A native Welshman transplanted to Australia, Andy Whitfield was born July 17, 1974. Before becoming a thespian, he attended England's Sheffield University, earned a living as an engineer and building inspector in London and appeared in ads in Asia and Europe.

Whitfield broke into acting in 2004 with a part on the popular Australian medical series "All Saints." Three years later, he landed the lead in the gothic action film Gabriel. Though Whitfield was unfamiliar to American audiences, that quickly changed in 2010 when he took on the starring role -- with a commanding air -- in the Starz series "Spartacus."

But Whitfield's success was to be short-lived. While preparing for the second season of "Spartacus," he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and succumbed to the disease Sept. 11, 2011.