Star Wars actor Kenneth Colley is useless at 87 after a well being battle.
On Monday, June 30, the actor behind Admiral Piett in The Empire Strikes Again and Return of the Jedi died “peacefully with mates at his bedside” in Ashford, Kent, his agent, Julian Owen, mentioned in an announcement, per BBC. The actor contracted COVID-19 and pneumonia after he was hospitalized as a consequence of an injured arm.
“Ken Colley was certainly one of our best character actors with a profession spanning 60 years,” Owens mentioned.
He added, “Ken frequently labored on stage, movie and tv taking part in an enormous array of characters, from Jesus in Monty Python’s Lifetime of Brian to evil and eccentric characters in Ken Russell movies, and the Duke of Vienna in Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure for the BBC.”
My condolences to Kenneth Colley’s family and friends !
Kenneth Colley, who performed Admiral Piett in ESB and ROTJ and loved an performing profession that spanned 60 years, has sadly handed away on the age of 87.
You might be immortalized in a galaxy far, far-off, and within the hearts of… pic.twitter.com/391SEnmV6z
— Reecy21 (@Reecy211994) July 3, 2025
Colley was finest identified for his portrayal of Admiral Piett, Darth Vader’s memorable imperial officer within the 1980 and 1983 movies. In 2012, he reprised the function through voice in Lego Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out.
“Ken’s participation in Star Wars led him to being invited to conventions and official fan occasions all around the World the place he stays among the finest liked actors from the unique trilogy,” Owens shared.
Along with his Star Wars fame, Colley notably appeared in Firefox (1982) and episodes of The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes, Particular Department, The Sweeney and Pennies from Heaven. His final performing credit score was within the 2024 movie Dan Hawk Psychic Detective, per IMDb.