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Kenny Baker is best known for his portrayal of R2-D2, a droid in the Star Wars franchise.[1]
Kenneth "Kenny" George Baker was born 24 Aug 1934 in Birmingham, England, the son of Harold Baker and Ethel Heath.[2] His parents divorced when he was young and both remarried. Harold remarried to Kathleen (she was about 15 years younger than him) and they had a daughter named Carol. Harold died at the age of 42 due to a bad reaction to anesthetic while having an operation for gallstones. Harold's sister, Winnie and her husband Jack Grime, lived in Montpelier and often threw parties which Kenny and his parents would attend. Ethel remarried to an American serviceman named Eddie Montgomery and went to live in America, specifically Clarksdale, Mississippi.[1]
Kenny met his future wife Eileen Anderton after she saw him on a talk show hosted by Michael Parkinson. She wrote him a letter stating that she was a dwarf as well (Kenny stood just 3'8" tall)[3] and would like to meet him. They did meet and were married soon after in 1970. They went on to have two children together: Chris and Kevin. Neither child inherited their dwarfism.[1]
Kenny was primarily a "performer", as he preferred to be called up to the mid-70's. He started off around 1950 in Burton Lester's Midgets doing a circus act. He did several acts, including roller skating, riding a bike, and whistling. He also did conjuring tricks, played drums, and comedy routines as well. He later branched into work as a DJ and circus clown. He was part of a comedy-musical duo called the Mini-Tones with Jack Purvis.
In the mid-70's, with a wife and two small children at home, he was offered the part of R2-D2 in a new movie called Star Wars. He was reluctant to take the part, but after persistent offers, he accepted. It was hard work sitting inside a tin can for eight hours a day, overheated and out of breath, but he was a performer and managed to pull it off. The results - well, Star Wars was a tremendous success and R2-D2 became a beloved character in movie history. He also played an Ewok in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.[1]
Kenny's success continued strong for another 15 years, with Star Wars sequels, additional film, television, and stage roles, such as Fidgit in Time Bandits, and convention appearances. He was also an accomplished harmonica player and ice skater. He made one convention appearance in 1990 and another in 1993, but took a break after his wife Eileen died in 1993 due to complications from a blood clot likely caused due to her epilepsy.
In a 2009 interview, he indicated that he was seeing a girlfriend (Valerie Gale) that he originally met in the 1960's and that he continued to make appearances at conventions.
Kenny was found deceased by his nephew Drew (Andrew) Myerscough, who was caring for him, at Kenny's home in Preston, England on Saturday, August 13, 2016. He was almost 82 years old at the time of his passing and had been suffering from a lung condition.[3] His niece, Abigail Shield (and Drew's sister), was who contacted the press.[1] Kenny was cremated.[4]
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Categories: Star Wars Actors | Musicians | This Day In History August 24 | This Day In History August 13 | Example Profiles of the Week | Birmingham, Warwickshire | Preston, Lancashire | Featured Connections Archive 2022 | England, Notables | Notables
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