Kenneth Colley
Known for: Acting
Born: December 7, 1937
Died: June 30, 2025
Place of birth: Manchester, England, UK
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.
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Filmography
58 movies · 61 TV shows, newest first
7.6
The Institute
2025
NR
Dan Hawk Psychic Detective
2025
5.2
Scar Tissue
2013
8.5
Peaky Blinders
2013
6.5
LEGO Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out
2012
7.4
Vera
2011
7.0
The Queen
2009
7.6
Misfits
2009
1.0
Greetings
2007
6.4
Like Father Like Son
2005
7.3
New Tricks
2004
7.8
The Royal
2003
7.9
Foyle's War
2002
6.8
Relic Hunter
19995.0
Hold Back the Night
1999
9.5
Always and Everyone
1999
7.3
The Last Train
1999
7.3
The Mrs Bradley Mysteries
1998
4.2
Shadow Run
1998
7.5
Midsomer Murders
1997
7.0
Brassed Off
1996
6.3
Robert Rylands' Last Journey
1996
7.0
Solomon & Sheba
1995
6.8
Wycliffe
1994
6.5
Peak Practice
1993
6.8
Unnatural Causes
1993
6.3
The Secret Life of Arnold Bax
1992
5.5
Between the Lines
1992
7.2
Heartbeat
1992
7.5
La Vie de Bohème
1992
6.1
Prisoner of Honor
1991
5.9
The Last Island
1990
6.9
I Hired a Contract Killer
1990
8.0
Kremlin Farewell
1990
6.2
The Plot to Kill Hitler
1990
5.7
The Rainbow
1989
NR
A Master of the Marionettes
1989
8.2
Agatha Christie's Poirot
1989
7.9
War and Remembrance
1988
6.1
A Summer Story
1988
6.0
The Play on One
1988
8.0
The Modern World: Ten Great Writers
1988
4.1
Casanova
1987
7.9
Inspector Morse
1987
5.8
The Whistle Blower
1986
6.2
Casualty
1986
8.8
John Silver's Return to Treasure Island
1986
5.3
Mussolini: The Untold Story
1985NR
Function Room
1985
6.4
Wallenberg: A Hero's Story
1985
7.1
Screen Two
1985
6.8
Return to Waterloo
1984
7.9
Return of the Jedi
1983
7.0
The Scarlet and the Black
1983
5.6
Giro City
1982
6.1
Firefox
1982
4.6
I Remember Nelson
1982
7.3
The Kenny Everett Television Show
1982
7.2
Peter and Paul
1981
8.4
The Empire Strikes Back
1980
7.1
Minder
1979
7.8
Life of Brian
1979
NR
The Danedyke Mystery
1979
5.9
Measure for Measure
1979
7.1
Les Misérables
1978
NR
One Bummer News Day
1978
6.0
The BBC Television Shakespeare
1978
7.6
Pennies from Heaven
1978
10.0
Come the Revolution
1977
8.5
The Testing of Eric Olthwaite
1977
7.0
Target
1977
6.0
Jabberwocky
1977
7.3
Dickens of London
1976NR
Three Days in Szczecin
1976
NR
The Chester Mystery Plays
1976
7.7
Ripping Yarns
1976
5.8
Lisztomania
1975
7.3
Flame
1975
NR
The Love School
1975
8.1
The Sweeney
1975
5.0
Churchill's People
1974
6.3
Juggernaut
1974
6.8
Mahler
1974
7.0
Fall of Eagles
19746.5
Black and Blue
1973
6.2
Hitler: The Last Ten Days
1973
5.8
The Triple Echo
1972
5.7
Crown Court
1972
6.1
The Protectors
1972
6.3
New Scotland Yard
1972
6.5
The Boy Friend
1971
7.5
The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes
1971
7.5
The Devils
1971
6.5
The Music Lovers
1971
6.6
Play for Today
1970
6.8
Performance.
1970
8.3
Dance of the Seven Veils
1970
5.5
Dear Mother... ...Love Albert
1969
5.0
Judge Dee
1969NR
Cause of Death
1968
9.0
The Expert
1968
5.5
The Blood Beast Terror
1968NR
Who Pays?
1968NR
City '68
1967
5.6
How I Won the War
1967
7.2
Omnibus
1967
6.2
The Jokers
1967
NR
The Informer
1966NR
Macbeth
1966
5.2
BBC Play of the Month
1965
4.3
Thirty-Minute Theatre
1965
6.0
Three Clear Sundays
1965
8.0
Redcap
1964
5.2
The Wednesday Play
1964
NR
It's Dark Outside
1964
7.5
Seventy Deadly Pills
1963
7.8
The Avengers
1961
4.8
No Hiding Place
1959
6.0
Armchair Theatre
1956