Hayden Christensen Becomes a Trending Topic as Star Wars Fans Celebrate His Birthday

Star Wars fans on social media are celebrating a special birthday on Sunday. Hayden Christensen, who played Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars prequel trilogies, turns 39 today and fans are marking the occasion by honoring the actor on Twitter. In fact, the birthday well-wishes have been such a big deal that the actor is going viral on the social media site as fans from around the world take a moment to acknowledge the actor's birthday and reflect on his time playing the man who would become Darth Vader.

Appearing in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, Christensen played Anakin, taking over the role from Jake Lloyd who played a younger version of Anakin in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. While fans had hoped to see Christensen reprise the role of Anakin in the final film in the Skywalker Saga, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the actor did appear as a vocal cameo on the film, much to fan delight.

With the actor's birthday being on Sunday, many fans reflected on his time as Anakin in their tributes on Twitter. Many couldn't believe that the actor is actually 39 years-old while others took time to discuss his part in the beloved Star Wars franchise. For others, the day wasn't just a birthday but an unofficial holiday. However, they chose to mark the occasion, there was no shortage of birthday wishes for the actor -- and we've collected a few of our favorites.

Read on for how fans are celebrating Christensen's birthday below.