Who are the actors in the Star Wars cast? The Skywalker Saga began way back in 1977, and has become one of the most successful and popular science fiction movie franchises. Many great actors have joined the Star Wars cast along the way, so we figured you might want a rundown of all the key players from a galaxy far, far away.
The Star Wars movies started life as the brainchild of George Lucas, who wanted to create an epic space opera — a series of adventure movies filled with intergalactic wizards, robots, and a tyrannical regime seeking to control the universe. The Original Trilogy movies, spanning from 1977 to 1983, are widely considered some of the best movies of all time, but their prequels and sequels have been far more divisive.
Regardless of what you think of each instalment, or even how you watch the Star Wars movies in order, there’s no denying the magic of these fantasy movies. Much of that is down to the Star Wars cast, so let’s get to know them all a little better.
Who is in the Star Wars cast?
- Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker
- Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia
- Harrison Ford as Han Solo
- Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi
- Natalie Portman as Padmé Amidala
- Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker
- Daisy Ridley as Rey
- Adam Driver as Kylo Ren
- John Boyega as Finn
Mark Hamill – Luke Skywalker
The man at the heart of the whole franchise and the original hero from a galaxy far, far away, Mark Hamill, found fame as Luke Skywalker. As well as leading the first three movies, Hamill popped up again for the recent Disney sequels and was also (sort of) part of the Star Wars series The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett.
But the actor has gone on to play plenty of big roles in his career, finding most of his success as a voice actor. Hamill joins the ranks of great DCU Joker actors, after lending his sinister tones to the Batman villain in various animated movies and animated series and even the Arkham video games.
On-screen, Hamill has appeared in the action movie Kingsman: The Secret Service, John Carpenter‘s horror movie Village of the Damned, and will soon be starring in the Netflix series The Fall of the House of Usher.
Carrie Fisher – Princess Leia
Like Hamill, the Star Wars wave made Carrie Fisher an icon as Princess Leia, and she would go on to amass plenty of other credits in her long career. Sadly, Fisher is no longer with us, having passed away in 2016.
In her time, she starred in the ‘80s movie The Burbs alongside Tom Hanks, the classic romance movie When Harry Met Sally, and the charming (older) kids movie Drop Dead Fred.
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In the 2000s, she showed her face in the Scream franchise joining the Scream cast for a cheeky cameo in 3, and had many guest appearances on various TV series. Again, like Hamill, she would also lend her vocal talents to numerous animated characters, in particular as Peter Griffin’s boss Angela in Family Guy. She was also a talented author.
Harrison Ford – Han Solo
No one benefitted more from the original Star Wars trilogy than Harrison Ford, whose career hit the stratosphere after his turn as the loveable rogue Han Solo. While Hamill’s Jedi may be the hero of the saga, let’s be honest, we’d all rather be Han, right?
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Not content with playing the coolest guy in the galaxy, Ford would also go on to lead the Indiana Jones franchise, a project he is still working on to this day, with a new Indiana Jones movie coming soon.
He also starred in the thriller movie The Fugitive and Ridley Scott‘s Blade Runner. Ford has also taken on his first-ever TV role, in a spin-off of the hit drama series Yellowstone. Following that, he’s in Apple TV Plus’ Shrinking.
Ewan McGregor – Obi-Wan Kenobi
When the prequel trilogy launched with the ‘90s movie The Phantom Menace, it needed a bonafide star to lead the way, and Scottish actor Ewan McGregor was fresh off the back of a blistering turn in Trainspotting. He was deemed the perfect man to take on the legacy of Obi-Wan Kenobi, filling the shoes of Alec Guinness.
McGregor has appeared in various British films such as Shallow Grave, Little Voice, and Brassed off. He also starred in Baz Luhrmann’s stylish musical Moulin Rouge, where he showed off his beautiful singing voice.
More recently, he starred in the family movie Christopher Robin, before playing an older version of Danny Torrance in the sequel to The Shining, Doctor Sleep. He also joined the DCU, briefly, as Black Mask in Birds of Prey.
