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 Shakespearean actor, he played the Duke of Vienna in the BBC Television Shakespeare production of Measure for Measure (also 1979).

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.

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Filmography (119 Appearances)

The Institute

2025

Dan Hawk Psychic Detective

2025

Scar Tissue

2013

Peaky Blinders

2013

LEGO Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out

2012

Vera

2011

The Queen

2009

Misfits

2009

Greetings

2007

Like Father Like Son

2005

New Tricks

2004

The Royal

2003

Foyle's War

2002

Relic Hunter

1999

Hold Back the Night

1999

Always and Everyone

1999

The Last Train

1999

The Mrs Bradley Mysteries

1998

Shadow Run

1998

Midsomer Murders

1997

Brassed Off

1996

Robert Rylands' Last Journey

1996

Solomon & Sheba

1995

Wycliffe

1994

Peak Practice

1993

Unnatural Causes

1993

The Secret Life of Arnold Bax

1992

Between the Lines

1992

Heartbeat

1992

La Vie de Bohème

1992

Prisoner of Honor

1991

The Last Island

1990

I Hired a Contract Killer

1990

Kremlin Farewell

1990

The Plot to Kill Hitler

1990

The Rainbow

1989

A Master of the Marionettes

1989

Agatha Christie's Poirot

1989

War and Remembrance

1988

A Summer Story

1988

The Play on One

1988

The Modern World: Ten Great Writers

1988

Casanova

1987

Inspector Morse

1987

The Whistle Blower

1986

Casualty

1986

John Silver's Return to Treasure Island

1986

Mussolini: The Untold Story

1985

Function Room

1985

Wallenberg: A Hero's Story

1985

Screen Two

1985

Return to Waterloo

1984

Return of the Jedi

1983

The Scarlet and the Black

1983

Giro City

1982

Firefox

1982

I Remember Nelson

1982

The Kenny Everett Television Show

1982

Peter and Paul

1981

The Empire Strikes Back

1980

Minder

1979

Life of Brian

1979

The Danedyke Mystery

1979

Measure for Measure

1979

Les Misérables

1978

One Bummer News Day

1978

The BBC Television Shakespeare

1978

Pennies from Heaven

1978

Come the Revolution

1977

The Testing of Eric Olthwaite

1977

Target

1977

Jabberwocky

1977

Dickens of London

1976

Three Days in Szczecin

1976

The Chester Mystery Plays

1976

Ripping Yarns

1976

Lisztomania

1975

Flame

1975

The Love School

1975

The Sweeney

1975

Churchill's People

1974

Juggernaut

1974

Mahler

1974

Fall of Eagles

1974

Black and Blue

1973

Hitler: The Last Ten Days

1973

The Triple Echo

1972

Crown Court

1972

The Protectors

1972

New Scotland Yard

1972

The Boy Friend

1971

The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes

1971

The Devils

1971

The Music Lovers

1971

Play for Today

1970

Performance.

1970

Dance of the Seven Veils

1970

Dear Mother... ...Love Albert

1969

Judge Dee

1969

Cause of Death

1968

The Expert

1968

The Blood Beast Terror

1968

Who Pays?

1968

City '68

1967

How I Won the War

1967

Omnibus

1967

The Jokers

1967

The Informer

1966

Macbeth

1966

BBC Play of the Month

1965

Thirty-Minute Theatre

1965

Three Clear Sundays

1965

Redcap

1964

The Wednesday Play

1964

It's Dark Outside

1964

Seventy Deadly Pills

1963 Debut

The Avengers

1961

No Hiding Place

1959

Armchair Theatre

1956
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