Andy Whitfield, who starred in cable television’s series “Spartacus”, has died from complications of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. The actor was 39. Whitfield had been battling the illness for 18 months.
Whitfield, who was born in Wales and moved to Australia, was cast in the leading role in the Starz networks “Spartacus: Blood and Sand,” reprising the role that had been played by Kirk Douglas in the Stanley Kubrick movie “Spartacus.”
The first season which was aired in 2010 featured 13 episodes, and achieved instant notoriety for its graphic violence and sexuality. The second season, “Spartacus: Gods of the Arena,” was a six part prequel in which Whitfield only provided brief voice overs. By January of this year, Whitfield was so sick that the network announced that Australian actor Liam McIntyre had taken over the lead role.
At times the series could be hard to watch because of the extreme violence, but the show was a depiction of gladiators; not tea parties.