CineScope
Kenneth Colley picture

Kenneth Colley

Acting
Known For

87 Years Old

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.

Born

Manchester, England, UK on 7th December 1937

Died

30th June 2025

All Credits

Thirty-Minute Theatre Image
Thirty-Minute Theatre
Paddy
Midsomer Murders Image
Midsomer Murders
Lloyd Kirby
Agatha Christie's Poirot Image
Agatha Christie's Poirot
Mathew Davenheim
The BBC Television Shakespeare Image
The BBC Television Shakespeare
Duke
Peaky Blinders Image
Peaky Blinders
Vicente Changretta
The Avengers Image
The Avengers
No Hiding Place Image
No Hiding Place
The Kenny Everett Television Show Image
The Kenny Everett Television Show
Self
Omnibus Image
Omnibus
Hitler
BBC Play of the Month Image
BBC Play of the Month
Yolinichev
The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes Image
The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes
Farrish
The Wednesday Play Image
The Wednesday Play
Bethold Florenberg
Play for Today Image
Play for Today
Frank Benyon
Play for Today Image
Play for Today
Bruce Tetley
Vera Image
Vera
Ronald Devreux
Foyle's War Image
Foyle's War
Brian Jones
The Protectors Image
The Protectors
Devlin
Minder Image
Minder
Ron
Misfits Image
Misfits
Old Rudy
Casualty Image
Casualty
Arthur Cobb
Casualty Image
Casualty
Clifford Watkins
Casualty Image
Casualty
Paddy
The Sweeney Image
The Sweeney
Noah Riley
Wycliffe Image
Wycliffe
Sam Peploe
Peak Practice Image
Peak Practice
Stan Jordan
Between the Lines Image
Between the Lines
Chief Supt. Tattersall
Crown Court Image
Crown Court
Stanley Meredith
Relic Hunter Image
Relic Hunter
Professor Lamenza
Hazell Image
Hazell
Always and Everyone Image
Always and Everyone
Joseph
Target Image
Target
Jessal
Inspector Morse Image
Inspector Morse
DCI Patrick Dawson
Heartbeat Image
Heartbeat
Clive Harris
The Expert Image
The Expert
Munt
The Expert Image
The Expert
Foreman
A for Andromeda Image
A for Andromeda
Dead Body (uncredited)
New Tricks Image
New Tricks
Dickens of London Image
Dickens of London
Robert Seymour
The Queen Image
The Queen
The Empire Strikes Back Image
The Empire Strikes Back
Admiral Piett
Return of the Jedi Image
Return of the Jedi
Admiral Piett
John Silver's Return to Treasure Island Image
John Silver's Return to Treasure Island
Ben Gunn
The Mrs Bradley Mysteries Image
The Mrs Bradley Mysteries
Archie Burlington
Life of Brian Image
Life of Brian
Jesus
Pennies from Heaven Image
Pennies from Heaven
The Accordion Man
Ripping Yarns Image
Ripping Yarns
Robber
Dear Mother... ...Love Albert Image
Dear Mother... ...Love Albert
Peter and Paul Image
Peter and Paul
Theodotus
The Modern World: Ten Great Writers Image
The Modern World: Ten Great Writers
Chief Inspector Heat
Mussolini: The Untold Story Image
Mussolini: The Untold Story
King Vittorio Emmanuele
Juggernaut Image
Juggernaut
Detective Brown
Firefox Image
Firefox
Colonel Kontarsky
Fall of Eagles Image
Fall of Eagles
Father Gapon
Judge Dee Image
Judge Dee
Hitler: The Last Ten Days Image
Hitler: The Last Ten Days
Boldt
Wallenberg: A Hero's Story Image
Wallenberg: A Hero's Story
Adolf Eichmann
Les Misérables Image
Les Misérables
Police Prefect
The Devils Image
The Devils
Legrand
The Royal Image
The Royal
Bernard Hussey
The Scarlet and the Black Image
The Scarlet and the Black
Capt. Hirsch
The Last Train Image
The Last Train
The Love School Image
The Love School
Edward Burne-Jones
Brassed Off Image
Brassed Off
Greasley
Jabberwocky Image
Jabberwocky
1st Fanatic
No Image
I Remember Nelson
ice-Adm. Horatio Viscount Nelson
Performance Image
Performance
Tony Farrell (as Ken Colley)
LEGO Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out Image
LEGO Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out
Admiral Piett (voice)
I Hired a Contract Killer Image
I Hired a Contract Killer
The Killer
How I Won the War Image
How I Won the War
2nd Replacement
The Rainbow Image
The Rainbow
Mr. Brunt
Lisztomania Image
Lisztomania
Frederic Chopin
A Summer Story Image
A Summer Story
Jim
The Blood Beast Terror Image
The Blood Beast Terror
James
La Vie de Bohème Image
La Vie de Bohème
Street Sweeper
Mahler Image
Mahler
Krenek
The Boy Friend Image
The Boy Friend
King in fantasy sequence (uncredited)
The Whistle Blower Image
The Whistle Blower
Bill Pickett
The Jokers Image
The Jokers
De Winter
Casanova Image
Casanova
Le Duc
The Plot to Kill Hitler Image
The Plot to Kill Hitler
Wilhelm Keitel
The Triple Echo Image
The Triple Echo
Provo Corporal
Unnatural Causes Image
Unnatural Causes
Inspector Gerry Reckless
Flame Image
Flame
Tony Devlin
Prisoner of Honor Image
Prisoner of Honor
Capt. Dreyfus
The Music Lovers Image
The Music Lovers
Modeste Tchaikovsky
The Last Island Image
The Last Island
Nick
Shadow Run Image
Shadow Run
Larcombe
Seventy Deadly Pills Image
Seventy Deadly Pills
Covent Garden porter
Return to Waterloo Image
Return to Waterloo
The Traveller
A Master of the Marionettes Image
A Master of the Marionettes
Inspector Tennyson
Like Father Like Son Image
Like Father Like Son
Rawsthorne
Scar Tissue Image
Scar Tissue
Weaver
Dan Hawk Psychic Detective Image
Dan Hawk Psychic Detective
Thaddeus Moncrief
Solomon & Sheba Image
Solomon & Sheba
Nathan
The Testing of Eric Olthwaite Image
The Testing of Eric Olthwaite
Robber
Robert Rylands' Last Journey Image
Robert Rylands' Last Journey
Archdale
One Bummer News Day Image
One Bummer News Day
Frank Benyon
Measure for Measure Image
Measure for Measure
Duke Vincentio
No Image
Hold Back the Night
Uncle Bob
The Secret Life of Arnold Bax Image
The Secret Life of Arnold Bax
John Ireland
Kremlin Farewell Image
Kremlin Farewell
Sergej
Giro City Image
Giro City
Martin
I Remember Nelson Image
I Remember Nelson
Vice-Adm. Horatio Viscount Nelson
Three Clear Sundays Image
Three Clear Sundays
Nick
Dance of the Seven Veils Image
Dance of the Seven Veils
Greetings Image
Greetings
Ken
The Danedyke Mystery Image
The Danedyke Mystery
The Major
No Image
Who Pays?
Corbett
Come the Revolution Image
Come the Revolution
Bruce Tetley