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Andy Whitfield , who played the title role in the hit cable series " Spartacus: Blood and Sand ," has died at age 39, according to representatives and family. Whitfield died Sunday in Sydney, Australia, 18 months after he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, manager Sam Maydew told the Associated Press. "On a beautiful sunny Sydney spring morning, surrounded by his family, in the arms of his loving wife, our beautiful young warrior Andy Whitfield lost his 18 month battle with lymphoma cancer," Whitfield's wife Vashti said in a statement. "He passed peacefully surrounded by love. Thank you to all his fans whose love and support have help carry him to this point. He will be remembered as the inspiring, courageous and gentle man, father and husband he was." Andy Whitfield — who was born in Wales and moved to Australia in 1999 — was a virtual unknown when he was cast as the legendary Thracian slave in "Spartacus," a role made famous by ...

Starz's "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" Keeping It's Viewers If you haven't seen this show then you are missing out on one of the best shows on TV right now. The series focuses on the historical figure of Spartacus (played by Andy Whitfield), a Thracian gladiator who from 73 to 71 BC led a major slave uprising against the Roman Republic. Executive producers Steven S. DeKnight and Robert Tapert focused on structuring the events of Spartacus' obscure early life leading to the records of history. Several of cable's big-ticket midseason shows are getting a lukewarm response from viewers, but there's at least one new series demonstrating growth potential. Among the current field of major scripted projects on cable -- including Syfy's "Caprica," AMC's "Breaking Bad" and TNT's "SouthlandSouthland" -- it's the ratings for Starz's "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" that buck the trend. Though the drama has...