Kenny Baker (English actor)
Template:Short description Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox person
Kenneth George Baker (24 August 1934 – 13 August 2016) was an English actor, comedian and musician. He portrayed the character R2-D2 in the Star Wars franchise and also appeared in The Elephant Man, Time Bandits, Willow, Flash Gordon, Amadeus and Labyrinth.
Early lifeEdit
Baker was born and educated in Birmingham, Warwickshire, and at a boarding school in Kent.<ref name="obituary">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He was the son of Ethel (1906–1990), a pianist and dress maker, and Harold Baker (1908–1949), an artist, musician and draughtsman.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="obituary"/> He went to live with his father, stepmother, and half-sister in Hastings, Sussex.
Due to his dwarfism, Baker stood Template:Convert as an adult.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Both his parents were of average height.
CareerEdit
BeginningsEdit
In 1951, Baker was approached on the street by a woman who invited him to join John Lester's theatrical troupe of little people. 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 formed a successful comedy act called The Mini Tones with entertainer Jack Purvis and played in nightclubs.<ref name="CNN Sanchez" /><ref name="BBC">Template:Cite news</ref>
Star WarsEdit
While working with Purvis and the Minitones, Baker was selected by George Lucas to operate the robot ("droid") R2-D2 in the fantasy feature film Star Wars, released in 1977.<ref>Template:Citation</ref> Baker recalled that he initially turned down the role,<ref name="CNN Sanchez">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> concerned about breaking up the Minitones partnership when the duo had reached the final on the British television talent show Opportunity Knocks.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
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.<ref name="obituary"/> He was originally due to play the ewok named Wicket, but he fell ill and that role was handed over to Warwick Davis.
As technology grew and the need to have Baker in the suit decreased over time, he acted sporadically in the prequel trilogy. In Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, he acted in just one scene.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Baker continued his Star Wars association with the R2-D2 character 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 the character instead.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="obituary"/> In November 2015, it was confirmed that Jimmy Vee was cast as R2-D2 in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, replacing Baker.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Baker attended several conventions as part of Star Wars Celebration as a guest. Celebration Europe III in July 2016 marked his last appearance at Celebration.
Other workEdit
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.<ref name="obituary"/>
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 comedy career. He played Casanova in the 1993 movie UFO.
In November 2009, his biography, From Tiny Acorns: The Kenny Baker Story, was written with Ken Mills and published by Writestuff Autographs.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Personal lifeEdit
Baker resided in Preston, Lancashire.<ref name="BBC"/> 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.<ref name="CNN Sanchez" /> Although Eileen also had dwarfism, their two children did not inherit their parents' dwarfism.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Baker was 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.<ref name="guardian behind">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He had been living with a lung condition for years.<ref name="CNN Sanchez" /> Instead, Baker attended the film's premiere in London.<ref name= brought>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="pictures">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
DeathEdit
Baker died on 13 August 2016, 11 days before his 82nd birthday.<ref name="CNN Sanchez"/><ref name="obituary"/> His funeral was held at the Park Cemetery and Crematorium in Lytham St Annes on 24 August 2016.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> His two sons, Christopher and Kevin, survived him.<ref name="obituary"/>
FilmographyEdit
FilmEdit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Template:Tooltip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Circus of Horrors | Dwarf | Uncredited | |
| 1977 | Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope | R2-D2 | <ref name="obituary"/><ref name="guardian behind"/> | |
| Wombling Free | Bungo | |||
| 1980 | Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back | R2-D2 | <ref name="obituary"/><ref name="guardian behind"/> | |
| Flash Gordon | Dwarf | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | |
| Template:Sort | Plumed Dwarf | <ref name="obituary"/><ref name="guardian behind"/> | ||
| 1981 | Time Bandits | Fidgit | <ref name="obituary"/><ref name="guardian behind"/> | |
| 1983 | Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi | R2-D2, Paploo | <ref name="obituary"/><ref name="guardian behind"/> | |
| 1984 | Amadeus | Parody Commendatore | <ref name="obituary"/><ref name="appleTV"/> | |
| 1986 | Mona Lisa | Brighton Busker | <ref name="obituary"/> | |
| Labyrinth | Goblin Corps | <ref name="obituary"/><ref name="appleTV"/> | ||
| 1987 | Star Tours | R2-D2 | Short film, uncredited | |
| Sleeping Beauty | Elf | <ref name="appleTV"/> | ||
| 1988 | Willow | Nelwyn Band Member | Uncredited | <ref name="obituary"/> |
| 1993 | U.F.O. | Giacomo Casanova | ||
| 1999 | Template:Sort | Captain Orton | Voice, credited as Ken Baker | |
| Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace | R2-D2 | <ref name="obituary"/><ref name="guardian behind"/> | ||
| 2002 | 24 Hour Party People | Zookeeper | Uncredited | |
| Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones | R2-D2 | <ref name="obituary"/><ref name="guardian behind"/> | ||
| Template:Sort | Merlin | Short film | ||
| 2005 | Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith | R2-D2 | <ref name="obituary"/><ref name="guardian behind"/> | |
| 2013 | One Night at the Aristo | Template:Sort | Voice, short film | |
| 2015 | Star Wars: The Force Awakens | R2-D2 | Consultant and final film role | <ref name="obituary"/> |
TelevisionEdit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Template:Tooltip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Man of the World | Template:Sort | Episode: "Specialist for the Kill", credited as Ken Baker | <ref name="pictures"/> |
| 1975 | Dave Allen at Large | Salesman | Season 4, Episode 36 | |
| 1980 | Template:Sort | R2-D2 | Episode: "The Stars of Star Wars" | |
| 1981 | Template:Sort | Dwarf | Episode: "Snow White 2" | |
| 1982 | Template:Sort | Pick Pocket | TV film | |
| 1984 | Template:Sort | HRH The Rangdo of Arg | Two episodes | |
| 1985 | Der Rosenkavalier | Baron Och's Retinue | TV film | |
| 1989 | Prince Caspian and the Voyage of the Dawn Treader | Dufflepud | TV special | |
| 1990 | Ben Elton: The Man from Auntie | Invisible Demon | Episode 5 | |
| 1991 | The Paradise Club | Himself | Episode: "Family Favours" | |
| 1992 | Casualty | Archie | Episode: "Act of Faith" | |
| 1999 | Boobs in the Wood | Bruce the Convict | Direct-to-video | |
| 2003 | Swiss Toni | Guyler | Episode: "Cars Don't Make You Fat" | |
| 2007 | Casualty | Charles Isaac | Episode: "The Miracle on Harry's Last Shift" |
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
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