Anthony Daniels

Highest Rated: 96% The LEGO Movie (2014)

Lowest Rated: 18% Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)

Birthday: Feb 21, 1946

Birthplace: Salisbury, Wiltshire, England, UK

Actor Anthony Daniels achieved pop-culture immortality - albeit from behind a metallic golden mask - as the fretful but well-meaning android C-3PO, first seen in the genre-defining blockbuster "Star Wars" (1977). Emerging as a dramatic radio performer with the BBC, and later, as a Shakespearean stage actor at London's Young Vic Theatre, Daniels initially scoffed at the offer to play a robot in a low-budget, sci-fi adventure from the mind of a relatively unknown director. However, the unprecedented success of "Star Wars" surely made the thespian thankful he reconsidered, especially in light of the continued appeal of the film's sequels, "Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back" (1980) and "Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi" (1983), in both of which his character figured prominently. Over the years that immediately followed, Daniels enjoyed the ancillary opportunities provided by the success of "Star Wars," in addition to landing the rare non-"Threepio" role. Work as a theme park attraction consultant, journalist, and fiction writer preceded his return as C-3PO in the highly-anticipated prequels, culminating in "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith" (2005). Seemingly consigned to portray the beloved "droid" for the remainder of his career in varying mediums that included animated series and video games, the good-natured and grateful Daniels wisely chose to embrace, rather than lament his eternal connection to C-3PO. His appearance onscreen in the franchise reboot "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" (2015) drew cheers from audiences around the world.