[6] Mayhew gained his first acting job when the producers of Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977) discovered him from a photograph in a newspaper article about men with large feet, and cast him in the role of the Minoton.

[7][8] When casting the original Star Wars (1977), director George Lucas needed a tall actor who could fit the role of the hairy alien Chewbacca.

Mayhew modelled his performance of Chewbacca after researching the behaviour of bears, monkeys and gorillas he saw at London Zoo.

[13] Lucas said Mayhew was "the closest any human being could be to a Wookiee: big heart, gentle nature and I learnt to always let him win".

[15] He played the role in the 1978 television film Star Wars Holiday Special and in a 1980 appearance on The Muppet Show.

[2][28] He invested in and worked at a timber yard just over the City of Bradford border in South Craven, North Yorkshire.

[2][28] Mayhew married Mary Angelique "Angie" Luker (née Cigainero), a native of Texas, in 1999.

[35] Mayhew underwent double knee replacement surgery in 2013,[36] having been a full-time wheelchair user for the previous two years and still largely reliant on it at the time of filming The Force Awakens.

[37] In July 2018, Mayhew announced via Twitter that he had successfully undergone unspecified spinal surgery to improve his mobility, and was recovering.