Kenny Baker

Bio:
Kenny Baker (born Kenneth George Baker in Birmingham, United Kingdom on August 24, 1934) was an English actor, who was best known for portraying the character R2-D2 in the Star Wars franchise. Before pursuing an acting career, Kenny joined the circus for a brief time, learning to ice skate in some of the ice shows. Kenny got his first acting role in a comedy called the Minitones. In 1976, Kenny got his big break when George Lucas hired him to play the man inside the R2-D2 robot in Star Wars. Kenny appeared in six of the Star Wars films and played additional roles in the 1983’s Return of the Jedi as Paploo, the Ewok. In addition to starring in the Star Wars franchise, Kenny also starred in major feature films including, The Elephant Man, Tim Bandits, Willow, Labyrinth. He was also part of the BBC production of The Chronicles of Narnia. In his later years, Kenny continued his association with the character of R2-D2 in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which was released in Dec. 2015. On August 13, 2016, Kenny died at the age of 81.

Best Known For:
Kenny Baker is best known for playing the recurring role as R2-D2 in the Star Wars film franchise.

Personal Life:
Kenny Baker was born with dwarfism, standing 3-feet-8-inches tall. In 1970, Kenny married Eileen Baker, who co-starred with him the 1977 film, The Wombling Free. The couple later divorced in 1993. Kenny died in his Lancashire residence after a long illness.