Whitfield was a virtual unknown when he was cast as the legendary Thracian slave in Spartacus, a role made famous by Kirk Douglas in the Stanley Kubrick film. The series proved a break-out hit for the Starz network and made waves with its graphic violence and sexuality. Whitfield appeared in all 13 episodes of the first season that aired in , and was preparing to shoot the second when he was diagnosed with cancer. While waiting for Whitfield's treatment and expected recovery, the network produced a six-part prequel, Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, that aired earlier this year with only a brief voice-over from the actor.
But in January, after Whitfield's condition grew worse, the network announced that another Australian actor, Liam McIntyre, would take over the role. At the same time, Whitfield released his own statement acknowledging the decision: 'It's with a deep sense of disappointment that I must step aside from such an exceptional project as Spartacus and all the wonderful people involved,' he said.
Spartacus director Steve DeKnight took to Twitter to express his pain. You will be deeply missed, my brother,' he wrote. Spartacus co-star Lucy Lawless said on her website Whitfield was a "gentle man who never had a bad world about anyone".
She went on to say that Whitfield was a brilliant actor and a gifted photographer and engineer. The gladiator: Whitfield was a virtual unknown when he was cast as the legendary Thracian slave in Spartacus. Co-star: Lucy Lawless starred alongside Whitfield in Spartacus and paid tribute saying he was a 'gentle man'.
Another person who spoke highly of the actor was Starz president and CEO Chris Albrecht who said: ' We were fortunate to have worked with Andy in Spartacus and came to know that the man who played a champion on-screen was also a champion in his own life. Whitfield is survived by his wife Vashti and his two children. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.
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Production on the second season was supposed to start soon. It seems that it is time for myself and my family to embark on another extraordinary journey. No decisions have yet been made about the future of the series. Underlying it all was this feeling it was all going to be OK. And so it seemed. Yet not for long.
In September , Andy had a routine medical ahead of filming the second series of Spartacus. The next day, a biopsy confirmed their worst fears: the cancer was back, and this time the prognosis was much more severe.
Cherished memories: Vashti with Jesse and Indigo, the children she had with Andy. They are reminded of him every time they see a butterfly.
The resistant cancer cells are the ones that continue to grow and so you have to try a different type of chemotherapy. Without treatment Andy had three months to live, while even with further intervention a successful outcome was far less likely. The treatment now called for an aggressive form of chemo, followed, if successful, by a stem-cell transplant. Andy remained positive, inviting a documentary team to share his journey.
In early , Andy embarked on his first round of high-level chemotherapy with a new drug regimen. This time the experience was markedly different. Some days he could barely drag himself out of bed. After six weeks, a full body scan showed only a mild improvement, which was another blow. The second series of sessions left Andy weak and spending more time in hospital — although a scan showed the cancer had reduced by 50 per cent, a major change, yet far from enough.
In May , Andy embarked on his final round of chemo. The big, strong man I had fallen in love with was now so fragile it was as if he was made out of tissue paper. His wife, Vashti, described him as "our beautiful young warrior". Whitfield was born in North Wales and moved to Australia in Thank you to all his fans whose love and support have helped carry him to this point.
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