Natalie Portman – Padmé Amidala
Natalie Portman may have been young when she stepped into the world of Star Wars, but she had already had a pretty big role long before that. Her first feature film role in fact, was opposite Jean Reno in the violent action movie Leon, in 1994. She also appeared in Michael Mann’s masterpiece, Heat, a year later.
Since Star Wars, Portman has continued to take on impressive roles, starring in V for Vendetta, Wes Anderson’s The Darjeeling Limited, and of course, an incredible Oscars-winning performance in the psychological thriller Black Swan in 2010.
Now, Portman is part of the MCU, having appeared as Jane Foster in three of the four Thor movies, wielding Thor’s hammer in Love and Thunder. Who knows, maybe she’ll be back for more? Even with Thor 4’s ending, there’s some room to speculate.
Hayden Christensen – Anakin Skywalker
Taking on the role of Anakin Skywalker and treading the path towards the iconic role of Sith lord Darth Vader should have made Hayden Christensen a global superstar, but it didn’t quite play out that way.
After the prequel trilogy ended, Christensen starred in a half-decent science fiction movie by the name of Jumper, but it wasn’t enough to maintain his momentum, and he basically fell off the face of the Earth.
A few questionable roles later, Christensen has returned to the world of Star Wars after reprising his role (and smashing it, we should add) as Darth Vader in the recent Obi-Wan Kenobi series on streaming service Disney Plus. Could we see more of Christensen in the future? We hope so!
Daisy Ridley – Rey
In 2015, a new trilogy began thanks to Disney acquiring LucasFilm, and with it came a new band of Star Wars characters. The leader of this new pack of heroes was Rey, played by young actor Daisy Ridley, a relative unknown at the time.
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Ridley hasn’t had much chance to do anything else since Star Wars, but she has found time to squeeze in a detective movie in the form of Murder on the Orient Express, as well as teaming up with Spider-Man actor Tom Holland for Chaos Walking, a movie nobody really talked about.
She doesn’t appear to have many high-profile projects on the horizon either, but she will be voicing an animated character in a movie with Marion Cotillard called The Inventor, so look out for that.
Her latest movie, Sometimes I Think About Dying, premiered at Sundance Film Festival in January 2023, and according to NME, the actor is “open” to more star Wars.
Adam Driver – Kylo Ren
Regardless of how cool Han Solo is and how famous Ford may be, there’s a good argument to suggest his on-screen son is the best actor to ever grace the Star Wars universe. Adam Driver is one of the finest performers of his generation and shows no signs of slowing down.
Funnily enough, he first shot to fame as a supporting character in the TV series Girls, before finding his feet on the big screen. He had small roles in J. Edgar, the movie based on a true story and the Steven Spielberg movie Lincoln in the early 2010s, before landing more substantial roles in the Oscar Isaac movie Inside Llewyn Davis and Noah Baumbach’s While We’re Young.
Since Star Wars, Driver has been an unstoppable force, and a certifiable leading man, with credits such as Paterson, Silence, Logan Lucky, BlacKkKlansman, and Marriage Story under his belt. Most recently, he starred in two Ridley Scott movies — House of Gucci and The Last Duel, as well as the Netflix movie White Noise.
John Boyega – Finn
Sadly, John Boyega was marketed as one of the main players in the new sequel trilogy, with many suspecting he would become a Jedi. That didn’t happen, and his character Finn was side-lined more and more as the trilogy went on.
Nevertheless, Boyega has plenty of talent to keep him going outside of Star Wars. Actually, before Star Wars came along, Boyega already had a very cool leading role under his belt after starring in the monster movie Attack the Block in 2011.
Boyega has also starred in Kathryn Bigelow’s Detroit, a sequel to the robot movie Pacific Rim, and was part of Steve McQueen’s highly-rated Small Axe mini-series.
So, those are the main players from the three trilogies in the Star Wars timeline. There are plenty more characters and actors to look at, of course, with an endless list of talent on offer. If you want to dive into more cast guides, check out our information on the Andor cast of characters, including Cassian Andor, Dedra Meero, Syril Karn, and Luthen Rael. Or, check out our guide for the Andor season 2 release date.
