Star Wars actor Kenneth Colley passes away, here’s what he played in the iconic franchise

Kenneth Colley, the British character actor immortalized as Admiral Firmus Piett in Star Wars, has died aged 87. The performer passed away peacefully with friends at his bedside in Ashford, Kent, on 30 June 2025, after contracting COVID-19 that progressed to pneumonia during a brief hospital stay for a fall-related arm injury.

As per a hellomagazine.com report dated July 3, 2025, his longtime representative Julian Owen confirmed,

"He passed away peacefully with friends at his bedside."

Colley’s six-decade resume spanned stage, television, and more than 150 screen credits, yet his steady gaze on Darth Vader’s flagship in The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983) made him the only Imperial officer to appear in two original-trilogy films.

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Kenneth Colley’s Star Wars legacy and his final days

Colley voiced Piett in the 2012 animated short Lego Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out, reinforcing his long bond with the franchise. Colley played Jesus in Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979) and tackled roles in Ken Russell films, Clint Eastwood’s Firefox, and the miniseries War and Remembrance. His final screen appearance came in the 2024 thriller Dan Hawk: Psychic Detective.

Kenneth Colley entered Star Wars as the unflappable Captain Piett, promoted to admiral after Vader’s fatal displeasure with a predecessor. Fan letters persuaded Lucasfilm to bring Piett back for Return of the Jedi, making Colley a rare through-line of Imperial command. News of his death came via his long-time agent Julian Owen, who praised a career spanning 60 years:

As per a BBC report dated July 3, 2025, Owen said:

"Ken Colley was one of our finest character actors with a career spanning 60 years"

He added,

"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."

Owen added that Colley loved his garden, art collecting and fast cars, interests that balanced the actor’s unassuming presence with private passions. A separate tribute noted his humility on the convention circuit. A post on the Alliance Agents page published on July 3, 2025, reads:

“He travelled all over the world yet could never quite grasp why everyone wanted his autograph. He was a very humble man with an incredibly dry wit.”

Kenneth Colley’s colleagues echoed that assessment. Monty Python alum Sir Michael Palin remembered a consummate professional. As per the Independent report dated July 3, 2025, Palin said:

“Ken Colley was always dependable, always convincing, and great to work with. We’ve lost a very special actor and a very good man.”

In his final years, Kenneth Colley continued to accept selective screen roles and voice-over work while enjoying a quieter life in Kent. Though Admirals come and go in the wider franchise, Kenneth Colley remains synonymous with Piett’s calm steel, a performance that, like the actor himself, commanded respect without ever raising his voice.

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