Andy Whitfield: Ashes to ashes, dust to dust

The actor, whose other credits included the 2010 film The Clinic and the 2007 movie Gabriel, had to step away from his role on “Spartacus” after he was diagnosed with recurring non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Whitfield, who was relatively unknown before he was cast as Spartacus, played the title role in all 13 episodes of Starz network’s first series screened in 2010, and was about to shoot the second series when he was diagnosed with cancer. He was then replaced on “Spartacus” by Australian actor Liam McIntyre, reported Reuters.

According to Starz website, the Welsh born actor moved to Australia 10 years ago, where he attended drama school in Sydney and gained experience as an actor, while also working as a diagnostic engineer — a job that required him to repel down tall buildings. He had also worked as a freelance photographer.

The young actor leaves behind a wife and two children. Vashti Whitfield, his wife, said in a statement, “Our beautiful young warrior Andy Whitfield lost his 18-month battle with lymphoma cancer, in the arms of his loving wife, surrounded by his family.”

Starz President and CEO Chris Albrecht said in a statement. “Andy was an inspiration to all of us as he faced this very personal battle with courage, strength and grace. Thank you to all his fans whose love and support helped carry him to this point. He will be remembered as the inspiring, courageous and gentle man, father and husband he was.”

“Spartacus: Blood and Sand”, which premiered on January 22, 2010, was a hit action-adventure drama series set in the brutal Roman gladiator era. The series was inspired by the historical figure of Spartacus (played by Whitfield), a Thracian gladiator who from 73 to 71 BC led a major slave uprising against the Roman Republic. Against all odds, Spartacus’ rebellious instincts, his intense love for his wife and his powerful fighting skills drive him to survive and win near-impossible battles. According to Starz.com, Whitfield had described Spartacus as having a dangerous edge, being “a beast with a heart” and a fire that burns within.


The premiere episode of the series set a record for Starz, with 553,000 viewers on their network, and for the rest of the season, the show had an average of 1.285 million viewers. Robert Lloyd of the Los Angeles Times called Whitfield as Spartacus as “handsome and buff and smart and beastly”.

According to BBC, in an interview with the Deadline Hollywood website last year, Whitfield said that having cancer had taught him some important lessons. “After the initial shock — I was a healthy young man and had no idea this could happen — it was frustrating that the first season was ending on such a high note.” But he added he then found “time to heal, figure things out and spend time with my family. Stay in the now and enjoy every moment.”

Some celebrities who lost their battle with cancer

Farah Fawcett — Anal cancer, died June 25, 2009

Nazia Hassan — Lung cancer, died on August 13, 2000

Patrick Swayze — Pancreatic cancer, died September 14, 2009

Bette Davis — Breast cancer, died October 6, 1989



Published in The Express Tribune, September 13^th, 2011.