To offer clarity at the start, the nine main “Star Wars” movies are the nine theatrically released live-action features with Roman numerals in the titles that make up what’s known as the Skywalker Saga. They were released in chunks of three, which is why they’re referred to as three separate, individual trilogies. There’s “Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope,” “Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back, and “Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi,” which together form what’s commonly known as the original trilogy. After that came “Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace,” “Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones” and “Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith,” which make up the prequel trilogy. Lastly, there’s “Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens,” “Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi,” and “Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker,” which were produced after Disney purchased Lucasfilm in 2012 and have been dubbed the sequel trilogy.
These titles need to be clearly laid out, as a nerdy completionist will happily remind readers that there are several additional “Star Wars” films in the franchise. Some would count “The Star Wars Holiday Special” as a TV movie, while the two Ewok films from 1984 and 1985 were released theatrically overseas. Some deep-cut obsessives would even love to count the 1986 animated TV special “Droids: The Great Heep” as an additional film, however obscure it may be. There’s also the “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” animated movie from 2008 (which “Star Wars” creator George Lucas had to deliver to sell the “Clone Wars” TV show to Cartoon Network), as well as the spinoff films “Rogue One” and “Solo” (both of which carry the subtitle “A Star Wars Story”).
All told, one could argue there have been 16 “Star Wars” movies in total.
For the purposes of this article, though, only the movies from the Skywalker Saga will be counted. Indeed, as it so happens, only one actor has appeared in all nine of those films. That would be Anthony Daniels, the British actor who played the brass-hued droid C-3PO. The character himself is a protocol droid often used for translating non-English, otherworldly languages (though he’s also known for expressing fearful doubt about the adventures lying ahead).
Anthony Daniels has been in more Star Wars movies than any other actor
Prior to working on the “Star Wars” franchise, Daniels was a voice actor for BBC Radio and appeared in several productions at London’s Young Vic theater. While working on projects there, he was approached by Lucas (then a young hotshot filmmaker) about appearing in his new sci-fi movie. Daniels had admitted to feeling insulted by the offer, in part because he wasn’t a science-fiction fan at the time. He decided to try out for the role of C-3PO anyway, however, with “A New Hope” going on to become the actor’s first feature film.
Not only did Daniels get the job, but it would also soon take over the bulk of his career, with C-3PO becoming a steady, regular acting gig for him for many decades. Ultimately, Daniels spent most of his most on-screen career wearing a face-obscuring robot mask.
Not only did Daniels play the persnickety droid in the main nine “Star Wars” films, but also reprised the role for the “Holiday Special,” “The Great Heep,” and “Rogue One.” C-3PO wasn’t in “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” but Daniels appeared in it all the same, playing a character named Tak.
The main “Star Wars” movies are, of course, only a small percentage of the times Daniels has played C-3PO. He also portrayed the droid on “Donny and Marie,” “The Muppet Show,” “Sesame Street,” and at the 50th Academy Awards, in addition to “The LEGO Movie” and well over a dozen other TV shows. Offscreen, he’s narrated audiobooks as C-3PO, lent his voice to video games, appeared as himself in “Star Wars” documentaries, and done voice work for “Star Wars” theme park rides. He even played C-3PO in the very obscure 1980 record “Christmas in the Stars: Star Wars Christmas Album.” (Yes, it’s real.)
Daniels isn’t just the only actor to have appeared in the nine main “Star Wars” movies, but he’s also the single most ubiquitous presence in the franchise’s history. No other single actor has gotten more work from Lucasfilm. Daniels, now 78, will likely wear the C-3PO suit for as long as he can get away with it.
