LONDON: Dave Prowse, the British actor behind the menacing black mask of Star Wars villain Darth Vader has died at the age of 85, his agent said on Sunday. A former body-builder turned actor, Prowse's towering stature at almost two metres (6.5 feet) clinched him the role of the infamous antagonist in the original Star Wars trilogy.

Prowse was born in the southwest English city of Bristol on July 1, 1935 to a working class family, winning a scholarship to the prestigious local school Bristol Grammar.

He soon developed a love for weightlifting and went on to represent his country at the Commonwealth Games in the early 1960s before forging a career in Hollywood. He trained Christopher Reeve for the role of Superman and was reportedly spotted by Star Wars director George Lucas as an extra in 1971's "A Clockwork Orange".