Andy Whitfield

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Andy Whitfield in San Diego (2010)

Andy Whitfield (born October 17, 1971 in Amlwch , Wales , † September 11, 2011 in Sydney , New South Wales ) was a British - Australian actor and model . He gained fame primarily through his participation in the US television series Spartacus (2010), in which he played the title hero.

Life

Whitfield was the only son of Robert and Pat Whitfield on the Welsh island of Anglesey , where he grew up and attended the Ysgol Syr Thomas Jones high school in Amlwch. His sister Laura, two years older than him, works as a nurse in Cardiff . After high school he studied civil engineering at the University of Sheffield and later worked in the London construction industry for five years . In 1999 he moved to Sydney , Australia with his future wife . Whitfield worked there as a consulting engineer or " descender ". A year after his arrival in Australia, he was discovered by a photographer in a cafe in Sydney and, encouraged by his wife, worked part-time as a photo model. As a model, he appeared in around 40 advertising campaigns in Europe and Asia. He later started taking acting classes and also working as a photographer.

Whitfield made his Australian television debut in 2004 with a guest role on the hospital series All Saints . Previously, he said he had auditioned in Los Angeles several times without success . Acting and auditions were difficult for him at the beginning: "To model, you just have to show up," Whitfield said in a 2003 interview with a Sydney newspaper. Further roles in short films followed. After giving birth to his first child, Whitfield decided to give up his acting career. In 2007, to his own surprise, he was offered the title role in the Australian feature film Gabriel - Die Rache ist mein, directed by the debut director Shane Abbess , which he took on on the advice of his wife. In the action drama, Whitfield was seen as the last remaining archangel , who stands against the forces of darkness to save the purgatory , the intermediate realm between heaven and hell. The gritty, $ 150,000 Australian comic book adaptation, which only came about because payments could be deferred and the digital camera borrowed, became a box office success despite mixed reviews and instantly made Whitfield known to a broad Australian audience. Sony Pictures Entertainment would later secure the worldwide publication rights to Gabriel .

After making his feature film debut, the dark-haired actor appeared in 2008 with guest roles in the Australian series The Strip , Packed to the Rafters and McLeod's Daughters . In late March 2009 it was announced that Whitfield would take the title role in the US series Spartacus (2010). The television production with Lucy Lawless and John Hannah , made in New Zealand in 2009, is conceived in the style of comic book adaptations such as 300 or Sin City and freely takes on the story of the Roman slave and gladiator of the same name . In previous film adaptations, Massimo Girotti ( Spartacus, the rebel of Rome , 1953), Kirk Douglas ( Spartacus , 1960) and Goran Višnjić ( Spartacus , 2004) had the role. The series, for which among other things producer Sam Raimi was responsible, was broadcast on January 22, 2010 on US pay TV by Starz . Also in 2009, Whitfield finished filming the Australian horror film The Clinic . In 2010 he was nominated for the Actor Award of the Festival de Télévision de Monte-Carlo for his performance in Spartacus , which was awarded to Michael C. Hall ( Dexter ).

Whitfield was married to his ex-girlfriend, Vashti, who runs a staff training company. The relationship has two children (born in 2005 and 2007). Whitfield lived in Paddington near Sydney and was a. a. avid motorcyclist. In 2007 he was granted Australian citizenship.

In early March 2010, Whitfield's cancer ( non-Hodgkin's lymphoma ) was announced, which is why filming for the second season of Spartacus in New Zealand was suspended. After the condition was identified and treated at an early stage, the actor was due to return to filming for the second season in October 2010. In September, however, the television station Starz announced that the disease had broken out again and Whitfield was not available for the continuation of the series. In the meantime, the six-part prequel Spartacus: Gods of the Arena (2011) was created without Whitfield's participation . In January 2011, after his condition worsened, Australian actor Liam McIntyre was presented as his successor.

After the recent deterioration in his health, Whitfield succumbed to cancer on September 11, 2011 at the age of 39 in a hospice in Sydney, New South Wales. For the last 12 months of his life, Whitfield was accompanied by a documentary crew who documented his fight against the disease. The documentary, titled Be Here Now , was released on Netflix on March 1, 2017.

Filmography

Web links

Commons : Andy Whitfield  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b cf. Taylor, Belle: Angels duke it out in purgatory and bed . In: The West Australian (Perth), November 16, 2007, p. 6
  2. ↑ a b c cf. McWhirter, Erin: A leap of faith . In: The Advertiser (Australia), November 15, 2007, p. 54
  3. ↑ a b c d cf. Trewyn, Hywel: Heaven sent . In: Daily Post (Liverpool), September 22, 2007, p. 3
  4. ↑ a b c cf. Dent, Nick: On The Verge . In: Sunday Magazine (Perth, Australia), November 4, 2007, p. 10
  5. ↑ a b c Associated Press : Andrew Dalton: 'Spartacus' star Whitfield dies of lymphoma at 39 . September 11, 2011. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
  6. ↑ a b c cf. Kennedy, Douglas: Luck finds angel Andy . In: The Sunday Mail (Australia), November 11, 2007, p. 9
  7. ↑ cf. Koch, Phillip: More than just looks - Models learn show biz to promote their talent . In: The Sunday Telegraph (Sydney, Australia), March 2, 2003 (accessed January 3, 2010 via LexisNexis Wirtschaft)
  8. ↑ a b cf. Carmona, Bianca: On a wing and a prayer . In: Sydney MX (Australia), November 20, 2007, p. 17
  9. ↑ cf. Spartacus announces iPhone game, comic book . In: Nerdage, July 23, 2009 10:47 AM EST (accessed January 3, 2010 via LexisNexis Business )
  10. ↑ cf. Catlin, Roger: Starz Finds a Spartacus . In: TV Eye, March 30, 2009, 11:50 PM EST (accessed January 3, 2010 via LexisNexis Business )
  11. ↑ cf. Starz Returns to the Arena With More 'Spartacus' . In: Entertainment Business Newsweekly, January 10, 2010, p. 148 (accessed January 3, 2010 via LexisNexis Wirtschaft )
  12. ^ Monte-Carlo TV Festival Awards 2010 in the Internet Movie Database (accessed on September 12, 2011).
  13. ↑ cf. Andy Whitfield - Actor . In: Sunday Telegraph (Australia), November 11, 2007, p. 24
  14. ↑ cf. Hibberd, James: 'Spartacus' halts production ( Memento of the original from March 13, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.hollywoodreporter.com archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. at hollywoodreporter.com, March 9, 2010 (accessed March 10, 2010)
  15. ↑ cf. Lang, Sarah: Andy Whitfield - the fight of his life at nzherald.co.nz, September 26, 2010 (accessed September 29, 2010)
  16. ↑ cf. The Associated Press : Whitfield leaves 'Spartacus' for 2nd cancer battle . September 19, 2010 at 01:04 AM GMT
  17. ↑ Spartacus star Andy Whitfield, 39, this in Sydney . News Australia . September 11, 2011. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
  18. ^ Spartacus: Documentation on Andy Whitfield's cancer seeks donors . serienjunkies.de. June 11, 2012. Retrieved October 31, 2012.
personal data
SURNAME Whitfield, Andy
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British-Australian actor and model
DATE OF BIRTH 17th October 1971
PLACE OF BIRTH Amlwch , Wales, United Kingdom
DATE OF DEATH September 11, 2011
Place of death Sydney , New South Wales, Australia