Kenny Baker, ‘Star Wars’ actor, dies at 83; portrayed R2-D2 in movie franchise

The English actor who portrayed R2-D2 in the first six Star Wars films died Saturday after suffering from a long illness. He was 83.

Kenny Baker began entertaining audiences in 1950 as a circus performance before landing his first acting role for British television in the 1960s. His claim to fame came in 1977, however, when he appeared in George Lucas’ original Star Wars as R2-D2, a fictional robot that remains one of the franchise’s most memorable characters nearly four decades later.

The 3 foot 8 inch actor was credited as playing the droid in the original Star Wars trilogy in the ’70s and ’80s, and revisited the character in prequels released between 1999 and 2005. Most recently he served as a character consultant in the series’ latest installment, 2015’s “The Force Awakens,” and previously appeared in other films including “The Elephant Man,” “Time Bandits” and “Flash Gordon.”

Abigail Shield, Mr. Baker’s niece, confirmed the actor’s death to The Guardian on Saturday.

“It was expected, but it’s sad nonetheless. He had a very long and fulfilled life. He brought lots of happiness to people and we’ll be celebrating the fact that he was well loved throughout the world. We’re all very proud of what he achieved in his lifetime,” she told the British newspaper.

On his personal website, Mr. Baker credited the Shaftesbury Society, a Christian group that cares for disabled youth, with helping him overcome difficulties related to his dwarfism.

“When he was a child, he was told that he probably wouldn’t survive through puberty, being a little person in those times, they didn’t have a very good life expectancy. He did extremely well in his life,” Ms. Shield told The Guardian.