Star Wars Original Trilogy Actor Kenneth Colley Passes Away at Age 87

Kenneth Colley, an actor perhaps best known for his role as Admiral Piett in the original Star Wars trilogy, has passed away at the age of 87.

Born on December 7th, 1937 in Manchester, England, Colley first got his start in acting by working extensively with director Ken Russell in the 1970s. He memorably appeared as Admiral Piett in 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back, a “jobs-worth" Imperial officer who is given a promotion following Admiral Ozzel’s failure at the Battle of Hoth. Colley went on to be the only actor to play an Imperial officer in more than one of the original trilogy films, reprising his role in Return of the Jedi.

Three decades later, Colley reprised the role of Piett in the 2012 Cartoon Network animated special, Lego Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out. Another memorable role for the actor was portraying Jesus in Monty Python’s Life of Brian – seen from afar giving a sermon while the film’s title character, Brian watches on.

Deadline reports that Colley passed away on June 30th in his home in Kent, England, after contracting Covid, which developed into pneumonia. In announcing the passing, Colley’s agent noted that “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."

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