Kenny Baker, the British actor who was the man underneath the iconic robot R2-D2 in the three original Star Wars films and the three prequels, died Saturday after a long illness.
Advertisement
Thousands of tributes are being shared online, with Baker’s colleagues and Star Wars heroes like Mark Hamill tweeting: “Goodbye #KennyBaker A lifelong loyal friend – I loved his optimism & determination He WAS the droid I was looking for!”
Like Peter Mayhew, David Prowse, Anthony Daniels, or even James Earl Jones in a way, the British-born Baker became a household name to the vast legions of Star Wars fans, who span nearly 45 years of generational adoration for the franchise by donning the instantly recognizable R2-D2 costume.
“He was amazed that, even after 30-odd years, the fans still basically adored him”, he said.
Born to a music-loving family in the central England city of Birmingham on Aug 24, 1934, Baker started performing at 16 as part of a troupe called “Burton Lester’s Midgets”.
Kenny appeared in six “Star Wars” movies and, along with portraying R2-D2, he also played Paploo, the Ewok who steals a speeder bike in 1983’s “Return of the Jedi”. He also described Baker as “a one-off” saying he would “never forget the laughs we shared over the years”. Former co-star Ewan McGregor tweeted, “It was lovely working with Kenny”.
In 2009 he published a biography, co-written with Ken Mills, titled From Tiny Acorns: The Kenny Baker Story.
When Baker was younger, he was told he wouldn’t live through puberty, Shield said.
“Kenny Baker was a real gentleman as well as an incredible trooper who always worked hard under difficult circumstances”, said Lucas.
British actor Rahul Kohli said in a post: “You brought life to one of my favourite characters, thank you Kenny Baker”. “I know they know that I know that they don’t really need me”, he told Empire in 2002. Despite the fame he reaped from the Star Wars character R2-D2, Baker told the BBC in 2001 that his favorite role was Fidgit in 1981’s Time Bandits.
He appeared in a number of science fiction and fantasy movies, as well as the highly regarded films Amadeus and The Elephant Man.
Advertisement
Baker met his wife, Eileen, as a fan. The couple had two sons.
