About Ian Whyte
Ian Whyte is a Welsh actor known for his height and his roles in speculative productions, especially fantasy and sci-fi. He took the role of Chewbacca’s stunt double in the new Star Wars films, including Solo, and appeared in various roles in the hit HBO fantasy drama Game of Thrones.
Birthday
Birth Place
Bangor, North Wales, UK
Zodiac Sign
Personal Life
Whyte is married and has a daughter.
The actor has been recognized for his height, as he stands at 7 ft 1 in or 2.16 m. This caused him to be bullied at school, but also drew him to athletic pursuits.
Professional Life
Whyte started his career as an athlete. He was scouted thanks to his athleticism and height to play basketball on a professional level. In 1994, he started playing for the London Towers and then the London Leopards. He moved to different teams across France, Belgium, Portugal, Greece and won the domestic treble with F.C. Porto in 1997. He played with Newcastle after his retirement in 2003, and he served as a national representative in basketball teams over 80 times.
In 2003, Ian decided to retire thanks to a casting call for Alien vs Predator, as he has always been interested in creative pursuits. He got the role and worked with the special effect and makeup teams successfully, which led to new roles.
He took part in the Harry Potter franchise. While he was not credited as an actor, he supported the role of Madame Maxine, the giant woman that appeared in the films.
He appeared in Alien vs Predator Requiem, the 2006 sequel to the movie. He was in talks to appear in a film based on the Halo franchise, but it did not materialize after being in pre-production.
He appeared in Clash of the Titans in 2009 as Sheikh Suliman, part of the ensemble cast. This was followed by the role of Ronnie in Harrigan, a police drama.
Whyte appeared in Prometheus, directed by Ridley Scott, portraying the space jockey, a mysterious figure from another planet.
In 2010, Ian auditioned for the role of Ser Gregor Clegane, better known as The Mountain. While he did not receive the role, he stayed on to portray a White Walker and other episodic characters. In series 5 and 6, he portrayed the giant Wun Wun.
In 2013, the actor became involved with Star Wars. He was hired as a stunt double and also contributed to various alien creatures, appearing in Solo, Rogue One, and The Last Jedi.
In 2021, the actor played The Plague Doctor on The Irregulars, the fantasy Netflix show.
Trivia
The actor often works under heavy layers of makeup and is frequently cast to play different creatures, alien and supernatural.
Acting and other creative pursuits have always been of interest to Whyte, but he rarely got a chance to try them out before retiring from basketball.
Whyte received martial arts training.
The actor portrayed the Predator in the Alien vs Predator, appearing in almost every scene where the creature is present.
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