An actor's calling card can be his only, not always the main role. This is exactly what happened with the English performer Kenny Baker. He became famous for his role as the robot R2-D2 in the legendary epic of George Lucas "Star Wars". Also a gifted artist is known as a musician.
Kenneth George "Kenny" Baker began his film career in the 1960s. One of the most sought-after Hollywood artists, he was made not only by his specific appearance, but also by considerable talent.
Vocation
The biography of the future celebrity began in 1934. The boy was born in Birmingham, England on August 24 in the family of an engraver. Kenny studied at the Kent Boarding School. As the only child in the family, Baker dreamed of continuing his father's work. However, he failed to get an education.
The boy was strikingly different from his peers from early childhood. However, this did not have a negative impact on his character. Kenny had a great desire for creativity, everyone was amazed by the wealth of the inner world. These qualities remained with him forever. Baker showed great sense of purpose. There were no insurmountable obstacles for him.
He found his calling unexpectedly. On the street in 1951, a stranger approached the young man who identified himself as a theater employee. He invited Baker to work in the troupe. After Kenny's consent, his artistic career began. He worked in a circus, shone on the cabaret stage. The artist always knew how to captivate the audience. Kenny's skill was also appreciated by professionals.
An assistant director drew attention to the extraordinary artist in the early sixties. He was just looking for a performer for one role. Kenny fit perfectly into the type. An employee suggested that Baker star in a horror film. No samples were required: the applicant was approved immediately.
On the screen, Kenny played the role of a dwarf. True, the appearance of his hero lasted so little time that the name of the debutant was not indicated in the credits. But the audience remembered the charming little man.
In the course of action in post-war England there is a search for the surgeon Rossiter, after whose operation the patient suffered. The doctor manages to escape to France with assistants. Under a new name, the doctor meets the owner of the circus, Vane. He is concerned about the condition of his daughter, disfigured after the bombing. After the operation, Nicole becomes a beauty again. The grateful parent makes the girl's savior a co-owner of the circus. However, after his mysterious death, Shuler remains the sole owner of the business.
He does not change his profession. Even during the band's successful tour of Europe, the new director changes the appearance of the newly recruited artists and keeps everyone subservient under the threat of exposing their dark past. Dissatisfied with his appearance. For girls, the doctor offers operations, after which the patients are transformed. However, the price is life in the Shuler's "Temple of Beauty", in his circus. Those wishing to leave the doctor soon die.
Successful career
The new work was "The Man of the World". True, the artist got a small role there too. This was followed by filming in "Time Bandit", "Amadea", "Labyrinth" and "Mona Lisa". By the end of the seventies, Kenny could fully call himself an experienced artist. Work in the circus also became an excellent school for him.
Director George Lucas invited Kenny to participate in his film "Star Wars". At first, Baker weighed the pros and cons. HE was well aware that the work would take a lot of time. Therefore, performances in the circus will have to be shortened. The future performer hesitated, not wanting to let down employers and fans.
Lucas decided on a trick: he handed Ken neither the script. After reading it, the actor never hesitated for a moment. He gave his consent. In the story, the entire galaxy is in the power of the emperor. Princess Leia Organa, who became one of the rebels, decides to ask for help. She sends droids to search for companions. By chance, C-3PO and R2-D2 end up with pilot Luke Skywalker. Hero Kenny escapes to find Kenobi. Thanks to the droid, the pilot learns who he is and what happened in the past. Together with Obi-Wan, he goes to Leia's aid.
The Jedi recruit the smuggler Han Solo to their side. He helps save the princess. Ahead they will face a difficult battle with enemies.
Baker had a very difficult time on the set. However, the artist coped with all the overlaps and difficulties. He took part in most of the episodes of the space saga. Although the droid did not appear in the third episode, the name of the performer of his role was included in the list of the main actors of all parts. The audience really liked the bright character. 1983 in Star Wars. Episode VI: Return of the Jedi the performer also played one of the Ewoks.
Confession
In the eighties, the famous droid took part in the Muppet Show. In the same period, Kenny starred in the fantasy film "Flash Gordon" in the form of a dwarf. According to the plot, the dictator of the planet Monroe came up with the destruction of the Earth. The main character and his girlfriend decide to defeat the enemy.
In the fantasy tale "Bandits of Time", Baker got one of the main characters, Fitgub. The story begins with the sudden appearance of six strange characters in an old carriage in Kevin's room. The company takes the boy with them, fleeing the Creature pursuing them.
On the way, the dwarfs explain to the new fellow traveler that because of the disagreements that have begun between them and the Supreme Being, they have to flee from the former boss, moving in time. But the Spirit of Evil also hunts for them. On the way, companies meet historical figures. They are often presented in a comic light.
Outcomes
He played the actor of Nelvin and the elf in Willow and Sleeping Beauty, as Dufflepad in Prince Caspian and sailing in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
Since the late nineties, the actor has mastered the stand-up genre. The performer performed with a harmonica. His mastery of the instrument delighted the guests of the prestigious party at Silverstone. Baker's game was called a musical event.
In 1997, the artist organized his own comedy show. In the cartoon The King and I in 1999, Kenny voiced Captain Orton.
Baker was also happy in his personal life. He and his wife, circus performer Eileen, had two children. After her death, Valerie Gail became Kenny's wife. The performer passed away in 2016, on August 13.
