I was so sad to read of the passing of Welsh actor Andy Whitfield, gone so young at age 39 from cancer.  He was the primary reason I watched the STARZ series Spartacus – his tremendous, subtle and shaded acting made the character real to me. The series itself was a lot grittier than anything I normally watch. As we say in my house, I watched a lot of it with my eyes closed! But I couldn’t stay away from the believable portrayal Mr. Whitfield gave of a man in terrible conditions maintaining his dignity, staying true to his inner compass and evolving into the earliest stages of becoming a legend. (Netflix, you should thank him for getting me hooked on your streaming services!) Not to detract in the least from the performances given by the other wonderful members of the cast… I am sorry we won’t get to see where he would have taken the character next, or what other roles he would have embodied. My sincere condolences to his wife and very young children.