Post by LoneStarLady on Aug 15, 2016 10:20:17 GMT -5
www.cnn.com/2016/08/13/entertainment/actor-kenny-baker-dies/index.html
Kenny Baker, 'Star Wars' R2-D2 actor, dies
(CNN) Kenny Baker, the British actor who gave life to the droid R2-D2 in the "Star Wars" films, has died at the age of 81, according to his niece, Abigail Shield. Baker was being looked after by Shield's brother, who found him Saturday morning. Shield said Baker was ill for years with a lung condition.
She also said her uncle -- who was 3 feet, 8 inches tall -- did not expect to "live past his teenage years because he was a 'little person,' so it is pretty amazing he lived this long."
...
The actor told CNN in 1999 that he didn't think the original "Star Wars" film would take off.
"We all thought, 'What a load of rubbish. This is going to be a non-event,'" he said. "How wrong we were."
And wobbling around in a metal costume -- which was heavier than he was -- in the 100-plus degree heat of Tunisia wasn't easy, according to Baker. "The thing weighed about 80 pounds," he said. "I weighed 70 pounds."
...
Baker also appeared in a number of other films in the 1980s, including "The Elephant Man," "Time Bandits" and "Flash Gordon."
(CNN) Kenny Baker, the British actor who gave life to the droid R2-D2 in the "Star Wars" films, has died at the age of 81, according to his niece, Abigail Shield. Baker was being looked after by Shield's brother, who found him Saturday morning. Shield said Baker was ill for years with a lung condition.
She also said her uncle -- who was 3 feet, 8 inches tall -- did not expect to "live past his teenage years because he was a 'little person,' so it is pretty amazing he lived this long."
...
The actor told CNN in 1999 that he didn't think the original "Star Wars" film would take off.
"We all thought, 'What a load of rubbish. This is going to be a non-event,'" he said. "How wrong we were."
And wobbling around in a metal costume -- which was heavier than he was -- in the 100-plus degree heat of Tunisia wasn't easy, according to Baker. "The thing weighed about 80 pounds," he said. "I weighed 70 pounds."
...
Baker also appeared in a number of other films in the 1980s, including "The Elephant Man," "Time Bandits" and "Flash Gordon."
