Joonas Suotamo

Biography:

Joonas Viljami Suotamo, born on 3 October 1986 in Espoo, Finland, is a Finnish actor and former professional basketball player. He is widely recognized for portraying the iconic Wookiee Chewbacca in the Star Wars saga. Initially joining the franchise as a body double for the original actor Peter Mayhew in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), Suotamo later became the principal performer of Chewbacca in Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019). In addition to his Chewbacca role, he also played the Wookiee Jedi Kelnacca in the High Republic-era series The Acolyte.

Before his acting career, Suotamo pursued basketball and played for seven seasons in Finland’s leagues, including four seasons in the top-tier Korisliiga. He represented Finland in three senior national team games and played 66 games for the junior national teams. A graduate of Pennsylvania State University, he played power forward and center for the Penn State Nittany Lions while earning a degree in film and video. During his time at Penn State, he was twice named to the Academic All-Big Ten team and completed his studies in under four years to fulfill his Finnish military conscription, leaving the army as a second lieutenant. With early interests in arts and performance, Suotamo also worked in insurance before transitioning fully into film.