Kenneth Colley
Kenneth Colley (7 December 1937 — 30 June 2025) was an English actor. A long-time character actor, he came to wider prominence through his role as Admiral Piett in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.
Colley was born in Manchester. He played Jesus (very briefly indeed) in Life of Brian (1979), having also appeared in the earlier Python-related production Ripping Yarns episode "The Testing of Eric Olthwaite" alongside Michael Palin. As a Sh
Colley also held an important role in the Clint Eastwood film Firefox, as a Soviet Colonel tasked with the protection of the Firefox and its secrets. Colley portrayed SS-Standartenführer Paul Blobel in the World War II drama War and Remembrance. His character was charged with hiding the evidence of the Holocaust, and putting dead victims through "Economic Processing".
According to comments Terry Gilliam (who directed him in Jabberwocky and co-starred with him in Life of Brian) made in the DVD audio commentaries for both films, Colley is a terrible stutterer in real life. When he had a role in a film, however, he could recite the lines perfectly. Stuttering is a character trait, however, in his role as the "Accordion Man" in the BBC television drama Pennies from Heaven (1978). He has also recently starred in BBC's HolbyBlue as a drunk and violent father, grandfather and father-in-law.
Description above from the Wikipedia article Kenneth Colley, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Born
Dec 07, 1937
Manchester, England, UK
Died
Jun 30, 2025
Known For
Acting
Movies
58 acting
3 crew
Popularity
1.9
Known For
The Empire Strikes Back
1980
as Admiral Piett
Return of the Jedi
1983
as Admiral Piett
Life of Brian
1979
as Jesus
The Devils
1971
as Legrand
Firefox
1982
as Colonel Kontarsky
Brassed Off
1996
as Greasley
LEGO Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out
2012
as Admiral Piett (voice)
Jabberwocky
1977
as 1st Fanatic
Juggernaut
1974
as Detective Brown
La Vie de Bohème
1992
as Street Sweeper
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