Andy Whitfield: July 1972 – September 2011.

Vale Andy Whitfield

It was a sad shock to hear that Andy Whitfield, the leading man of ‘Gabriel’ and ‘Spartacus: Blood and Sand’ has died at the age of 39.

Andy joined us as a guest with writer-director Shane Abbess and a phalanx of cast and crew at the then Greater Union Cinemas in Bondi, in November, 2007, where he discussed putting it all on the line for a film that was truly a collaborative, from-the-heart effort.

To give you some idea of how much of a collaborative effort it was, the guests for the night were:

Shane Abbess – Director
Andy Whitfield – Star
Matt Hylten Todd – Producer / Writer
Matt Graham – Post Production Supervisor
Brian Cachia – Composer

Andy was so committed to his role as Gabriel, he literally became hypothermic during the shoot’s final climactic scenes.

This evening was one of the cornerstones of Popcorn Taxi’s history. With a minuscule budget aimed at a worldwide audience, Gabriel was a rarity in Australian film-making, a genre piece that was unashamed at aiming for a wider audience and a beacon for other filmmakers in Australia keen to emulate the same success.

The film went on to become a cult inspiration in the US, and since then director Shane Abbess has been steadily involved in the Hollywood scene working with A-List producers on a myriad of big name projects.

Shane’s success has been less obvious that Andy’s, who went on to mega stardom as the lead in ‘Spartacus: Blood and Sand’, which comes as no surprise to those who saw his strong performance in ‘Gabriel’.

His commitment as an actor was phsyicalized in a role that required a strict workout regime. Andy created a physique rarely seen outside the covers of ‘Men’s Health’ for a show that was an extremely popular mix of gladiatorial violence and gladiatorial sex. It was not for the faint of heart audience, nor the faint of heart actor.

Andy was also known to Australian audiences for his work in ‘All Saints’ and ‘Packed to the Rafters’. Andy was born in Anglesey in Wales, but made Sydney his home, moving to Australia in 1999. He was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in March of 2010, and immediately sought treatment, having to relinquish his role in ‘Spartacus’. He was so integral to the production, the series only continued as a prequel of six episodes.

In June 2011, he was reportedly given a clean bill of health by doctors and seemingly was ready to return to a career that was blossoming.
Earlier this month he received the news that the cancer had returned. He died yesterday in the arms of his wife, Vashti.

He leaves behind two children.

Having met Andy only briefly with his friends and colleagues we were struck by his candour, commitment and humour; we can only imagine how devastated his friends and family are at the sad news.

“It’s heartbreaking, truly. Everyone talks about the loss of an amazing artist but more importantly, we lost an amazing human being. Someone who put family and friends beyond anything else and valued life for every precious second it held. If there ever a life to celebrate, Andy’s was it. He will live on in our hearts and minds. I will forever miss my friend and be grateful for the impact he made on me. My heart goes out to his beautiful family.”
Shane Abbess – September 12, 2011

Here is the uncut audio from that evening back in November 2007:

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