“Spartacus” star Andy Whitfield has died after an 18-month battle with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He was 39.
Whitfield seemed to rise out of obscurity to play the title role in the uber-violent Starz drama. After a smash first season, Whitfield was diagnosed. Starz wanted to keep him so badly in the production, the network made the decision to air a prequel series. Whitfield went in remission and was cleared last year to return to shoot the second season of the show - then his cancer returned. Whitfield died in Sydney, Australia, surrounded by his family.
Months ago, with his blessing, Starz recast the role of Spartacus. Relative newcomer Liam McIntyre takes over the role when the show returns early next year. He has some mighty big sandals to fill.
Whitfield’s “Spartacus” co-star Lucy Lawless told Entertainment Weekly, “Obviously, Andy Whitfield left an indelible mark on all of us in the ‘Spartacus’ family. He was a gentle man who never said a bad word about anyone, a gifted photographer, engineer (no really!) and a brilliant actor. Andy’s incandescent film presence made men want to be him and women want to marry him. … How lucky we were to have him grace all our lives. Godspeed, Andy!”
It’s always a shock when someone so young and seemingly so fit dies. Whitfield was a tremendous talent and had a huge future ahead of him. This one stings today, people. To his fans and his family, all I can say is at least his work will live on.
Here’s a behind-the-scenes video with Whitfield talking about his prep work for the series in “gladiator camp.” He will be missed.
No comments:
Post a Comment