Happy 60th Birthday to Mark Hamill

Ready to feel as old as Yoda? Mark Hamill, the man behind Luke Skywalker, is turning 60 years old on Sunday.

Hamill, who rose from little-known actor to icon with the 1977 release of "Star Wars," was born on September 25, 1951. Though some like to joke that Hamill hasn't had much success in the years since 1983's "Return of the Jedi," nothing could be further from the truth.

Hamill has had a slew of appearances both in movies and TV and he's never been too proud to poke fun at his own fame. His appearance on "The Simpsons," in which he played himself, spoke well to his good nature and acceptance of his unique kind of celebrity.

Hamill has also achieved quite a bit of fame by lending his voice to animated TV shows, movies, and video games. Perhaps his most famous character (after Luke Skywalker, of course) is the animated version of the Joker on the Batman television series. Say what you will about Heath Ledger's performance as the clown prince of crime in "The Dark Knight," there are those who feel Hamill's version in "Batman: Mask of the Phantasm" is just as memorable.

Still, when you talk about Mark Hamill, it always comes back to "Star Wars." Hamill was just 25 when the film hit theaters. Hamill was originally set to play a role in the TV series "Eight Is Enough." He asked to be released from the contract so that he could have a shot at the movie because he thought "Star Wars" would be more of a success.

Good call, Mark. Not only was "Star Wars" a success, it was, for many years, the most successful film in Hollywood history. It launched sequels, prequels, toys, breakfast cereals, T-shirts, you name it. According to the book "The Making of Star Wars," Hamill went into his audition without knowing anything about the role of Luke Skywalker. All his agent told him was that the character was from a farm so Hamill practiced midwestern accents.

Hamill was in a serious car crash in 1977 after filming most of "Star Wars." The accident left him with significant facial scarring that has become more apparent as the years have passed. And though Hamill never achieved the kind of super-fame that Harrison Ford did after "Star Wars," the Jedi Master has it pretty good. He's been married since 1978, has three children, and a busy professional life (you can hear him in the highly anticipated "Batman: Arkham City" video game next month). And, don't forget, he gets to say that he was Luke Skywalker.

The misery of Brad Pitt

Cover of Ethan Hawke
The first role that Brad Pitt won an award for, he hated.

Maybe hate is a strong word, but Pitt describes his experience as the brooding, self-loathing Louis de Pointe du Lac in the 1994 film "Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles," as "miserable." In a nicely self-deprecating cover story for the September 23 Entertainment Weekly issue, the actor recalls his "six months in the (expletive) dark" wearing contact lenses, makeup, and playing second fiddle to star Tom Cruise both onscreen and off. (Cruise played the vampire Lestat.) "I'm telling you, one day it broke me," Pitt tells EW, and confesses he called friend and producer David Geffen to see how much it would cost to get out. The sobering answer: $40 million. "I was like, 'I've got to man up and ride through this....'"

Vampire model
One upside: Pitt got introduced to New Orleans, which would later become his adopted hometown that he would help to rebuild. And, miserable or not, a depressed vampire is still bragging rights for the twice-nominated Oscar actor: The role won him a double whammy at the MTV Movie Awards for best male performance and most desirable male.

Plus, all that silent suffering has been homework for other would-be vampires. Ethan Hawke studied Pitt to get the "self-loathing undead" vibe down for "Daybreakers" (2009). Colin Farrell, a newbie to the list of sexy cinematic bloodsuckers, came clean about his "soft spot for Brad Pitt in 'Interview with the Vampire.'" (That's right, soft spot.) And while Robert Pattinson has never mentioned Pitt as a brooding inspiration, the whippersnapper got beat out by his elder in at least one Hottest Vampire poll.

Earning his juice, stepping in for Heath
In the EW interview, the 47-year-old leading man also looks back on his career, reminiscing about people trying to shove him into the TV sitcom path ("I had that kind of Wonder Bread look and my hair was always went into place"), his "exhilaration" playing a hillbilly serial killer in "Kalifornia," how he finally got to use his star "juice" in "Se7en" ("I will do it on one condition — the head stays in the box"), and the Oklahoma/Missouri creed ("Don't believe your own hype").

Pitt also talks about the "Tree of Life" role that Heath Ledger had accepted — and rejected — before he died. (Creepily, Ledger said in an interview, "I do the Terrence Malick movie right after that, 'Tree of Life,' and then I'll drop to the ground, dead, for a year and hibernate." ) While Pitt doesn't explain why Ledger passed on the role, he does say, "I think he had other other things he was dealing with at that time and didn't feel it was right for him, which I understand." Ledger's death reminded Pitt of a "dark moment on 'Vampire,'" when River Phoenix died the week before he was to film his role as the journalist Daniel Malloy. Christian Slater replaced the talented actor, who had died of a drug overdose.

"Moneyball" in Pitt's court
Pitt's chatty, of course, because of his new film, "Moneyball," based on the Michael Lewis book about Oakland A's manager Billy Beane using stats instead of cash to assemble a winning team. Some have wondered if the sports team's current losing records might hurt box-office dollars. So far, the Pitt appeal seems to be strong, with steady online buzz and good reviews. And, after all, misery loves company.

Filed under: Movies, Brad Pitt