-apocalyptic films such as Mad Max. In his 2019 memoirs, he praised the film and said HAL "made a lasting impression" on him.
Career
''Star Wars''
1975-1976: Beginnings - Bringing C-3PO to life and filming
In November 1975, after auditioning for the role of C-3PO, Daniels only became fully interested in it after seeing a concept design of the golden droid C-3PO by Ralph McQuarrie; he was moved by the character's forlorn expression. McQuarrie drew his first sketches of the character in 1974 before finishing the painting of C-3PO and R2-D2 walking away from the escape pod in January 1975. Daniels said, "I sensed his vulnerability." The following day, after reading the script he became interested before Lucas gave him the part the next day. Daniels and Peter Cushing were cast after it was decided that the production would be filmed near London.In 1976, sculptor Liz Moore finalised the character's design and the Art department modelled the costume on Daniels' body. The process of making the costume and Daniels' fittings took six months. Brian Muir sculpted finishing work on the full suit including the hand plates. He said, "There was no time to get a plaster cast of Anthony Daniels' hands so I had the unusual job of sculpting directly onto the back of his hands during the lunch break." Daniels did not see the final costume until after donning it for the shoot and being shown a Polaroid photograph taken by continuity supervisor Ann Skinner on the first day of filming in Tunisia. While filming scenes for Star Wars in Tunisia, Daniels and the crew were told about Moore's death; she died in a car crash. Daniels mentioned her in several interviews and his memoirs saying, "I will always remember Liz as a most beautiful and kind and creative soul."
On 22 March 1976, his first day of filming took place in Tunisia which provided the setting for Tatooine. Daniels filmed his first scenes at the Lars homestead and they also featured Mark Hamill, Kenny Baker inside R2-D2, Phil Brown as Uncle Owen and several Jawa extras. He found the first days of shooting Star Wars challenging because the fiber-glass and aluminium costume was restrictive, took a long time to put on and the "desert could be blistering hot or frigid." Once on set, the costume could not be redesigned. The costume made movements difficult - even the simple ones. Daniels said, "I felt like I was being stabbed with a pair of scissors every time I made a gesture." Due to the costume being uncomfortable, Daniels would wear relevant parts "if C-3PO wasn't fully in a shot." During the scene when a Sand Person attacks Luke, Daniels wore his shoes because his feet were not on camera. In between filming, he could not sit down with the costume on, so "the crew put him on a leaning board." At the end of his first day of filming, Daniels was covered in scars, scratches and bruises from the costume; this marked the first and only time he wore the costume for a whole day. Daniels and the crew experienced technical difficulties with a motorised R2-D2 and several scenes "had to be re-shot numerous times because his motors kept playing up and he'd rocket away from everyone". Filming in Tunisia continued up to 4 April 1976.
Following that, Daniels, the cast and crew moved to Elstree Studios in London for interior scenes including the Death Star, the interior of the Lars homestead and interiors of ships. The hot summer of 1976 and little air-conditioning made wearing the costume difficult for Daniels. He got in touch with several of his friends including Paul Blake from Rose Bruford College when Lucasfilm sought out actors for the Mos Eisley cantina scene. Blake portrayed bounty hunter Greedo. The scene "where C-3PO had to pick up a comlink to talk to Luke on the Death Star" took 20 takes before sticky pad was placed and hidden in the character's hand. The last scene he filmed was in the sub hallway of Tantive IV when his character follows R2-D2 into the escape pod saying,"I'm going to regret this." As he got into character he described C-3PO as "a kind of English butler, a cross between Laurel and Hardy with his friend."
Daniels also portrayed CZ-3, a protocol droid referred to as "White Pointy Face" in one shot in the original film; the character can be seen wandering in the streets of Mos Eisley spaceport past Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. CZ-3 also appeared in the sandcrawler but Daniels wore his C-3PO costume.
