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. Description above from the Wikipedia article Kenneth Colley, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Filmography
Dan Hawk Psychic Detective
as Thaddeus Moncrief
Dan Hawk Psychic Detective
as Thaddeus Moncrief
Scar Tissue
as Weaver
Scar Tissue
as Weaver
Like Father Like Son
as Rawsthorne
Like Father Like Son
as Rawsthorne
Shadow Run
as Larcombe
Shadow Run
as Larcombe
Brassed Off
as Greasley
Brassed Off
as Greasley
Solomon & Sheba
as Nathan
Solomon & Sheba
as Nathan
The Secret Life of Arnold Bax
as John Ireland
The Secret Life of Arnold Bax
as John Ireland
La Vie de Bohème
as Street Sweeper
La Vie de Bohème
as Street Sweeper
Prisoner of Honor
as Capt. Dreyfus
Prisoner of Honor
as Capt. Dreyfus
I Hired a Contract Killer
as The Killer
I Hired a Contract Killer
as The Killer
Kremlin Farewell
as Sergej
Kremlin Farewell
as Sergej
The Plot to Kill Hitler
as Wilhelm Keitel
The Plot to Kill Hitler
as Wilhelm Keitel
The Rainbow
as Mr. Brunt
The Rainbow
as Mr. Brunt
A Master of the Marionettes
as Inspector Tennyson
A Master of the Marionettes
as Inspector Tennyson
A Summer Story
as Jim
A Summer Story
as Jim
Casanova
as Le Duc
Casanova
as Le Duc
The Whistle Blower
as Bill Pickett
The Whistle Blower
as Bill Pickett
Return of the Jedi
as Admiral Piett
Return of the Jedi
as Admiral Piett
The Scarlet and the Black
as Capt. Hirsch
The Scarlet and the Black
as Capt. Hirsch
Giro City
as Martin
Giro City
as Martin
Firefox
as Colonel Kontarsky
Firefox
as Colonel Kontarsky
The Empire Strikes Back
as Admiral Piett
The Empire Strikes Back
as Admiral Piett
Life of Brian
as Jesus
Life of Brian
as Jesus
Measure for Measure
as Duke Vincentio
Measure for Measure
as Duke Vincentio
Les Misérables
as Police Prefect
Les Misérables
as Police Prefect
One Bummer News Day
as Frank Benyon
One Bummer News Day
as Frank Benyon
Come the Revolution
as Bruce Tetley
Come the Revolution
as Bruce Tetley
The Testing of Eric Olthwaite
as Robber
The Testing of Eric Olthwaite
as Robber
Three Days in Szczecin
as Edmund Bałuka
Three Days in Szczecin
as Edmund Bałuka
Lisztomania
as Frederic Chopin
Lisztomania
as Frederic Chopin
Flame
as Tony Devlin
Flame
as Tony Devlin
Juggernaut
as Detective Brown
Juggernaut
as Detective Brown
Mahler
as Krenek
Mahler
as Krenek
Hitler: The Last Ten Days
as Boldt
Hitler: The Last Ten Days
as Boldt
The Triple Echo
as Provo Corporal
The Triple Echo
as Provo Corporal
The Boy Friend
as King in fantasy sequence (uncredited)
The Boy Friend
as King in fantasy sequence (uncredited)
The Devils
as Legrand
The Devils
as Legrand
The Music Lovers
as Modeste Tchaikovsky
The Music Lovers
as Modeste Tchaikovsky
Performance.
as Tony Farrell
Performance.
as Tony Farrell
Dance of the Seven Veils
Dance of the Seven Veils
The Blood Beast Terror
as James
The Blood Beast Terror
as James
How I Won the War
as 2nd Replacement
How I Won the War
as 2nd Replacement
The Jokers
as De Winter
The Jokers
as De Winter
Macbeth
as Macbeth's servant
Macbeth
as Macbeth's servant
Three Clear Sundays
as Nick
Three Clear Sundays
as Nick
Seventy Deadly Pills
as Covent Garden porter
Seventy Deadly Pills
as Covent Garden porter