Kenneth Colley, a fan favorite for playing the villain Admiral Piett in the original Star Wars trilogy, has died.
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The veteran actor passed away at his home in Ashford, Kent, on Monday, according to The New York Post, citing Colley’s agent, Julian Owen.
“Ken Colley was one of our finest character actors with a career spanning 60 years,” Owen told The Post.
Owen also confirmed that Colley was hospitalized with an arm injury after a fall. He later developed pneumonia from COVID. He was 87.
“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,” Owen added.
Kenneth Colley Became a Fan Favorite at Star Wars Conventions
Colley’s agent also noted how the actor endeared himself to Star Wars fans with appearances at conventions over the years.
“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.”
Colley was born on December 7, 1937, in Manchester, Lancashire. Early in his career, he appeared in TV shows like The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes, Special Branch, The Sweeney and Pennies from Heaven, according to his IMDb.
In 1980, Colley became part of the iconic “Star Wars” franchise, portraying one of Darth Vader’s (often intimidated and beleaguered) Imperial officers in The Empire Strikes Back. He reprised the role in the 1983 sequel Return of the Jedi, alongside stars like Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Billy Dee Williams, and Carrie Fisher.
Almost three decades later, Colley returned to voice Admiral Piett in the 2012 animated TV film Lego Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out.
Other movies Colley appeared in included Firefox, War and Remembrance, Measure for Measure, Return to Waterloo, The Whistle Blower, The Plot to Kill Hitler and The Rainbow. He also directed the 2007 horror movie Greetings starring Kirsty Cox, Henry Dunn and Ben Shockley.