Post-production and 1977 release
Daniels struggled with delivering the character's lines until Lucas informed him that they would redub the dialogue in post-production. Initially, Lucas wanted C-3PO "to speak with a Brooklyn accent". Several actors including Mel Blanc and Richard Dreyfuss auditioned for the voice before it was decided that Daniels would get the part when one of them suggested the idea to Lucas. He flew over to America to record his dialogue in a studio for the finished film across three days.The release of Star Wars, the first film in the series and fourth chapter of the Skywalker saga, took place in 1977 and received positive reviews. Daniels saw the film at a crew screening in the Dominion Theatre. On 3 August 1977, He wore the costume and added C-3PO's name, hand and footprint in the concrete forecourt at Mann's Chinese Theatre and later requested to add his name. A remote-controlled R2-D2 and Darth Vader were also there. Daniels narrated and hosted a television special, The Making of Star Wars in West Hollywood, California. Some of the cast members including Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher were interviewed about their involvement in the film but Daniels was not. Following that Daniels and Peter Mayhew reprised their roles in the Donny & Marie ''Star Wars Special. Both television specials were broadcast in September 1977.
Daniels was later interviewed about his involvement in a 2004 documentary film and shared his memories of McQuarrie's painting as well as the difficulties of his costume in Tunisia. 25 years after the film's release and in an archival interview appearing in a 2007 article, Daniels praised Sir Alec Guinness for his kindness and for helping him get through the challenges he faced during the Tunisia shoot. In the 2002 article, he said, "I firmly believe that I wouldn't have completed that arduous task of shooting without him." Guinness spoke praise of Daniels' acting to other people on set. Long before working with Guinness, Daniels watched his performances in The Ladykillers and Lawrence of Arabia.
Jesse Kornbluth of New Times made numerous references to C-3PO and Paul Scanlon of Rolling Stone said that the droids "practically steal the film" however they made no references to Daniels. Daniels was depressed with his lack of recognition after the film's successful release; he attributes this to Lucasfilm wanting audiences to believe that the droids were real and not actors in costumes. He said, "I was not allowed to be a part of it and it took me many, many years to begin to feel a part." In 2019, Daniels told RadioTimes.com that due to being inside a full-body costume "the anonymity of it was always a struggle." On the other hand, in a 2009 article appearing in Star Wars Insider, he said while his character "is known throughout the world" but he is not, being inside a full-body costume allowed him to have privacy.
Daniels' involvement in the film was finally acknowledged when he discovered a Trivial Pursuit card asking what part he played in Star Wars. Daniels later acknowledged the audience's enthusiasm for the franchise in his memoirs saying that without them, "A New Hope would have been the beginning - and the end." The success and cultural impact of Star Wars'' led to further sequels rounding out the original trilogy, another two trilogies, two standalone films, re-releases, television shows, documentaries, commercials, radio series, video games, concerts, conventions, exhibitions, events, a theme park ride and themed plane which continued Daniels' association with the franchise for the next decades.
1978-1983: Sequels, television and commercials
In 1978, Mark Hamill, Daniels and R2-D2 presented Special Sound Oscars for Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Star Wars at the 50th Academy Awards. Daniels appeared in the live-action segments of the 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special, set between the events of Star Wars and the yet to be released sequel. The TV special was broadcast only once, on CBS TV on 17 November 1978. It received negative reviews however, it eventually became a cult classic among Star Wars fans - when bootleg recordings were uploaded to the internet. In 1980, Daniels made a guest appearance as C-3PO in The Muppet Show, The Stars of Star Wars; the crossover episode also starred Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca and R2-D2. They filmed scenes at ATV Studios in January 1980. Following that Daniels joined the cast of Sesame Street. Filming lasted a week and he said, "I had the most memorable time.". His favourite scene was when C-3PO tries to explain to R2-D2 that his "new short girlfriend" is actually "a fire hydrant." On 29 April 1980, Daniels attended John Williams' first concert as official conductor of the Boston Pops orchestra. He later added a photograph of his character "below his own photograph in his passport" when he made more appearances as C-3PO abroad.Daniels starred in 1980's The Empire Strikes Back, the second theatrically released film in the series. It was the highest grossing film of the year and is regarded as the best film in the series even following numerous re-releases and a reassessment. It is also considered by the audience to be the most significant chapter in the Skywalker saga. His costume was less uncomfortable and this time it consisted of 11 parts instead of 20. The assistant art director Fred Hole and his team made the costume more flexible allowing more freedom of movement. Initially, Daniels was hesitant about reprising his role however, he eventually agreed to return for a higher salary and "had grown fond of" his character. The confinements of the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon made filming difficult for Daniels, Ford, Fisher and Mayhew. He said that C-3PO is "not a hero, but he does have functions that are spoken of and which the movie should use." Daniels also said that he 'felt had humanity.' His involvement in the film was acknowledged when his name was included on the poster. Daniels was included in the publicity events in Los Angeles however, his illness forced him to miss the premiere screening at the Kennedy Center, Washington on 17 May 1980. A week later, he returned to London. In the same year, Daniels wrote a Star Wars themed anti-smoking public service announcement; the PSA featured C-3PO and R2-D2 warning children about the negative effects of smoking. He also appeared in a Star Wars Underoos commercial and television movie documentary, The Making of 'The Empire Strikes Back. Some footage from the documentary and an audio commentary from Daniels was included in the 2020 featurette, Celebrating 40 Years of Empire: Behind the Scenes.
