Via StarWars.com:

At just three feet eight inches tall, he may not be the tallest person in the world. But what he lacks in height, he more than makes up in personality and charm. Born in 1934 in Birmingham, England, Kenny Baker celebrated his 80th birthday at the end of August and with it, 64 years in show business.

At 16 he was performing with Burton Lester’s Midgets and later joined Billy Smart’s Circus as a clown and shadow Ringmaster. He then spent almost a decade appearing on and off the ice performing in dazzling ice shows and pantomimes. It was after this that he then formed The Minitones, a musical comedy act with friend Jack Purvis, which toured the country performing cabaret twice nightly.

It was only then that he landed the role of R2-D2 (Artoo) in Star Wars, some 27 years after his career began, insisting that he’d only take on the role if something was found for Jack, too. Both went on to appear in all three of the original trilogy films and Kenny reprised his role for the prequels, as well as for the Disney ride Star Tours, and he’s also returning to Star Wars for Episode VII.

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