Andrew Whitfield | |
|---|---|
 Whitfield atSan Diego Comic-Con, July 2010 | |
| Born | (1971-10-17)17 October 1971 Amlwch, Anglesey, Wales |
| Died | 11 September 2011(2011-09-11) (aged 39) Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2004–2011 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
Andrew Whitfield (17 October 1971 – 11 September 2011) was a Welsh actor.[1] He was best known for his leading role in theStarz television seriesSpartacus: Blood and Sand.[2]
Andrew Whitfield was born on October 17, 1971, inAmlwch, Anglesey, Whitfield and his family came to live inBull Bay, Anglesey, Wales in 1976.[3] He attended Ysgol Gynradd Amlwch and thenYsgol Syr Thomas Jones until the age of 18.[4][5] He studied civil engineering atSheffield Hallam University in England.[6] He moved toAustralia in 1999 to work as an engineer inLidcombe, before later settling in Sydney.[7][8] He appeared in several Australian television series, such asOpening Up,All Saints,The Strip,Packed to the Rafters, andMcLeod's Daughters.
Whitfield gained his first prominent role in the 2007 Australian supernatural filmGabriel.[9] He also starred in the 2010 television seriesSpartacus: Blood and Sand, which was filmed in New Zealand.[9] Whitfield also appeared in the Australian thrillerThe Clinic starring oppositeTabrett Bethell (ofLegend of the Seeker fame) which was shot inDeniliquin.[10]
In August 2010, Whitfield teamed up withFreddie Wong and created a 2-minuteYouTube video named "Time Crisis", based on the video game series of thesame name.[11] Whitfield made a brief, uncredited voice-only appearance in the prequel mini-seriesSpartacus: Gods of the Arena, which premiered on 21 January 2011.[12]
A documentary titledBe Here Now premiered at the 2015 Los Angeles Film Festival.[13] It follows Whitfield and his family as he undergoeschemotherapy treatment fornon-Hodgkin lymphoma.[14] It was later released on Netflix asBe Here Now: The Andy Whitfield Story.[15]
In March 2010, Whitfield was diagnosed with stage IV non-Hodgkin lymphoma and began undergoing immediate treatment in New Zealand.[16] This delayed production of season two ofSpartacus: Vengeance.[16] While waiting for Whitfield's treatment and expected recovery, Starz produced a six-part prequel,Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, with only a brief voiceover from the actor. Although declared cancer-free in June 2010, a routine medical check in September 2010 revealed a relapse[17] and Whitfield was compelled to abandon the role.[18][19][20] Starz recast Australian actorLiam McIntyre as Whitfield's successor.[21]
On 11 September 2011, Whitfield died ofnon-Hodgkin lymphoma inSydney, Australia, 18 months after his initial cancer diagnosis.[1][22]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Gabriel | Gabriel | |
| 2010 | The Clinic | Cameron Marshall | |
| 2015 | Be Here Now | Himself | Released posthumously |
| 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) |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
