Biography
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.
Acted in 111
2020s
- 2025
Dan Hawk Psychic Detective
Thaddeus Moncrief
2010s
- 2013
Scar Tissue
Weaver
- 2012
LEGO Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out
Admiral Piett (voice)
- 2011
2000s
- 2009
The Queen
TV
- 2007
- 2005
Like Father Like Son
Rawsthorne
- 2004
- 2003
The Royal
Bernard Hussey · 1 episode
- 2002
1990s
- 1999
Always and Everyone
Joseph · 1 episode
The Last Train
TV
- 1998
The Mrs Bradley Mysteries
Archie Burlington · 1 episode
Shadow Run
Larcombe
- 1997
- 1996
Robert Rylands' Last Journey
Archdale
- 1995
Solomon & Sheba
Nathan
- 1994
Moving Story
Ken Uttley · 14 episodes
- 1993
Unnatural Causes
Inspector Gerry Reckless
- 1992
The Secret Life of Arnold Bax
John Ireland
La Vie de Bohème
Street Sweeper
- 1991
Prisoner of Honor
Capt. Dreyfus
- 1990
The Last Island
Nick
I Hired a Contract Killer
The Killer
Kremlin Farewell
Sergej
The Plot to Kill Hitler
Wilhelm Keitel
1980s
- 1989
A Master of the Marionettes
Inspector Tennyson
- 1988
A Summer Story
Jim
- 1987
Casanova
Le Duc
- 1986
- 1985
Mussolini: The Untold Story
King Vittorio Emmanuele · 4 episodes
Wallenberg: A Hero's Story
Adolf Eichmann · 2 episodes
- 1984
Return to Waterloo
The Traveller
- 1983
- 1982
Giro City
Martin
I Remember Nelson
ice-Adm. Horatio Viscount Nelson · 4 episodes
- 1981
Peter and Paul
Theodotus · 2 episodes
- 1980
1970s
- 1979
The Danedyke Mystery
The Major
Measure for Measure
Duke Vincentio
- 1978
One Bummer News Day
Frank Benyon
Pennies from Heaven
The Accordion Man · 6 episodes
- 1977
Come the Revolution
Bruce Tetley
The Testing of Eric Olthwaite
Robber
- 1976
The Chester Mystery Plays
Movie
Ripping Yarns
Robber · 1 episode
- 1975
Lisztomania
Frederic Chopin
Flame
Tony Devlin
The Love School
Edward Burne-Jones · 3 episodes
- 1974
- 1973
- 1972
The Triple Echo
Provo Corporal
- 1971
The Boy Friend
King in fantasy sequence (uncredited)
The Music Lovers
Modeste Tchaikovsky
- 1970
Performance.
Tony Farrell
Dance of the Seven Veils
Movie
1960s
- 1969
Dear Mother... ...Love Albert
TV
Judge Dee
TV
- 1968
- 1967
How I Won the War
2nd Replacement
The Jokers
De Winter
- 1966
The Informer
Slater · 1 episode
- 1965
Three Clear Sundays
Nick
- 1964
Redcap
Private Bolt · 1 episode
It's Dark Outside
Hammond · 1 episode
- 1963
Seventy Deadly Pills
Covent Garden porter
- 1961
1950s
- 1959
- 1956
Armchair Theatre
Jimmy · 1 episode
Produced 1
2000s
- 2007
Directed 1
2000s
- 2007
Wrote 1
2000s
- 2007
