Star Wars actor Kenneth Colley dies: Star who played Admiral Piett in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi dead at 87
A star of the original Star Wars films actor Kenneth Colley has died at the age of 87. The actor passed away after contracting Covid and developing pneumonia, his agent has said.
The English film and television star, described as “one of our finest character actors”, is best known for starring in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi as Admiral Piett, an imperial officer in command of Darth Vader’s flagship.
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Hide AdColley’s agent of 10 years, Julian Owen, issued a statement which said that he died “peacefully” on Monday June 30 in Ashford, Kent. The statement said: “He had been admitted after a fall with an injured arm, however he quickly contracted Covid which developed into pneumonia. He passed away peacefully with friends at his bedside.
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“Ken Colley was one of our finest character actors with a career spanning 60 years. Ken continually worked on stage, film and television playing a vast array of characters, from Jesus in Monty Python’s Life of Brian to evil and eccentric characters in Ken Russell films, and the Duke of Vienna in Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure for the BBC.”
In later years he reprised his role of Admiral Piett when he voiced the character in the 2012 animated Lego production, Lego Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out. He also had parts in international productions including Clint Eastwood’s Firefox and the Second World War series War and Remembrance.
The statement added: “Ken’s favourite part was playing Estragon in the stage production of Beckett’s classic Waiting for Godot at the Cockpit Theatre in London in 2014. Ken’s participation in Star Wars led him to being invited to conventions and official fan events all over the World where he remains one of the best loved actors from the original trilogy.
“Ken loved his garden, art collecting and had a passion for fast cars.”
Colley played Jesus in Monty Python’s Life of Brian alongside comedy legends John Cleese, Graham Chapman and Michael Palin.
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