British actor Kenneth Colley passed away on Monday at the age of 87. He was best known for playing Admiral Piett in the Star Wars franchise, as well as Jesus in Monty Python’s Life of Brian, among other prominent roles. Colley’s agent Julian Owen shared the news of his passing with the BBC, explaining that he became ill after he was hospitalized for an injury to his arm. Colley reportedly contracted COVID-19, then pneumonia, and died at his home in Kent, England. As news of his passing spreads, fans and colleagues are sharing tributes to Colley’s long career on social media.
“Ken Colley was one of our finest character actors with a career spanning 60 years,” said Owens. “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.”
Colley made his Star Wars debut in Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back in 1980, and he was the only actor to play a named Imperial officer in more than one movie in the original trilogy. He returned in Episode VI — Return of the Jedi, and decades later, he came back to play Admiral Piett once more in Lego Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out in 2012.
Admiral Firmus Piett was introduced as the first officer on Darth Vader’s flagship in the original Star Wars trilogy, initially under the command of Admiral Kendal Ozzel (Michael Sheard). When Ozzel continually failed to stop the Rebel Alliance, Vader used the Force to strangle Ozzel from across the ship while speaking to him via video chat, in full view of the ship’s crew. Vader then gave Ozzel’s command to a visibly nervous Piett, who saw the ship through the Battle of Endor.
Piett’s death is even depicted on screen in the movie — a Rebel fighter hit by an Empire weapon spun out and crashed directly into the bridge, killing Piett and much of his crew. The ship itself later crashed into the Death Star, and was destroyed. Colley chose to play Piett’s final moment as resigned, closing his eyes and accepting his fate.
Colley had a long resume outside of Star Wars, including other notable franchises in geek culture. He began his acting career in British TV, and many of his collaborators there sang his praises. In the DVD commentary for Life of Brian, Terry Gilliam revealed that Colley actually had a stammer in real life, but was able to recite lines perfectly when he had a role in TV or film. Many others are sharing their favorite memories of Colley on social media this week.
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