Actor Peter Mayhew, who portrayed towering Chewbacca in 4 of the "Star Wars" films, had undergone double knee-replacement surgery at Plaza Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas this past Monday.
His wife, Angie Mayhew, says her 69-year-old husband had the surgery Monday and hopes to walk again. She says her spouse has been using a cane and wheelchair for two years. She also went on to say thats her husband had a tendon-stretching procedure to stabilize his legs.
Some of you may remeber back in June, that Mayhew was stopped by TSA after the Denver Comic-Con. They were worried that his lightsaber might do harm and be considered a weapon. They released it back to him once they realized that it was only a cane.
Peter Mayhew portrayed the lovable Chewbacca in all three original Star Wars movies along with Ep.3 "Revenge of the Sith". Could this operation help him be able to be in the next three Star Wars movies. Yes! Recovery time is between 3-6 months. And with J.J. Abrams working out of Los Angeles for pre-production, and then moving to the Pinewood Studios in London to start shooting at the end of January, this will put him right on track to recover and start shooting.
The British-born actor's medical issues will be the subject of an upcoming documentary, "Standing in the Stars — The Peter Mayhew Story."