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  • BIRTH 07/12/1937
  • Country United Kingdom
  • SHOWS 16
  • MOVIES 25

Kenneth Colley

Kenneth Colley (born 7 December 1937) is 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 The Life of Brian, having also appeared in the earlier Monty 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 in 1979.

Colley also held an important role in the Clint Eastwood movie Firefox, where he played a Soviet Colonel tasked with the protection of the Firefox and its secrets.

Colley went on to play 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 1978 BBC television drama, Pennies from Heaven. He has also recently starred in BBC's HolbyBlue as a drunk and violent father, grandfather and father-in-law.

He currently lives at Hythe in Kent.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Kenneth Colley, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Kenneth Colley

Shows (16)

Peaky Blinders
Peaky Blinders
Vicente Changretta
Agatha Christie's Poirot
Agatha Christie's Poirot
Mathew Davenheim
Vera
Vera
Ronald Devreux
Relic Hunter
Relic Hunter
Professor Lamenza
Midsomer Murders
Midsomer Murders
Lloyd Kirby
Casualty
Casualty
Arthur Cobb / Clifford Watkins / Paddy
The Sweeney
The Sweeney
Noah Riley
The Protectors
The Protectors
Devlin
Minder
Minder
Ron
Mussolini: The Untold Story
Mussolini: The Untold Story
King Vittorio Emmanuele
Wycliffe
Wycliffe
Sam Peploe
Inspector Morse
Inspector Morse
DCI Patrick Dawson
The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes
The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes
Farrish
Peak Practice
Peak Practice
Stan Jordan
Heartbeat (1992)
Heartbeat (1992)
Clive Harris
Play for Today
Play for Today
Bruce Tetley / Frank Benyon

Movies (25)

The Empire Strikes Back
The Empire Strikes Back
Admiral Piett
Return of the Jedi
Return of the Jedi
Admiral Piett
Life of Brian
Life of Brian
Jesus
Firefox
Firefox
Colonel Kontarsky
Juggernaut
Juggernaut
Detective Brown
Jabberwocky
Jabberwocky
1st Fanatic
The Music Lovers
The Music Lovers
Modeste Tchaikovsky
Wallenberg: A Hero's Story
Wallenberg: A Hero's Story
Adolph Eichmann
The Scarlet and the Black
The Scarlet and the Black
Capt. Hirsch
The Devils
The Devils
Legrand
Performance
Performance
Tony Farrell (as Ken Colley)
Mahler
Mahler
Krenek
LEGO Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out
LEGO Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out
Admiral Piett (voice)
Brassed Off
Brassed Off
Greasley
The Whistle Blower
The Whistle Blower
Bill Pickett
Shadow Run
Shadow Run
Larcombe
Prisoner of Honor
Prisoner of Honor
Capt. Dreyfus
La Vie de Bohème
La Vie de Bohème
Street Sweeper
Casanova
Casanova
Le Duc
Lisztomania
Lisztomania
Frederic Chopin
I Hired a Contract Killer
I Hired a Contract Killer
The Killer
Solomon & Sheba
Solomon & Sheba
Nathan
Hitler: The Last Ten Days
Hitler: The Last Ten Days
Boldt
The Blood Beast Terror
The Blood Beast Terror
James
On the Problem of the Autonomy of Art in Bourgeois Society, or S
On the Problem of the Autonomy of Art in…
Admiral Piett