1977: A Madman Turns 40: 2017- Day 11

  Today marks an anniversary that could've gone quite tragically. It's a date in history that while minor to many, chills me to my very core. I remember my dad reading me an article in People magazine about the accident when I was a little kid sitting in my childhood dentist office (maybe that's why I bit him. The dentist, not my dad) and the whole thing has stuck with me ever since. It seems to resonate with fans too, as it's often mentioned on Facebook fan pages.

 often. Besides had things turned out differently by just a little bit, the history of several fandoms including Star Wars, Batman, and the Flash would have been very, very different. And for the Star Wars universe, it actually did change it somewhat...

Hamill, as Luke Skywalker, pre-accident.

    On this date in 1977, actor Mark Hamill got into a serious car accident. He had been speeding, made a wrong turn, and his course correction went out of control. The crash resulted in Hamill fracturing his nose and cheekbone so much that cartilage from his ear had to be used for reconstructive surgery. 

   Though Hamill's life was saved, his appearance was seriously altered. After the surgery, there was major scaring. The symmetry of the actor's face was change, most noticeably along his right eye.

(Note: Most of the reconstructive surgery happened a year after the accident. That's why photos of Hamill during the premier of Star Wars don't look so bad. But you can see the glare of a scar on is right cheek in this photo.)

During filming of 1978's Hamill was put in heavy make-up, given bangs, and shot from reverse,
to minimize the scaring from surgeries. On the right, George Lucas added the actor's scars
to the plot of Empire Strikes Back, having Luke be attacked by a giant snow creature. 

    The accident happened just 4 months before Star Wars premiered. Some re-shoots had to be done by a stun double from behind. But the incident happened with very little fanfare because at this time, Hamill was a relative unknown entity- plus Star Wars was expected to be a major flop! Instead, Star Wars went on to become the biggest motion picture hit of all-time and movie history was made- But I'll get to that later this year.

     History would have been so much different had this accident turned deadly. Without it's star, would there have been an Empire Strikes Back or Return of the Jedi? Would the film franchise even be as popular as it is now if only one film had been released? I know my childhood would've been quite different without further Star Wars sequels. And I don't even wanna think about what the Joker's voice would sound like on Batman: The Animated Series without the voice talents of Mark Hamill. (Interestingly enough, it was Hamill's accident that lead to him becoming less of a leading man and more of a major voice talent. Listen to a sampling of his Joker as Donald Trump below...) And not just one live-action Flash, but three (yes, I did the math) would've been without one of his greatest enemies. 

    
    Fate likes to play games. Sometimes it's fair, sometimes it's not. And sometimes destiny likes to be a little of both. That seems to be how it was with Mark Hamill on that fateful day in January 40 years ago. Had he not had the accident, maybe he wouldn't be, in my opinion, the definitive voice of the Joker. I don't know; maybe he'd still be a voice over action. Or would Hamill have made the jump Harrison Ford did and become a mega-star of some other franchise like Terminator or Aliens? Maybe nobody will ever truly know. What I do know is that my life surely has been enriched thanks to Mark Hamill still being around and that's a very good thing. 
     Here's to another 40 years, Mr. Hamill. I hope they are good ones!