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Kenny Baker Biography

Actor

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Kenny Baker was already an accomplished circus and cabaret performer when he took the role of R2-D2 in the 1977 sci-fi film Star Wars. His height won him the part: at 3'8" tall, Baker was small enough to fit inside the tiny robot. The film was a hit and director George Lucas went on to make a series of sequels; Baker and Anthony Daniels, who plays robot C-3P0, are the only actors to appear in all six Star Wars films to date. (Baker also doubled as a furry Ewok in 1983's The Return of the Jedi.) Baker's other films include Time Bandits (1981) and the Jim Henson film Labyrinth (1986, with Jennifer Connelly). He also has a long-running cabaret act with entertainer Jack Purvis.

Extra credit: As R2-D2, Baker himself is never seen and his voice is not used in the role... Baker is no relation to the British trumpeter Kenny Baker.

Kenny Baker joins David Prowse and Mark Hamill in our loop on Star Wars.

Blog posts mentioning Kenny Baker:

• Chewbacca!
• Bob May, "Lost In Space" Robot, Has Died
• Happy 74th Birthday, R2-D2!
• Easter Eggs of the Dark Side