Star Wars actor Kenneth Colley dead at 87

Kenneth Colley has died at the age of 87.

On Thursday, a statement was released announcing the death of the British actor, best known for his role as Admiral Piett in the Star Wars franchise.

In the statement, his agent, Julian Owen, confirmed the news, saying that Colley had died peacefully on Monday at his home in Ashford, Kent, surrounded by close friends.

Owen added that before his death, Colley had contracted Covid and subsequently developed pneumonia.

"Ken Colley was one of our finest character actors with a career spanning 60 years," the agent wrote in the statement, via the BBC.

"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."

According to the statement, Colley had been admitted to hospital after injuring his arm in a fall, and had then developed pneumonia after contracting Covid.

Colley is best known for his portrayal of Admiral Piett - an Imperial official in command of Darth Vader's flagship - in 1980's The Empire Strikes Back and 1983's Return of the Jedi. He was one of the few Imperial officers to appear in more than one film in the franchise.

He later reprised the role in 2012, voicing the character in the animated Lego Star Wars production The Empire Strikes Out.

Outside of the Star Wars universe, Colley is also renowned for his portrayal of Jesus in Monty Python's Life of Brian, alongside Graham Chapman, John Cleese, and Michael Palin.