1983's Return of the Jedi was the last installment in the original trilogy and highest-grossing film of the year. Prior to the release of the film, Daniels appeared in the unreleased 1982 mockumentary film, Return of the Ewok. This mockumentary was filmed during the production of Return of the Jedi. Daniels can be seen interacting with his new co-star Warwick Davis at Elstree Studios. He previously appeared with Michael Carter in a theatre production. Daniels, the cast and crew experienced difficulties on the set of Jabba's palace. A crew member held a padded board for Daniels to fall onto when C-3PO was knocked over by Jabba but received an injury from C-3PO's elbow. During filming for Jedi, Daniels was asked to prepare miming stories of the first two films "and up to that point, Return of the Jedi." He established several parallels between Guildenstern and C-3PO. Daniels said, "I really did like Jedi, but only because I got to play God for a day, with little adoring furry creatures." He witnessed two crew members making a bonfire of the Millennium Falcon due to it being expensive to store and rescued some pieces including a bundle of wires from the Falcons corridors. Daniels filmed several scenes for the original trilogy at Elstree Studios where his costume fitting also took place. From 1989 to 2021, every film of the original trilogy was selected by the United States Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry.
1983-1987: Post-''Star Wars'' original trilogy projects
Following Return of the Jedi's release, he appeared in two television documentaries, Classic Creatures: Return of the Jedi and From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga. Daniels reprised the role for various promotional work such as advertising for Star Wars-licensed products such as Kenner toys and a 1984 Kelloggs breakfast cereal commercial promoting C-3PO's cereal. He also appeared as C-3PO alongside R2-D2 in the 1984 television special, Donald Duck's 50th Birthday. Their scene ended with C-3PO sending Donald Duck and the voice actor, Clarence Nash birthday greetings.Initially, Daniels thought that Jedi marked the end and that Lucas "wasn't going to make any more Star Wars films." However, a few years later an animated television series spin off from the original trilogy, the 1986 Hands Across America fundraising event with Robin Williams and theme park ride would continue his association with C-3PO before Lucas decided to create the prequel trilogy in the 1990s. Daniels attended the first sponsored Star Wars convention in May 1987 celebrating the first ten years of the franchise. An interview with Daniels was featured in the first issue of The Lucasfilm Fan Club Magazine.
Kenny Baker, who played R2-D2 in the Skywalker saga and attended several conventions, said that he and Daniels did not get along. Daniels admitted his relationship with Baker did not match their on-screen relationship. Despite this, he acknowledged Baker's enthusiasm in his memoirs saying Baker loved his association with the franchise, R2-D2 "and the fans" and was popular with them.
