Kenneth Colley
| Kenneth Colley | |
|---|---|
|
| |
| Born |
7 December 1937 Manchester, Lancashire, England |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1961–present |
Kenneth Colley (born 7 December 1937) is 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.
Career
Unlike the other ill-fated officers who appeared alongside him in The Empire Strikes Back, Colley was the only actor to play an Imperial officer in more than one Star Wars film.[1] Colley reprised his role as Piett in the Cartoon Network animated special Lego Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out in September 2012.[2] Coincidently, Colley and David Prowse had a part in the 1977 fantasy film Jabberwocky.[3]
Colley was born in Manchester, Lancashire. He played Jesus in The Life of Brian, having also appeared in the earlier Monty 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 in 1979.[4]
Colley also held an important role in the Clint Eastwood film Firefox, where he played a Soviet Colonel tasked with the protection of the Firefox and its secrets.
Colley went on to play SS-Standartenführer Paul Blobel in the World War II drama War and Remembrance. He directed one film to date, Greetings, a 2007 horror film starring Kirsty Cox, Henry Dunn and Ben Shockley. According to comments which Terry Gilliam (who directed him in Jabberwocky and acted with him in Life of Brian) made in the DVD audio commentaries for both films, Colley is a terrible stammerer 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 1978 BBC television drama, Pennies from Heaven.[5]
Personal life
Colley lives in Hythe, Kent.[6]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | The Jokers | De Winter | |
| How I Won the War | 2nd Replacement | ||
| 1968 | The Blood Beast Terror | James | |
| 1970 | Performance | Tony Farrell | |
| The Music Lovers | Modeste Tchaikovsky | ||
| 1971 | The Devils | Legrand | |
| 1972 | The Triple Echo | Provo Corporal | |
| 1973 | Hitler: The Last Ten Days | Boldt | |
| 1974 | Fall of Eagles | Father Gapon | |
| Mahler | Krenek | ||
| Juggernaut | Detective Brown | ||
| 1975 | Lisztomania | Frédéric Chopin | |
| Slade in Flame | Tony Devlin | ||
| 1977 | Jabberwocky | 1st Fanatic | |
| 1979 | Monty Python's Life of Brian | Jesus | |
| Measure For Measure | 'Duke of Vienna' | ||
| 1980 | The Empire Strikes Back | Admiral Piett | |
| 1981 | Peter and Paul | Theodotus | |
| 1982 | Giro City | Martin | |
| Firefox | Colonel Kontarsky | ||
| 1983 | The Scarlet and the Black | Captain Hirsch | |
| Return of the Jedi | Admiral Piett | ||
| 1984 | Return to Waterloo | 'The Traveller' | |
| 1987 | The Whistle Blower | Bill Pickett | |
| 1988 | A Summer Story | Jim | |
| 1989 | The Rainbow | Mr. Brunt | |
| 1990 | I Hired a Contract Killer | 'The Killer' | |
| The Plot to Kill Hitler | Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel | ||
| 1996 | Brassed Off | Greasley | |
| 1997 | Shadow Run | Larcombe | |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | The Nine Tailors | Potty Peake | TV mini-series, Series 1 Episode 3, Lord Peter Wimsey |
| 1977 | Ripping Yarns | Arthur the Robber | 1 episode, The Testing of Eric Outhwaite |
| 1978 | Les Misérables | Police Prefect | TV movie |
| 1978 | Pennies from Heaven | The Accordion Man | 6 episodes, TV mini-series |
| 1985 | Wallenberg: A Hero's Story | Adolf Eichmann | TV movie |
| Mussolini: The Untold Story | King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy | TV mini-series | |
| 1986 | Return to Treasure Island | Ben Gunn | 10 episodes, credited as Ken Colley |
| 1988 | War and Remembrance | SS-Standartenführer Paul Blobel | 2 episodes, TV mini-series |
| 1991 | Inspector Morse | DCI Patrick Dawson | Episode 16 Second Time Around |
| Prisoner of Honor | Captain Alfred Dreyfus | TV movie | |
| 1993 | Unnatural Causes | Inspector Gerry Reckless | TV movie |
| 2006 | Foyle's War | Brian Jones | 1 episode, Bad Blood |
| 2009 | Casualty 1909 | Dr. Frederick Smith | 3 episodes |
| 2012 | Lego Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out | Admiral Piett | TV movie |
| 2013 | Vera | Ronald Devreux | Series 3, Episode 3 Young Gods |
| Misfits | Old Rudy | Series 5, Episode 4 | |
References
- ↑ Daniel Mumby. "10 Actors Who Weren't Able to Let Star Wars Go - Page 2". whatculture.com. What Culture. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
...since his character is the only Imperial officer to last more than one Star Wars film
- ↑ Milton, Luke (18 September 2012). "Interview: Writer Michael Price Reveals LEGO Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out!". Fruitless Pursuits. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
- ↑ "Jabberwocky (1977)". bfi.org.uk. BFI. Retrieved 3 March 2016.
- ↑ "BFI Screenonline: Measure For Measure (1979)". screenonline.org.uk. BFI Screenonline. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
- ↑ "BFI Screenonline: Pennies From Heaven (1978)". screenonline.org.uk. BFI Screenonline. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
- ↑ Matt Leclere (29 October 2015). "Sir Ian McKellen lends a touch of magic to Folkestone's Leas Pavilion campaign". kentonline.co.uk. Kent Online. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
Ken Colley, from Hythe