After nearly five years of anonymously donning the famous black helmet and cape, Eller made his final appearance in the cold early months of 1982. By this time, the costume had been updated to reflect some improvements made for The Empire Strikes Back, and others had begun donning a second and third Vader costume to keep up with demand for a nation clamoring for more Vader appearances. It was in Chicago, at a housewares exhibition, that Eller finally made good on a suggestion he'd made in the months prior -- to end public appearances before the character's cachet became commonplace.
"I just had this vision of Darth Vader being this really wonderful figure and having a kind of majesty to him," explains Eller. "To end up doing [an endless schedule of appearances] just wasn't in fitting with the character."
For a wintertime show, the interior of the exhibit hall was very warm -- so warm, in fact, that Eller temporarily passed out from the heat. It may have been heatstroke, but he can't be sure. "I didn't let them take me to the hospital," confesses Eller. "They wanted to cut the suit off -- I said, 'I don't think you understand -- I'll heal. The suit won't.'"
Ever loyal to the costume and the character, Eller braved a final day at the show before hanging up the props, and persona, for good.
Today, Eller remembers his days as the people's Vader fondly, trading in his virtual techno-man status for a career in computer systems engineering at company Trace|3. "I help companies manage where their data is stored and how the data is replicated over to other safe sites," explains Eller, who calls himself an "I.T. Architect/Engineer."
Like an architect who works anonymously behind the scenes, Eller can secretly take pride in the accomplishments spanning both careers, which include, of all things, a spotlight at the Academy Awards, an iconic poster portrait, a footprint in the Chinese forecourt, and the awe of thousands of young star-struck fans out for a summer day of shopping.
