Andy Whitfield is a Welsh born Australian actor, model and former engineer. He was born to Robert and Pat Whitfield in Amlwch, Wales and moved to Australia in 1999. He has a sister, Laura.
Before becoming an actor, Whitfield worked as an engineer. Whitfield attended Screenwise Film & TV School for Actors in Sydney Australia. He has appeared in several Australian television series, such as Opening Up, All Saints, The Strip, Packed to the Rafters and McLeod's Daughters. He gained his first prominent role in the Australian supernatural film Gabriel. Whitfield also stars in the 2010 television series Spartacus: Blood and Sand, which is filmed in New Zealand. He plays the part of Spartacus, a soldier condemned to fight as a gladiator and who ultimately leads a rebellion against the Romans. Whitfield also appears in the upcoming Australian thriller The Clinic, set for release in 2010, which was shot in Deniliquin.
Whitfield is married to his wife Vashti and has two children.
In March 2010, he was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma and will begin treatment immediately in New Zealand. As a result, production on the second season of Spartacus - which was scheduled to get underway later this month - has been delayed.
