In Memory of Kenny Baker (1934-2016)

Kenny Baker (1934-2016)

Hello, movie bloggers. You are all quite familiar with R2-D2 from the "Star Wars" series, which has become one of the most iconic robots in film. The man inside the little astromech droid, English actor Kenny Baker, has recently died of a long illness two weeks short of his 82nd birthday on August 13th, 2016. 

Baker stood three feet and eight inches tall (112 cm) due to dwarfism, which stunted his growth. It made him part of a theatrical troupe of dwarves, and later he performed at the circus, though only briefly. In 1976, while doing a successful comedy act with fellow dwarf entertainer Jack Purvis, director George Lucas hired him to operate the droid R2-D2 in his soon-to-be-famous epic space adventure, "Star Wars." This role became synonymous with him, as he played the character in two more instalments from 1980 to 1983, followed by the prequels from 1999 to 2005. In addition to his portrayal of R2, Kenny was one of the Ewoks in "Return of the Jedi."

Kenny had starred in other movies outside his best-known role in "Star Wars," including "Flash Gordon," "The Elephant Man," "Time Bandits," "Amadeus," and other George Lucas films such as "Labyrinth" and "Willow." In 2015, after a 10-year break, he returned to the character and served only as a consultant on "The Force Awakens." Before his death, Jimmy Vee took over his role of R2 and is yet to appear in the upcoming Episode VIII.

Back to Home