Ioane John Wiki
Ioane John Biography
Who was Ioane John?
A TV star has died at the age of 49 after a battle with cancer.
Ioane ‘John’ King, known for his role in the historical drama Spartacus, was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma cancer in January.It quickly spread to his pancreas and other organs, and he was told his condition was terminal.
The New Zealand actor began chemotherapy in March in an attempt to curb the disease.
King played the gladiator Rhaskos in Starz’s popular Spartacus franchise.
He first started working on the series as an extra.
However, after impressing the directors, his role was expanded and he was given a speaking role.
Manu Bennett, who played Crixus in Spartacus, paid tribute today.
He said: “John had a long battle with cancer, but he faced that fight with dignity and a constant determination not to be defeated.
“In Spartacus, John was cast as an extra, but with a powerful presence and ever-positive attitude among cast and crew, he earned the role of Rhaskos.
I remember John most fondly for his huge smile and the twinkle in his eyes as he welcomed me and others onto the set each day by offering me the gladiatorial handshake and acknowledging in his deep, raspy voice, “Brother! !”
“He was one of the guys who held the team together and wore the House Of Batiatus B mark on his forearm with such pride.
“Ioane (John) King was truly one of the brothers.”
Loved ones have started a fundraiser to support his wife Christelle. The couple had spent their life savings on a house six weeks before the actor was diagnosed with cancer.
The fundraising page reads: “To his family, John is our golden boy.
“To his friends, he is the most amazing and selfless soul we know.
“To everyone else, John is a wonderful outsider who makes this world better simply by being who he is.”
In 2011, Spartacus frontman Andy Whitfield died of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, 18 months after being diagnosed.
The Welsh actor’s career and diagnosis were covered in the 2015 documentary, Be Here Now: The Andy Whitfield Story.