1978-2025: Voice work, radio and writing
Daniels' first C-3PO voice work was the animated segment of the Star Wars Holiday Special. The animated segment received favourable reviews. He voiced C-3PO in the 1980 Christmas-themed Christmas in the Stars album. Daniels voiced C-3PO in the Star Wars radio serial based on the original trilogy starting off with 1981's Stars Wars to 1996's Return of the Jedi. Daniels is the only cast member of the original Star Wars trilogy to voice his character in all three parts of NPR's dramatisations of the trilogy; Hamill voiced his character in the first two parts and Joshua Fardon voiced Luke Skywalker in the third part. The radio series expanded the original trilogy by incorporating new scenes. Brian Daley scripted a scene between C-3PO and Boba Fett in Jabba's palace however, Daniels rejected the idea insisting the two characters should not be on friendly terms. Fett was replaced by Arica from Timothy Zahn's Tales from Jabba's Palace. He contributed the foreword to the collected scripts of the Return of the Jedi radio drama, as their author Brian Daley died while they were being recorded.Daniels voiced C-3PO for six animated series: Droids, Clone Wars, The Clone Wars, Rebels, Forces of Destiny and Resistance. 13 episodes of Droids were broadcast in 1985, then the following year, the one-hour television film, The Great Heep was broadcast on ABC. Daniels said it "was my favorite episode. Ben has a particular affection for me as C-3PO and natural empathy toward R2-D2." Daniels voiced C-3PO in 2008's The Clone Wars. While the film received negative reviews, the television series of the same name that followed received praise for the character's development, story arcs and animation. Daniels said, "In particular, under the expert and creative direction of Dave Filoni, the animation in Clones was exceptional." Some of his archival audio from the Skywalker saga was reused in the animated micro-series Star Wars Galaxy of Adventures retelling key moments from the films. Daniels has voiced C-3PO in numerous non-canon Lego Star Wars shorts, animated series and video games including Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens. He also voiced a bounty hunter version of C-3PO in Lego Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy. The animated television mini-series explores alternate versions of established characters from the franchise in a rebuilt galaxy. Daniels, Hamill and Billy Dee Williams were the only members of the cast from the original trilogy to voice alternate versions of their characters. He has also voiced his character in several video games including 1997's Monopoly ''Star Wars and 2009's The Force Unleashed - Ultimate Sith Edition.
Daniels also provided the narration and all character voices for the audio books Dark Force Rising and The Last Command. The audio books were based on Timothy Zahn's Thrawn trilogy. Daniels' other Star Wars-related writings include the Wonder Column for Star Wars Insider magazine several stories for the comic book series, Star Wars: Droids and a comic book adventure for and R2-D2 entitled The Protocol Offensive'', published by Dark Horse Comics.
''Star Tours''
Daniels' other C-3PO voice work included Disney theme park attractions, Star Tours and its successor, Star Tours: The Adventures Continue. Prior to the opening of the ride at Disneyland California on 9 January 1987, he and Tom Fitzgerald recorded the 12 minute performance. On 13 January 1990, the third Star Tours attraction opened in the new Disney/MGM Studios theme park. Daniels, Lucas, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher attended the opening. Daniels recorded his lines in French for Star Tours in Disneyland Paris. In a 1999 interview for Star Wars Insider, he said, "I think Star Tours is wonderful, and the people at Disney are just magic to work with."In 2010, he was involved in the Star Tours shutdown ceremony as a part of Disney's Hollywood Studios' "Last Tour to Endor" event at Star Wars Celebration V in Orlando, Florida. The Star Tours: The Adventures Continue attraction opened at Disney's Hollywood Studios on 20 May 2011. Following the opening ceremony, Daniels, Lucas, Walt Disney president and CEO, Bob Iger took the first official ride and their Starspeeder was filled with several characters from the franchise. Daniels also appeared with Daniel Logan, Dave Filoni, Ashley Eckstein and James Arnold Taylor at the 2011 Star Wars Weekends event.
The Star Tours ride film was updated with storylines from the prequel trilogy and later the sequel trilogy. The updated Star Tours ride was set earlier in the timeline before the original ride so it required a new captain. Fitzgerald came up with several ideas and characters before deciding to use an existing character inside of designing a new one. He met Daniels in London saying, "You've got a bigger part - much bigger!" C-3PO replaced Captain Rex as pilot of the Starspeeder and Daniels recorded his dialogue. Daniels described Star Tours as "the best ride of his life" in his memoirs.
1997-2005: Original trilogy special editions, ''Star Wars'' prequel trilogy and exhibitions
In 1997, Daniels hosted the 20th anniversary special editions of the original trilogy. One of the changes included his scene with Hamill in the landspeeder; Lucas found a way to make it hover convincingly and replace the efforts to disguise the wheels. Daniels reflected that the audience's thoughts about the changes in the special editions were somewhat divided despite further advancements in technology and digital improvements. He appeared in the television documentary special, Star Wars: The Magic and the Mystery.Later that year, filming for the first instalment of the prequel trilogy started at Leavesden Studios. There, George Lucas told him that his character was created by one of the protagonists, Anakin Skywalker while discussing the plot line of the first prequel. Initially, Daniels thought it was Sir Alec Guinness' character before remembering his co-star portrayed Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi not Anakin Skywalker. He continued to speak highly of Guinness' professionalism, kindness and encouragement during filming A New Hope and was saddened upon hearing of his death in 2000. He acknowledged that Guinness preferred to be remembered for his earlier career on stage and film not his role as Obi-Wan. Daniels acted opposite Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman and Samuel L. Jackson in the prequel trilogy. He said that McGregor and Jackson "exclaimed their childlike disbelief at working with See-Threepio."
In Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Daniels only voiced the character, which a puppeteer, Michael Lynch built and played on set. While some of the younger versions of established characters were portrayed by new cast members, Daniels, Baker, Frank Oz and Ian McDiarmid were the only actors from the original trilogy who reprised their roles in the film. Daniels collaborated with Dan Madsen organising the first Star Wars Celebration in Denver Colorado which celebrated the upcoming release of The Phantom Menace. Daniels organised finding guests and planned the stage sessions. He also attended the Celebration as a guest. The film was released to cinemas in May 1999; Daniels saw it in Salt Lake City. Initially reviews were mixed however the film became the highest grossing film of 1999 and the highest-grossing Star Wars film at the time of its release. In a 1999 interview for Star Wars Insider, he said that he "enjoyed immensely". Following a reappraisal of the prequel trilogy, Daniels said, "To be fair, the years have been kinder to this, the first Prequel. Many, who were young at the time still hold it." He defended Ahmed Best saying that the criticism he faced over his portrayal of Jar Jar Binks "was beyond cruel." In his memoirs, Daniels said that Darth Maul is still one of his favourite characters in the saga - despite his limited appearance in the film.
Development began on the sequel in March 2000 and filming began on 26 June 2000 at Fox Studios, Sydney, Australia. Daniels attempted to puppeteer the skeletal C-3PO himself on location in Tunisia in Episode II: Attack of the Clones, but after the script was changed with the character wearing coverings, he returned to playing the droid in costume. This marked the first time Daniels filmed scenes in Tunisia since 1976. One of his gold outfits was painted to depict C-3PO's coverings being rusted. In this film and 2005's Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, the last instalment in the prequel trilogy, he also performed the vocal tracks for scenes that featured a computer-generated C-3PO. Daniels and R2-D2 hosted Star Wars: Connections, a series of videos chronicling the connections between the prequels and original trilogy in the lead-up to the theatrical release of Attack of Clones. The film performed well at the box office. Although Christensen faced criticism for his performance, Daniels praised him describing him as "such a hero, and terrific, clever actor."
By the time Attack of the Clones was released to cinemas in May 2002, work began on the final film of the prequel trilogy. On 23 April 2003, it was announced that Daniels, Baker and Mayhew would reprise their roles in Revenge of the Sith. He wore the gold suit again. Daniels and the crew experienced technical difficulties while filming Revenge of the Sith; during one rehearsal the green screen was reflected on his costume but would later be retouched during post-production. The neck part of his costume was re-created by Droid supervisor Don Bies which made it more comfortable. On 24 July 2003, after Daniels finished filming in the hallway of the Alderaan starcruiser, Lucas said, "This is it, the end of the movie. Not the exact end, but the end for you for another twenty years." It was the last film to be distributed by 20th Century Fox. The film received positive reviews and was the second-highest-grossing film in the franchise at the time. He had the first line in the original trilogy and the last line in the prequel trilogy both on Tantive IV. Daniels praised Christensen and McGregor for their lightsaber duel describing them as "marvellous." Daniels witnessed Christensen in his Darth Vader costume on set. He said, "I've lived with Darth Vader for years, but there was something about Hayden being in the costume.... He had a presence."
Daniels also makes cameo appearances as a humanoid in two scenes of the feature films. His character, Lieutenant Dannl Faytonni, a con man, appears in the nightclub scene early in Attack of the Clones as a man in blue uniform who can be seen in a cutaway reaction shot after Obi-Wan Kenobi disarms the bounty hunter Zam Wesell. This marked the first time Daniels portrayed a human in a Star Wars film. Daniels told Ahmed Best "that they were going to let reveal face" in the film so Best decided to take part in the scene as well and portrayed an Outlander Club patron, Achk Med-Beq. Faytonni can also be seen at the Galaxies Opera House in Revenge of the Sith.
