All they needed was a tall actor.
Since his face would not be seen, behind Vader's mask, and his character's voice would be dubbed by another actor, all that was required was height.
Several actors were perfectly qualified for the part. Dave Prowse was well known in the British film industry, because of his role in Stanley Kubrick's 'A Clockwork Orange', which was entirely filmed in England, and from his role as the Green Cross Code man in tv and cinema road safety adverts, filmed on behalf of the Central Office of Information, a public body.
He had played a lot of stunt work in films and on tv, including science fiction, having had a role in 'Doctor Who', in 1972, as the Minotaur in the serial 'The Time Monster', a role in which he also wore a face mask and had no dialogue.
Also in contention was the 7 foot tall Richard Keil, who, also in 1977, was cast in the Bond film 'The Spy Who Loved Me', which was made in studios in England and on location in Egypt. Keil played 'Jaws', the enormously tall professional assassin, a role that he later repeated in a second Bond film, 'Moonraker', in 1979. Again, it was a part without any dialogue.
One might bear in mind also Peter Mayhew, who was cast in 'Star Wars' as Chewbacca, who also had the requisit characteristics of height and an ability to act despite being entirely concealled within a costume and mask.
So the casting of Dave Prowse as Darth Vader was not entirely a forgone conclusion. There were other tall actors suitable for the part, who were working in England in 1977.
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