Actor Kenneth Colley, who appeared in two “Star Wars” films as an imperial officer in charge of Darth Vader’s flagship, died June 30, according to his agent. He was 87.
Colley died at his home in Kent, England, after contracting COVID-19 and developing pneumonia, his agent, Julian Owen, said in a statement to the BBC. The actor had been admitted to an area hospital after injuring his arm in a fall, but then contracted COVID-19 and pneumonia.
“Ken Colley was one of our finest character actors with a career spanning 60 years,” Owens said. “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.”
Kenneth Colley, who played Admiral Piett in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, has passed away at the age of 87 due to complications from COVID and pneumonia. May the Force be with you, always. pic.twitter.com/3aVIFBLXf9
— Star Wars Holocron (@sw_holocron) July 3, 2025
He died at his bedside surrounded by friends, Owens added.
Colley starred as Admiral Piett in “The Empire Strikes Back” in 1980 and “Return of the Jedi” three years later.
He reprised the role in the 2012 animated film, “Lego Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out.” Other film credits include “Firefox,” “I Hired a Contract Killer” and “The Rainbow.”
Colley played Jesus in the 1979 film “Monty Python’s Life of Brian” alongside John Cleese, Graham Chapman and Michael Palin.
The actor also made television appearances on shows like “The Avengers” and “Peaky Blinders.”
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