In 2000, Daniels hosted The Art of Star Wars exhibition at the Barbican Centre. He called Kathleen Holliday, the then Lucasfilm Director of Special Projects asking if the 501st Legion could take part in the opening. The exhibition included costumes, props, paintings and drawings from the original trilogy and The Phantom Menace and this marked the first time C-3PO was on display. In 2002, he was guest at the opening of Star Wars - The Magic of Myth.
Daniels was featured in the 2004 documentary, Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy. The documentary was created for the first DVD release of the original trilogy in September 2004. Initially, Daniels thought that his last day of filming Revenge of the Sith marked the end. However he continued to voice his character in several television shows after 2005, host Star Wars related events and would appear in more live-action Star Wars films after Lucas sold the franchise to Disney in 2012.
2005-2015: Tours, commercials and new film
Following the theatrical release of Revenge of the Sith, Daniels hosted Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination. The travelling exhibition created by the Museum of Science, Boston opened on 27 October 2005. It featured several costumes, props and models including C-3PO and focussed on real-world science associated with the films. Daniels also wrote the introduction for the book accompanying the exhibition.In 2009, Daniels hosted the Star Wars: In Concert tour in North America. He also hosted the concert at the O2 Arena in London which debuted on 10 April 2009. In a 2009 article appearing in Star Wars Insider, Daniels was convinced that there would be more Star Wars related projects in the future saying, "They keep coming up with different things, but that's because everybody wants to see more Star Wars!"
The following year, he reprised his role in a TV campaign for Dixons. In October 2012, the Walt Disney Company acquired Lucasfilm and announced that Episode VII would be released in 2015. Daniels found out about this in a newspaper while on a ferryboat. In April 2014, it was announced that Daniels would join the cast of the first instalment of the Star Wars sequel trilogy. He voiced C-3PO in the 2014 animated film, The Lego Movie alongside other crew members of the Millennium Falcon. Daniels watched the film in New York describing it as "ingenious". He once visited the Lego factory in Denmark and said, "I was fascinated by the witty-looking robots that stamped out multicolored blocks of plastic". Daniels received a twenty inch Lego model of C-3PO from Michael Donovan and Michael Price. In November 2015, he hosted Star Wars and the Power of Costume.
2015-2019: ''Star Wars'' sequel trilogy
Daniels acted opposite some of his co-stars from the original trilogy again and new cast members including Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Oscar Isaac in the sequel trilogy. Daniels reprised his role as C-3PO in the seventh Star Wars film, The Force Awakens, which was released in December 2015. It was the first live-action Star Wars film to be distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. The film received positive reviews, was the highest grossing film of 2015, grossed $2.07 billion worldwide and became the third-highest grossing film at the time of its release. J. J. Abrams, the director of The Force Awakens, told Daniels that he was only going to be the voice of C-3PO in the film, but changed his mind and decided Daniels would wear the suit in the film as well. Abrams made a new C-3PO suit for Daniels to wear during filming using 3D printing instead of fiberglass that allowed Daniels a great deal more mobility and comfort than the original suit and took less time to get into. Daniels has stated his displeasure with the droid's red arm. Abrams insisted that the red arm would show a back story since The Force Awakens is set 30 years after Return of the Jedi. Daniels later read the 2016 one shot Marvel comic, Star Wars: C-3PO #1. He described it as "a story of loyalty and understanding." Daniels voiced C-3PO in the 2016 non-canon TV mini-series, Resistance Rises">Star Wars Resistance">Resistance Rises.Daniels also appeared as C-3PO in 2017's The Last Jedi, and 2019's The Rise of Skywalker, the last two instalments of the Skywalker saga. While the former received praise from critics and was the highest-grossing film of 2017, the latter received mixed reviews. He filmed several scenes for the sequel trilogy at Pinewood Studios. During the filming of the Casino sequence in The Last Jedi, Daniels was involved in Droid School and helped the waiter droid actors. In a 2017 article, he said he thought about retiring but would not. Sandstorms in Jordan made filming scenes for The Rise of Skywalker difficult for Daniels. He suggested to Abrams that C-3PO should be given a "meaningful end". Abrams said to Daniels, "not on my watch." This suggestion was not materialised and the character ultimately survived. Daniels was featured in the 2020 documentary, The Skywalker Legacy. The documentary included interviews with the cast of the original trilogy as well as the cast and crew of The Rise of Skywalker.
