KENNY BAKER

Kenny Baker passed away today at the age of 81. His role as R2D2 in the Star Wars saga and his appearance in Terry Gilliam's Time Bandits loomed large in my imagination as a young teen. Lucas had said Baker was the heart of R2, but indeed he was the heart of the story itself. Although Luke's journey resonated with us on the grand scale of human mythology, R2-D2 served as our eyes and ears. Baker's R2 was our everyman, rolling us through the emotions of the saga with his emotive beeps and movements. I'd hoped to see Baker recently at the London Film and Comic Con, but I was pretty tied up with Doctor Who stuff. Sad to have missed him in person, and sad we have lost one of our beloved icons of the era. Below: Baker on set of Star Wars and more recently with director George Lucas.