Star Wars actor Kenneth Colley has died at the age of 87 after contracting Covid and developing pneumonia.

The English actor, known for his roles in film and television, gained fame for his portrayal of Admiral Piett, a commanding officer under Darth Vader, in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.

His agent of 10 years, Julian Owen issued a statement which said that he died ‘peacefully’ on Monday, June 30, in Ashford, Kent.

After injuring his arm after a fall, he was taken to hospital where he caught Covid, which developed into pneumonia.

According to a statement from his agent, he was hospitalized after a fall that injured his arm, but he soon contracted Covid-19, which then led to pneumonia.

‘He passed away peacefully with friends at his bedside. Ken Colley was one of our finest character actors with a career spanning 60 years.

Ken had a prolific career across stage, film, and TV, portraying a diverse range of characters. His roles included playing Jesus in Monty Python’s Life of Brian, various villainous and quirky figures in Ken Russell films, and the Duke of Vienna in BBC’s Measure for Measure.

Kenneth Colley is best known for starring in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi as Admiral Piett, an imperial officer in command of Darth Vader’s flagship.

Kenneth Colley (right) and actor Michael Culver (left) at a Star Wars Celebration in London

The actor posing next to a picture of his Star Wars character Admiral Piett, an imperial officer in command of Darth Vader’s flagship

In later years, he reprised his role of Admiral Piett when he voiced the character in the 2012 animated Lego production, Lego Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out. 

According to Colley, the character of Piett was not originally slated to appear in Return of the Jedi, but George Lucas added him because Lucasfilm had received ‘a lot of fan mail’ about the character. 

He also had parts in international productions, including Clint Eastwood’s Firefox and the Second World War series War and Remembrance.

The statement added: ‘Ken’s favourite part was playing Estragon in the stage production of Beckett’s classic Waiting for Godot at the Cockpit Theatre in London in 2014.

‘Ken’s participation in Star Wars led him to being invited to conventions and official fan events all over the World where he remains one of the best loved actors from the original trilogy.

‘Ken loved his garden, art collecting and had a passion for fast cars.’

He also had parts in international productions, including Clint Eastwood’s Firefox and the Second World War series War and Remembrance.

Kenneth Colley (right) in Star Wars – Return of the Jedi 

Kenneth Colley in Star Wars – The Empire Strikes Back

He is also known for playing Jesus in Monty Python’s Life of Brian alongside English actors’ John Cleese, Graham Chapman and Michael Palin.

In recent years, he had stints on Holby City to Peaky Blinders, and appeared on two episodes of a Doctor Who special. 

One of his early appearances on British television was as Noah Riley in the 1970s police drama The Sweeney.

He even had a go a directing with Greetings a 2007 horror film starring Kirsty Cox, Henry Dunn and Ben Shockley. 

In one of his later jobs, Colley recorded a number of short narrations for Phenomenal Cat’s album Pop Wasteland in 2017. 

The Manchester-born actor enjoyed living in Kent and according to actor and director Terry Gilliam, he had a stammer in real life.

When he was acting in films, Colley was able to recite lines perfectly. Stuttering was a character trait for his role as the Accordian Man in BBC TV drama Pennies from Heaven.