Prior to the release of The Rise of Skywalker, Daniels was asked how he would describe C-3PO. He replied, "A teller of truth. He’s the observer. He’s the objective eye." He also said that, "It was great to see C-3PO have real purpose." Daniels insisted that his character is not cowardly and is aware what danger is about. In an interview about the Star Wars: In Concert tour for Star Wars Insider, he included Rey's theme as one of his favourite pieces from the franchise saying “ absolutely captures Rey's youthfulness". The Rise of Skywalker concluded the Skywalker saga however, Daniels' involvement with the franchise would continue.
2016-present: Anthology films and further involvement
Outside the Skywalker saga, Daniels appeared in a cameo as C-3PO in 2016's Rogue One, the first standalone film in the Star Wars anthology series. Prior to filming, film director Gareth Edwards met Daniels expressing enthusiasm for him to make an appearance in his film. Daniels filmed scenes for the hangar bay on Yavin 4 at Cardington. Merryweather added more refinements to the costume. Daniels attended the premiere of Rogue One at Tate Modern. The film received positive reviews, grossed $1 billion worldwide and was the second highest-grossing film of 2016.After coming up with an idea to the producers of either appearing as an extra or making a cameo, Daniels made an appearance as Tak, a con artist working in the spice mines of Kessel in the second anthology film, Solo: A Star Wars Story. He filmed his scenes at Pinewood Studios. This marked the first time Daniels did not portray C-3PO in a Star Wars film. Solo received positive reviews however, its box-office performance put standalone films on hold until 2026's The Mandalorian and Grogu. It is unknown if Daniels will reprise his role as C-3PO or make a cameo appearance as a different character in the film.
Daniels also voiced C-3PO's cameo appearance in the 2018 film Ralph Breaks the Internet. He made cameos as C-3PO in Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka. Daniels is the only actor to act in all nine films of the Skywalker saga, two anthology films, the Star Wars Holiday Special, the 2008 Clone Wars film, the related television series and several TV series and specials.
In March 2017, All Nippon Airways introduced a Boeing 777 modelled after C-3PO into service. Daniels attended the ANA booth at Star Wars Celebration Europe in 2016 where the design of the model was unveiled and signed it. He also attended the aircraft's unveiling and signed the front door on the left-hand side. It was retired on 9 January 2026. The ANA Star Wars project having begun in 2015 will end on 31 March 2026. ANA gave him a four feet long model version of the plane.
In 2024, Daniels auctioned off some of his collection including the head-piece he wore. He reprised his role in the 2024 animated short, How NOT to Draw R2-D2 which was narrated by Mark Hamill. Series creator and executive producer, Gino Guzzardo said, "As Anthony Daniels got into character, he actually performed with his whole body." In November 2024, Daniels hosted Star Wars in Concert at Los Angeles; it included compositions from every film of the Skywalker saga. In January 2026, he hosted new Lego Smart Play Star Wars sets which included a new Smart C-3PO minifigure at the Nuremberg Toy Fair.
Daniels has attended several conventions as part of Star Wars Celebration as a guest since 1999 and has been sharing memories of his experience working on the franchise with the audience during panels. He made a gold jacket for the first Celebration event as a reference to his character. Daniels attended Star Wars Celebration Japan in April 2025. He said that he gets the phrase from different generations of the audience, "Thank you for my childhood" and hears their memories of watching Star Wars.
Other acting roles
Daniels voiced Legolas in Ralph Bakshi's animated adaptation of The Lord of the Rings. The animated film received mixed reviews from critics but was a financial success. Daniels was the first Star Wars actor to appear in a Lord of the Rings adaptation; several actors including Sir Christopher Lee from the prequel trilogy appeared in the live-action adaptation. He has appeared intermittently on British television in various dramas, notably in a recurring role in Prime Suspect starring Helen Mirren. He also played the priest in the British spoof horror film I Bought a Vampire Motorcycle. Initially, the film received criticism but later received more favourable reviews. Daniels also portrayed Colonel Donald Humphries in Holby City. He portrayed François in one of The Young [Indiana Jones Chronicles] television films, Attack of the Hawkmen. The television show is set before the events of the Indiana Jones films. Daniels' costar, Harrison Ford portrayed the titular character. Several of his costars from Star Wars also appeared in Holby City and The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.Other work
Daniels was an adjunct professor at Carnegie Mellon University's Entertainment Technology Center teaching technology and software and giving lectures on robot history. In 2004, Daniels attended Robot Hall of Fame for his character's induction. This led to his employment as a professor at the research university. He has also worked as a presenter and producer of conferences and trade events and creative designer. Daniels shared his fascination of stage management in his memoirs.He wrote the foreword for the DK reference book, Ultimate Star Wars. The 2019 edition was published as part of the Journey to Star Wars initiative.
