Biography
British character actor Kenneth Colley will be recognizable to "Star Wars" devotees, and even casual viewers, for his stateside role as Admiral Piett in the 1980 sci-fi sequel "The Empire Strikes Back" and the 1983 finale, "Return of the Jedi. Well before gaining that modicum of fame, Colley made numerous appearances on British television -- many of them BBC productions -- going all the way back to the early '60s, with recurring parts on the drama series "The Wednesday Play" and the educational series "Look and Read." He made his film debut in 1964 with a small role in the British family film "Seventy Deadly Pills," a title that perhaps foreshadowed his future connection with "Monty Python" lynchpin Terry Gilliam, who has a penchant for psychedelic imagery. In 1977, Gilliam cast Colley in his fantasy comedy "Jabberwocky," which starred Michael Palin, and then in 1979, Colley was cast as Jesus in the Python classic "Life of Brian," a role which, while not huge, lived memorably within a context of unparalleled religious satire. In the early '80s, between his two "Star Wars" appearances, Colley found a key supporting role in Clint Eastwood's thriller "Firefox," a successful if forgettable action film about a fighter pilot with a covert mission into the Soviet Union. Back in the U.K., Colley's standout TV work included a lead on the ensemble comedy "Moving Story" (from 1994 to 1995) and guest stints on the dramas "EastEnders" and "Holby Blue" in the '00s. Kenneth Colley died on June 30, 2025 at the age of 87.
