Kenny Baker: The man behind R2-D2 dies

Baker created R2-D2’s much-loved innocent yet adventurous personality from inside the droid, standing just three feet eight inches tall. Baker’s role started with 1977’s A New Hope. Whether it was the slow turn of R2-D2’s dome to convey suspicion or its nervous wobbles signifying fear, Baker made a robotic being seem very human. In addition, he played Paploo, the Ewok who memorably steals a speeder bike in 1983’s Return of the Jedi. The actor became a legend to Star Wars fans. George Lucas, the creator of the Star Wars, said, “Kenny Baker was a real gentleman as well as an incredible trooper who always worked hard under difficult circumstances.” “A talented vaudevillian who could always make everybody laugh, Kenny was truly the heart and soul of R2-D2 and will be missed by all his fans and everyone who knew him,” Lucas added. Born in Birmingham, England, Baker began acting at age 16. Along with the Star Wars films, his career also includes performances in The Elephant Man (1980), Time Bandits (1981), Lucasfilm’s Willow (1988), and more. In 1978, he immortalised Artoo at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, making cement footprints of the droid that still remain outside the famed theatre today. “We’re all saddened to learn of Kenny’s passing,” said Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy. “There is no Star Wars without R2-D2, and Kenny defined who R2-D2 was and is. He will be greatly missed.”