His autobiography, I Am C-3PO: The Inside Story, was released on 5 November 2019 by DK. He had previously considered using the title Telling the Odds. According to an interview, while filming The Rise of Skywalker, Abrams suggested that Daniels "should write a book." Two days later, Daniels asked Abrams if he would write the foreword; Abrams replied, "I'd be honored." In the foreword, Abrams said, "While I suspected that bringing Threepio to life was harder than it looked, experiencing it first-hand gave me an instant, newfound respect for the man with the golden eyes." Daniels decided that his memoirs would focus on his involvement with the Star Wars franchise as well as the impact of his character. On 13 April 2019, Daniels revealed the title and book cover during the Star Wars Celebration in Chicago. He told RadioTimes.com that he "wanted to give a slightly rounder picture of what it was like, what it is like, what it has been like”. Abrams described the book as "Gloriously witty, keen and spirited". The book detailed how George Lucas' ideas, Ralph McQuarrie's paintings, Liz Moore's character designs and the art department's work led to the creation of his character - as well as his experience and portrayal of C-3PO from 1977's Star Wars to 2019's The Rise of Skywalker. The book also detailed the publicity and how the franchise had an impact on Daniels' life and the audience. Daniels expressed confidence that the audience's enthusiasm and love for his character would allow C-3PO to continue without him. In a 2019 article, he said, "Threepio is too good a character to cease to exist, so after I’m gone there will be somebody carrying the torch." Daniels also narrated an audio edition of his book with Abrams narrating his foreword; the audio book features a selection of John Williams' music from the films.
Filmography
Film
Television
Documentary
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
| 1977 | The Making of Star Wars | C-3PO Host | TV movie documentary | |
| 1978 | 50th Academy Awards | C-3PO Presenter | TV special | |
| 1980 | The Making of 'The Empire Strikes Back' | C-3PO Himself | TV movie documentary | |
| 1983 | Classic Creatures: Return of the Jedi | C-3PO Himself | TV movie documentary | |
| 1983 | From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga | C-3PO Himself | TV movie documentary | |
| 1997 | Star Wars: The Magic and the Mystery | C-3PO Himself | TV movie documentary | |
| 2004 | Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy | C-3PO Himself | Video documentary | |
| 2004 | When Star Wars Ruled The World | C-3PO Himself | TV movie documentary | |
| 2005 | Science of Star Wars | C-3PO Himself | TV documentary miniseries | |
| 2016 | The Oscars | C-3PO Himself | TV special | |
| 2020 | The Skywalker Legacy | C-3PO Himself | Video documentary | |
| 2022 | Icons Unearthed: Star Wars | C-3PO Himself | TV documentary miniseries |
Radio
Theatre
| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Notes | |
| 1975-1976 | Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead | Guildenstern | Criterion Theatre | West End |
Theme park attractions
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
| 1997 | Monopoly Star Wars | C-3PO | Also writer | |
| 1999 | Star Wars: Pit Droids | C-3PO | ||
| 2008 | Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Jedi Alliance | C-3PO | ||
| 2008 | Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Lightsaber Duels | C-3PO | ||
| 2009 | Star Wars: The Force Unleashed – Ultimate Sith Edition | C-3PO | ||
| 2015 | Disney Infinity 3.0 | C-3PO | ||
| 2015 | Star Wars Battlefront | C-3PO | ||
| 2016 | Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens | C-3PO | ||
| 2016 | I Expect You to Die | Daniel Sans | ||
| 2020 | Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy's Edge | C-3PO | ||
| 2021 | Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy's Edge- Last Call | C-3PO | ||
| 2022 | Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga | C-3PO | ||
| 2025 | Destiny 2: Renegades |
Discography
- The Story of Star Wars
- ''Christmas in the Stars: Star Wars Christmas Album''
Print sources
Books
Magazines