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Mark Hamill described what one of his early homes looked like before his Star Wars success
The Luke Skywalker actor revealed he once lived in a “converted gardener’s shed” during an interview with The Wall Street Journal on Sept. 9
The interview comes after his longtime Malibu home, where he lived with his wife Marilou for almost 50 years, was impacted by the L.A. wildfires in January
Mark Hamill is revisiting one of his very humble abodes where he lived before his Star Wars success.
In a Sept. 9 interview with The Wall Street Journal, the actor, 73, described what his living conditions were like after he graduated from college and before he achieved his big break as Luke Skywalker in 1977.
“At Los Angeles City College, I majored in drama,” he recalled to the outlet. Hamill started his studies at LACC in 1969 and “worked as a janitor to make ends meet” while he was there, per LACC Foundation’s website.
He notes to WSJ that after leaving the school, he went on to live in a “gardener’s shed” that was equipped with some basic amenities.
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Mark Hamill in 1972
“After graduation, I lived in a converted gardener’s shed that had a shower, toilet and hot plate, for $55 a month,” he explained. The actor added that he also worked a number of jobs to get by, including “at an ice cream parlor, a Jack in the Box and other places.”
Hamill said his first professional acting job was a “failed pilot,” followed by a small role on The Bill Cosby Show. When he was 24, his life changed when “my agent sent me on an audition for a movie called ‘Star Wars,’” he recalled — and the rest is history.
The Long Walk star now lives in a rental in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles with his wife of 47 years, Marilou Hamill.
Their permanent residence in Big Rock, Malibu — where they tied the knot in 1978 and raised their three children — was impacted by the L.A. wildfires earlier this year.
The couple previously opened up about the fires during an exclusive interview with PEOPLE about their new documentary, Big Rock Burning, which they executive produced. The film tells the stories of residents who were “left to face the fires alone” amid the tragic natural disaster in January.
Gabe Ginsberg/WireImage
Marilou and Mark Hamill in April 2025
Of their property, they explained how they were prepared for something like this, as their home had an advanced fire system that used water from their pool to spray 300 to 500 gallons per minute “over the whole property.”
“Nearly every home around us burned, but one,” Marilou told PEOPLE at the time. “And that home was probably saved by our fire system, the way the wind blew the water on their house from our fire system.”
While their home was thankfully spared, the structure is not inhabitable, leaving them unable to return after more than seven months.
“The house survived, but the downside is that it’s toxic with chemicals,” Mark explained.
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Despite not being able to go back for the foreseeable future, the couple still have hope that they can one day call the property home again after making memories there for nearly five decades.
“I’ve looked at houses where we’re living now in the Los Feliz area, but ideally, we want to go back because we got married there. We raised our kids there. It’s a very, very special property,” Marilou said. “And again, I’m so thankful and grateful that our house survived, but I just didn’t realize the ramifications of it.”
Read the original article on People
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