15. Peter Mayhew

Possibly the coolest sidekick the galaxy has ever seen – albeit in a galaxy far, far away – Peter Mayhew is best known to Star Wars fans around the world as Han Solo’s Wookiee co-pilot Chewbacca.

Mayhew was previously a hospital attendant, but his first movie saw him play a minotaur in Ray Harryhausen’s Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger. Then, when a young George Lucas was looking for a suitably lanky actor to play Chewbacca, he found 7ft 3in Mayhew and called off the search.

In 1978, Mayhew appeared in Norman J. Warren’s horror movie Terror, after which he disappeared from our screens – until 2004, that is, when he “reappeared” voicing the character Susha in the English version of Dragon Ball GT: A Hero’s Legacy. Mayhew’s career as Chewie also staggered into the 21st century when he returned as everyone’s favorite Wookiee in the 2005 prequel Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.

Not exactly the shortest career but a stunted one, and this is one giant actor who hasn’t hit the heights of his earlier days in Hollywood.