Mark Interviews 1970+

Mark Hamill Rockets to Stardom

Good news for you fans of magnificent Mark Hamill, whom you loved so much in the short-lived TV series The Texas Wheelers is that Mark has landed one of the biggest movie parts in years!

He's just returned from England where he spent six months filming a new multi-million dollar sci-fi epic called The STAR WARS. Mark plays the lead role of 'Luke Starkiller' and he'll be playing opposite young Carrie Fisher, the daughter of Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds. Also starring in this gigantic flick will be distinguished British actor Sir Alec Guiness! It'll be out early in the spring.

Mark was a bit down-hearted when Texas Wheelers was cancelled, and he just decided to wait until the right thing came along. "Ever since I can remember," he says, "I knew I was going to be an actor, and in spite of occasional discouragements, I never had any doubts." Mark even turned down several TV parts because they weren't right for him, but when he read the script for The STAR WARS, he knew this was it.

Mark Hamill was born on September 25, 1951, in Oakland, California, and grew up in San Diego, Williamsburg, Va., Queens, N.Y., and Yokohama, Japan, where he finished his last two years of High School. He studied theater for two more years at Los Angeles City College, and then went out looking for work.

A natural fellow who doesn't go to many parties and gets bored just "hanging out", Mark lives near the beach in Malibu and relaxes by just sitting on the shore and listening to the waves. He's also an ace cartoonist and probably could be a professional artist if he weren't an actor.

He dresses casually in T-shirts and jeans and loves to go swimming in the ocean. Mark also practices Yoga exercises to keep himself in shape.

Mark Hamill is single and not particularly involved with any one girl. "I like it this way," he says, although he adds that he likes girls who are intelligent and independent. Mark reads all his mail and makes a point of trying to answer each and every letter personally. You can write to Mark Hamill in care of the Sackheim Agency, 222 N. Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, Cal. 90210. Say you read about him in 16, and you're sure to get an answer.

Sixteen Magazine, 1978