Kenny Baker
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| Kenny Baker | |
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 Baker at a science fiction convention |
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| Born | August 24, 1934 Birmingham, England |
Kenneth George "Kenny" Baker (born August 24, 1934) is a British dwarf actor and occasional musician, known as the man inside R2-D2 in the popular Star Wars film series.
Baker, who stands 3 feet, 8 inches (112 cm) tall, was a circus and cabaret performer with entertainer Jack Purvis when George Lucas hired him to be the man inside R2-D2 in Star Wars in 1977.
Baker appears in five of the six Star Wars films; though credited on Episode III, he never filmed any scenes. George Lucas decided to credit him in the film out of loyalty.[citation needed] Baker played an additional role in 1983's Return of the Jedi as Paploo, the Ewok who steals an Imperial speeder bike. He was originally going to play Wicket W. Warrick, but he fell ill, and that role was handed over to Warwick Davis.
Baker's other films include The Elephant Man, Time Bandits (also with Purvis), Amadeus and Jim Henson's Labyrinth. On television, he appeared in the British medical drama Casualty.
In the late 1990s, Baker launched a brief stand up comedy career. Baker played harmonica with the James Coutts Scottish Dance Band at Hugh McCaig's Silverstone Party in July 1997. Baker currently resides in Preston, England. While both he and his late wife have dwarfism, their two sons do not.
