Andy Whitfield
| Andy Whitfield | |
|---|---|
| File:Andy Whitfield by Gage Skidmore.jpg
Whitfield at the San Diego Comic-Con International, July 2010
|
|
| Born | Amlwch, Wales, United Kingdom |
| Died | 11 September 2011 Sydney, Australia |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2004–2011 |
| Spouse(s) | Vashti Whitfield (2001-2011) (his death) |
| Children | 2 |
Andy Whitfield (died 11 September 2011) was a Welsh actor.[1] He was best known for his leading role in the Starz television series Spartacus: Blood and Sand.[2]
Early life and career
Whitfield was born in Amlwch, Anglesey, Wales. He studied construction at Sheffield Hallam University in England.[3] He moved to Australia from Britain in 1999 to work as an engineer in Lidcombe, before later settling in Sydney.[4][5] He appeared in several Australian television series, such as Opening Up, All Saints, The Strip, Packed to the Rafters, and McLeod's Daughters.
Whitfield gained his first prominent role in the Australian supernatural film Gabriel.[6] He also starred in the 2010 television series Spartacus: Blood and Sand, which was filmed in New Zealand.[6] He portrays a version of the historical Spartacus, although in this retelling he is a conscripted soldier condemned to death who defeats all four of his executioners and is thereby recycled as a gladiator. The actual Spartacus, like this fictional version, led a rebellion against the Romans (the Third Servile War).[7] Whitfield also appeared in the Australian thriller The Clinic starring opposite Tabrett Bethell (of Legend of the Seeker fame) which was shot in Deniliquin.[8]
In August 2010, Whitfield teamed up with Freddie Wong and created a 2-minute YouTube video named "Time Crisis", based on the game Time Crisis.[9] Whitfield made a brief, uncredited voice-only appearance in the prequel mini-series Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, which premiered on 21 January 2011.[10]
Personal life
Whitfield met Vashti in London. The couple moved to Sydney and married in 2001. They had two children together.[11]
In March 2010, Whitfield was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma and began undergoing treatment immediately in New Zealand.[12] This delayed production of season two of Spartacus: Vengeance.[12] While waiting for Whitfield's treatment and expected recovery, the network produced a six-part prequel, Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, with only a brief uncredited voiceover from the actor. Although declared cancer-free in June 2010, a routine medical check in September 2010 revealed a relapse[13] and Whitfield was compelled to abandon the role.[14][15][16] Starz recast Australian actor Liam McIntyre as Whitfield's successor.[17]
Whitfield died of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in Sydney, Australia, on 11 September 2011, 18 months after his initial cancer diagnosis.[1][18]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Gabriel | Gabriel | |
| 2010 | The Clinic | Cameron Marshall |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | All Saints | Matthew Parkes | "Opening Up" (season 2, episode 7) |
| 2008 | The Strip | Charlie Palmer | Episodes 2 and 7 |
| 2008 | Packed to the Rafters | Nick Leigh | "All in the Planning" (season 1, episode 10) |
| 2008 | McLeod's Daughters | Brett Samuels | "Nowhere to Hide" (season 8, episode 4) |
| 2010 | Spartacus: Blood and Sand | Spartacus | Lead role, 13 episodes |
| 2011 | Spartacus: Gods of the Arena | Spartacus (voice only, uncredited) | "The Bitter End" (episode 6) |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Spartacus: Vengeance episode 201 ending credits at 54:00 time mark
- ↑ University of Sheffield Alumni Office & Sheffield Hallam University Alumni Office in England.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[dead link]
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Video on YouTube
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
External links
- Articles with dead external links from January 2012
- Use Australian English from October 2011
- All Wikipedia articles written in Australian English
- Use dmy dates from December 2013
- Pages with broken file links
- Articles with hCards
- 1971 births
- 2011 deaths
- Welsh male film actors
- Welsh male television actors
- British male film actors
- British male television actors
- 21st-century Welsh male actors
- Alumni of Sheffield Hallam University
- Deaths from cancer in New South Wales
- Deaths from lymphoma
- People from Anglesey
- Welsh emigrants to Australia
- British emigrants to Australia
- Year of birth missing
- Australian people of British descent
- Australian people of Welsh descent
- Australian people of English descent
