Curious World Staff
Kenneth Colley, best known for playing Admiral Piett in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, has died at age 87. His agent, Julian Owen, confirmed Colley passed away peacefully on Monday at his home in Ashford, Kent.
Colley was hospitalized after a fall left him with an arm injury. While there, he contracted C0V1D-19, which developed into pneumonia. Friends were by his side when he died.
“Ken Colley was one of our finest character actors with a career spanning 60 years,” Owen said in a statement, adding that Colley worked steadily across stage, film, and television. He was widely recognized not only for Star Wars but also for playing Jesus in Monty Python’s Life of Brian, roles in Ken Russell films, and the Duke of Vienna in the BBC’s Measure for Measure.
Born on December 7, 1937, in Manchester, Colley appeared in early TV series such as The Sweeney, Pennies from Heaven, and The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes. In 2012, he reprised his Star Wars role by voicing Admiral Piett in Lego Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out.
His film credits also include Firefox, War and Remembrance, The Whistle Blower, and The Plot to Kill Hitler. In 2007, he directed the horror film Greetings.
Thanks to his role in Star Wars, Colley became a beloved figure at fan conventions around the world.
