Kenny Baker (English actor)
| Kenny Baker | |
|---|---|
Baker at a science fiction convention,
12 February 2005 |
|
| Born | Kenneth George Baker 24 August 1934 Birmingham, England |
| Died | 13 August 2016 (aged 81) Preston, Lancashire, England |
| Occupation | Actor, musician |
| Years active | 1960–2015 |
| Spouse(s) | Eileen Baker (m. 1970; d. 1993) |
| Children | 2 |
Kenneth George "Kenny" Baker (24 August 1934 – 13 August 2016) was an English actor and musician. He was best known for portraying the character R2-D2 in the highly successful Star Wars science fiction movie franchise.
Contents
Early life[edit]
Baker, who stood 3 ft 8 in (112 cm) tall, was born and educated in Birmingham, Warwickshire, and at boarding school in Kent. He was the son of Ethel, a pianist and dress maker, and Harold Baker, an artist, musician, and draftsman.[1] His parents were of average height.[2] He went to live with his father, stepmother and half-sister in Hastings, Sussex, and in 1951 was approached on the street by a woman who invited him to join a theatrical troupe of dwarves and midgets. This was his first taste of show business. Later, he joined a circus for a brief time, learned to ice skate and appeared in many ice shows. He had formed a successful comedy act called the Minitones with entertainer Jack Purvis when George Lucas hired him to be the man inside R2-D2 in Star Wars in 1976.[3]
Star Wars[edit]
Baker appears as R2-D2 in six of the episodic theatrical Star Wars films, and played an additional role in 1983's Return of the Jedi as Paploo, the Ewok who steals an Imperial speeder bike. He was originally going to play Wicket, but he fell ill and that role was handed over to Warwick Davis. Baker is featured on Justin Lee Collins's "Bring Back Star Wars". He revealed a feud between him and his co-star Anthony Daniels. He claimed Daniels had been rude to him on numerous occasions, and states that Daniels is rude to everyone, including fans.[4]
Baker continued his association with the character of R2-D2 in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which was released on 18 December 2015 in North America. He was going to be a member of the cast, but he served as consultant for R2 instead.[5] In November 2015 it was confirmed that Jimmy Vee was cast as R2-D2 in Star Wars: Episode VIII, replacing Baker.[6][7]
Other work[edit]
Baker's other films include The Elephant Man, Time Bandits (also with Jack Purvis), Willow (also with Purvis and Warwick Davis), Flash Gordon, Amadeus and Jim Henson's Labyrinth. On television, he appeared in the British medical drama Casualty. He also had a part in the BBC production of The Chronicles of Narnia. In the late 1990s, Baker launched a brief stand-up comedy career. He played Casanova in the 1993 movie U.F.O.. In November 2009, his biography, titled From Tiny Acorns: The Kenny Baker Story' was written with Ken Mills and Published by Writestuff Autographs ( Publishing ) - ISBN 978-0-9563819-0-3 The book is available as a 'Download ' and also personally signed copies are available through :- www.writestuffautographs.com[citation needed]
Personal life and death[edit]
Baker resided in Preston, Lancashire. He was married to actress Eileen Baker (who co-starred with him in the 1977 film Wombling Free) from 1970 until she died in 1993. Although Eileen also had dwarfism, this was not inherited by their two children.[8]
Baker had been invited to attend the premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens in Los Angeles in December 2015, but was too ill to travel to the US.[9] Instead, Baker attended the film's premiere in London.[10] He later met up with George Lucas in Manchester.[9] Baker died on 13 August 2016, just eleven days before his 82nd birthday, following an extended illness.[9]
Filmography[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Circus of Horrors | Dwarf | Uncredited |
| 1962 | Man of the World | The Croat | Episode: "Specialist for the Kill", credited as Ken Baker |
| 1975 | Dave Allen at Large | Salesman | Season 4, Episode 36 |
| 1977 | Star Wars | R2-D2 | |
| 1977 | Wombling Free | Bungo | |
| 1978 | Star Wars Holiday Special | R2-D2 | TV film, credited as R2-D2 |
| 1980 | The Muppet Show | R2-D2 | Episode: "The Stars of Star Wars" |
| 1980 | The Empire Strikes Back | R2-D2, GONK droid | Credited; Uncredited |
| 1980 | Flash Gordon | Dwarf | |
| 1980 | The Elephant Man | Plumed Dwarf | |
| 1981 | Time Bandits | Fidgit | |
| 1981 | The Goodies | Dwarf | Episode: "Snow White 2" |
| 1982 | The Hunchback of Notre Dame | Pick Pocket | TV film |
| 1983 | Return of the Jedi | R2-D2, Paploo | |
| 1984 | The Adventure Game | HRH The Rangdo of Arg | 2 episodes |
| 1984 | Amadeus | Parody Commendatore | |
| 1985 | Der Rosenkavalier | Baron Och's Retinue | TV film |
| 1986 | Mona Lisa | Brighton Busker | |
| 1986 | Labyrinth | Goblin Corps | |
| 1987 | Star Tours | R2-D2 | Short film, uncredited |
| 1987 | Sleeping Beauty | Elf | |
| 1988 | Willow | Nelwyn Band Member | Uncredited |
| 1989 | Prince Caspian and the Voyage of the Dawn Treader | Dufflepud | TV special |
| 1990 | Ben Elton: The Man from Auntie | Invisible Demon | Episode 5 |
| 1992 | Casualty | Archie | Episode: "Act of Faith" |
| 1993 | U.F.O. | Casanova | |
| 1999 | The King and I | Captain Orton | Voice, credited as Ken Baker |
| 1999 | Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace | R2-D2 | |
| 1999 | Boobs in the Wood | Bruce the Convict | Direct-to-video |
| 2002 | 24 Hour Party People | Zookeeper | Uncredited |
| 2002 | Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones | R2-D2 | |
| 2002 | The Cage | Merlin | Short film |
| 2003 | Swiss Toni | Guyler | Episode: "Cars Don't Make You Fat" |
| 2005 | Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith | R2-D2 | |
| 2007 | Casualty | Charles Isaac | Episode: "The Miracle on Harry's Last Shift" |
| 2013 | One Night at the Aristo | The Bartender | Voice, short film |
| 2015 | Star Wars: The Force Awakens | R2-D2 | Consultant, final film role. |
References[edit]
- ^ Henry, David. "Kenny Baker, R2-D2 Actor in 'Star Wars' Films, Dies at 81".
- ^ "Philadelphia Inquirer: Search Results".
- ^ Arnold, Alan. Once Upon A Galaxy: A Journal of The Making of The Empire Strikes Back, Del Rey-Ballantine Books, New York, 1980, pp. 124-127.
- ^ Williams, Andrew (2005-05-19). "Kenny Baker". Metro. Associated Newspapers. Retrieved 2009-01-28.
- ^ "STAR WARS: EPISODE VII CAST ANNOUNCED". StarWars.com. April 29, 2014. Retrieved April 29, 2014.
- ^ Metro.co.uk, Cameron K. McEwan for (16 November 2015). "Doctor Who actor Jimmy Vee is the new R2-D2 in Star Wars Episode 8".
- ^ "Little actor Jimmy Vee is Artoo-Detoo in Star Wars: Episode VIII?". 16 September 2015.
- ^ "Ciaran Brown meets actor Kenny Baker".
- ^ a b c "Kenny Baker, actor behind R2-D2, dies". The Guardian. 13 August 2016.
- ^ Rottenberg, Josh (August 13, 2016). "Kenny Baker, 'Star Wars' actor who brought R2-D2 to life, dies at 81". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
External links[edit]
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kenny "R2-D2" Baker. |