12 Dec 2016

Spartacus and Me

From Afternoons, 3:08 pm on 12 December 2016
Spartacus and Me book cover

When an actor takes on a physically challenging role like Spartacus, a little back pain doesn't seem unusual. But for Sydney-based actor Andy Whitfield, the pain he experienced while filming Spartacus: Blood and Sand in New Zealand turned out to be cancer. He died at the age of 39.

In a new book, his widow Vashti Whitfield writes about the real life gladiator he would become, fighting disease and the unbearable pain of leaving behind a wife and two children.

Andy Whitfield in Spartacus

Andy Whitfield in Spartacus Photo: Supplied