Kenny Baker: The man behind R2D2

Kenny Baker played R2D2 in several Star Wars movies.
Source: www.nextbigfuture.com/2016/08/
kenny-baker-who-played-r2d2-in-star.html
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Even though I am pretty sure I have never seen his face, he made an indelible mark on my life, acting in some of the most popular movies of the 1980s and beyond, right up to 2016. Although I would not even know if Kenny Baker was standing right in front of me, he holds an honoured place in pop culture.

That’s because, although he may not be a recognizable face, Kenny Baker was the face behind one of the most iconic characters of the 1980s: R2D2.

The man behind the mask
Baker stood three feet, eight inches tall and was selected by George Lucas in 1977 to operate the robot that would become a legend – R2D2.

He would go on to reprise the role in “The Empire Strikes Back” in 1980, and “Return of the Jedi” in 1983. He also portrayed one of the Ewoks in “Return of the Jedi”, the one who steals a speeder bike.

Beyond the stars
Kenny Baker appeared in several other films throughout the 1980s as well, including “Flash Gordon”, “The Elephant Man”, “Time Bandits”, “Amadeus”, “Mona Lisa”, “Labyrinth”, and “Willow”.

Play it again Kenny
Kenny Baker was back for the second Star Wars trilogy, the three prequel movies “The Phantm Menace” in 1999; “Attack of the Clones” in 2002; and “Revenge of the Sith” in 2005.

He initially was to play R2D2 in the first of the sequel movies “The Force Awakens” in 2015 but served as a consultant instead.

Kenny Baker died on August 13, 2016, shortly before his 82nd birthday.

Parting thoughts
I had no idea at first there was anyone inside R2D2 until I saw a photo of Kenny Baker with the top off of R2D2. All you could see was his head peaking over top.

Yet it only made sense because, although he never spoke and only used bells, whistles and other sounds, he communicated very clearly. Whether it was a perfectly timed whir or whistle, spinning his head, or just going some place he was not supposed to, R2D2 was one of the most expressive characters in the Star Wars universe.

Although Kenny Baker played a robot, he was anything but robotic.