Kenny Baker, actor behind R2-D2, dies

13 August 2016

The British actor who played R2-D2 in the Star Wars films has died after a long illness, just 11 days before his 82nd birthday.

Kenny Baker, who was 3ft 8in tall, shot to fame in 1977 when he first played the robot character in a pre-CGI age, enduring hours in a tin can in the Tunisian desert!.

He went on to play the character in The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983), as well as the three Star Wars prequels from 1999 to 2005.

Birmingham-born Baker also appeared in a number of other much-loved films in the 1980s, including The Elephant Man (1980), Time Bandits (1981) and Flash Gordon (1980).

Many of his co-stars tweeted heartfelt goodbyes. “He WAS the droid I was looking for!” said Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker).

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Kenny Baker, actor behind R2-D2, dies

13 August 2016

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