Today we’d like to introduce you to Christopher Canole.
Hi Christopher, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
As the oldest cosplayer (77) at San Diego Comic Con this year featured in a CBS News story filmed in my studio I spoke about my last 10 years cosplaying Dude Vader at 950+ charity events and fundraisers, often reflecting on being a survivor representing friends since my childhood who passed before completing their “Bucket Lists.” This was the first time I took off my helmet in hundreds of newspaper, magazine and broadcast media interviews worldwide that I use to encourage cosplayers of all age to volunteer at their local charity events. I especially thank SD Voyager for another article about me, to now speak to our older population about “making the world a better place” with the time we have on our marvelous star ship Earth. I have a countdown calendar on my wall marking the days till I am 100 years old, so I still have 8181 days to get things done.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
After years as a movie and TV set photographer and occasional actor turning 67 year I looked for a new way to explore our world. My oldest friend Terry McCully was an avid steampunk cosplayer who encourage my creativity since were were Boy Scouts. During SDCC 2014 Terry challenged me to put down my camera to experience the joy of cosplaying. Being 67 years old, out of shape since I was the fencing coach at UCSD in 1980 and looking at the decades younger cospalyers I decided to hide my age by painting a kid’s Darth Vader Mask gold and wear a Hawaiian shirt calling myself Dude Vader. During the first year I steampunked my costume with kid’s Star Wars toys that grew to 55lbs. I began walking 5K charity fundraisers resulting in losing 50 lbs, and by never removing my mask, the public never asked my age. Each week I changed my look from steampunk to samurai and now a spandex body suit reflecting a matchup of Vader and C3PO (now only 5 lb total weight). Over these 10 years as a charity cosplayer I witness every week fellow cosplayers of all ages, genders and body types serve people they would never have met before costuming up as a super hero, princess, Star Wars character, or inflatable dinosaur. My all time favorite moments have been meeting the real movie C3PO Anthony Daniels. TV series C3PO Chris Bartlett and a young cosplayer who’s real name is Jedi Church cosplaying as Dude Vader JR. Everyday as I gear up I think of Terry determined to complete his “Bucket List’ and lists given to me by people of all ages
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I still draw for the Smithsonian Institute and International Olympic Museum
What was your favorite childhood memory?
Volunteering as a Boy Scout handing our water to runners in the Los Angeles Marathon in 1958.
Contact Info:
- Website: canole.com
- Instagram: @DudeVaderHero
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christophercanole/
- Youtube: @DudeVaderHero
Image Credits
All photos take with my iphone except BBC image
