Kenneth Colley
Known for Acting · 115 credits
- Born
- 1937-12-07
- Died
- 2025-06-30
- Place of birth
- Manchester, England, UK
- Also known as
- Kenneth Cooley · Ken Colley
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.
Known For
TV Shows (58)
Midsomer Murders
1997
as Lloyd Kirby
Peaky Blinders
2013
as Vicente Changretta
Agatha Christie's Poirot
1989
as Mathew Davenheim
Casualty
1986
as Paddy / Clifford Watkins / Arthur Cobb
The Avengers
1961
Vera
2011
as Ronald Devreux
Play for Today
1970
as Bruce Tetley / Frank Benyon
Crown Court
1972
as Stanley Meredith
Heartbeat
1992
as Clive Harris
Minder
1979
as Ron
Peak Practice
1993
as Stan Jordan
BBC Play of the Month
1965
as Yolinichev
Omnibus
1967
as Hitler
The Wednesday Play
1964
as Bethold Florenberg
New Tricks
2004
Relic Hunter
1999
as Professor Lamenza
Foyle's War
2002
as Brian Jones
Inspector Morse
1987
as DCI Patrick Dawson
Screen Two
1985
as Sergej
The Sweeney
1975
as Noah Riley
No Hiding Place
1959
Misfits
2009
as Old Rudy
Wycliffe
1994
as Sam Peploe
Thirty-Minute Theatre
1965
as Paddy
The Protectors
1972
as Devlin
The Expert
1968
as Foreman / Munt
Between the Lines
1992
as Chief Supt. Tattersall
The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes
1971
as Farrish
Churchill's People
1974
as Ancient Beau
The Institute
2025
as Gate Guard #5
War and Remembrance
1988
as Paul Blobel
The Kenny Everett Television Show
1982
as Self
The Play on One
1988
as DI Tennyson
Fall of Eagles
1974
as Father Gapon
New Scotland Yard
1972
as Peter Elliot
Target
1977
as Jessal
Always and Everyone
1999
as Joseph
The Modern World: Ten Great Writers
1988
as Chief Inspector Heat
Redcap
1964
as Private Bolt
Ripping Yarns
1976
as Robber
The Queen
2009
Pennies from Heaven
1978
as The Accordion Man
The Informer
1966
as Slater
Dickens of London
1976
as Robert Seymour
Armchair Theatre
1956
as Jimmy
Mussolini: The Untold Story
1985
as King Vittorio Emmanuele
Black and Blue
1973
as Schultz
Peter and Paul
1981
as Theodotus
The Last Train
1999
The Love School
1975
as Edward Burne-Jones
John Silver's Return to Treasure Island
1986
as Ben Gunn
It's Dark Outside
1964
as Hammond
Judge Dee
1969
Dear Mother... ...Love Albert
1969
The Mrs Bradley Mysteries
1998
as Archie Burlington
Wallenberg: A Hero's Story
1985
as Adolf Eichmann
The Royal
2003
as Bernard Hussey
I Remember Nelson
1982
as ice-Adm. Horatio Viscount Nelson
Movies (57)
The Empire Strikes Back
1980
as Admiral Piett
Return of the Jedi
1983
as Admiral Piett
Life of Brian
1979
as Jesus
Firefox
1982
as Colonel Kontarsky
The Devils
1971
as Legrand
Three Clear Sundays
1965
as Nick
Brassed Off
1996
as Greasley
The Rainbow
1989
as Mr. Brunt
Casanova
1987
as Le Duc
Juggernaut
1974
as Detective Brown
Performance
1970
as Tony Farrell
Les Misérables
1978
as Police Prefect
Hitler: The Last Ten Days
1973
as Boldt
Jabberwocky
1977
as 1st Fanatic
Solomon & Sheba
1995
as Nathan
LEGO Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out
2012
as Admiral Piett (voice)
The Scarlet and the Black
1983
as Capt. Hirsch
Mahler
1974
as Krenek
Lisztomania
1975
as Frederic Chopin
A Summer Story
1988
as Jim
The Whistle Blower
1986
as Bill Pickett
How I Won the War
1967
as 2nd Replacement
La Vie de Bohème
1992
as Street Sweeper
The Last Island
1990
as Nick
The Boy Friend
1971
as King in fantasy sequence (uncredited)
The Jokers
1967
as De Winter
I Hired a Contract Killer
1990
as The Killer
Prisoner of Honor
1991
as Capt. Dreyfus
The Music Lovers
1971
as Modeste Tchaikovsky
Like Father Like Son
2005
as Rawsthorne
The Plot to Kill Hitler
1990
as Wilhelm Keitel
Giro City
1982
as Martin
I Remember Nelson
1982
as Vice-Adm. Horatio Viscount Nelson
The Blood Beast Terror
1968
as James
Kremlin Farewell
1990
as Sergej
Hold Back the Night
1999
as Uncle Bob
Robert Rylands' Last Journey
1996
as Archdale
The Testing of Eric Olthwaite
1977
as Robber
Unnatural Causes
1993
as Inspector Gerry Reckless
Flame
1975
as Tony Devlin
Measure for Measure
1979
as Duke Vincentio
The Secret Life of Arnold Bax
1992
as John Ireland
The Triple Echo
1972
as Provo Corporal
Scar Tissue
2013
as Weaver
Shadow Run
1998
as Larcombe
The Chester Mystery Plays
1976
Who Pays?
1968
as Corbett
Come the Revolution
1977
as Bruce Tetley
Return to Waterloo
1984
as The Traveller
The Danedyke Mystery
1979
as The Major
Dance of the Seven Veils
1970
Seventy Deadly Pills
1963
as Covent Garden porter
A Master of the Marionettes
1989
as Inspector Tennyson
Cause of Death
1968
as Dr. Emil Justin
Greetings
2007
as Ken
One Bummer News Day
1978
as Frank Benyon
Three Days in Szczecin
1976
as Edmund Bałuka
About Kenneth Colley
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 t… With 115 credits spanning from 1956 to 2025, Kenneth Colley has appeared in 57 films and 58 TV shows.
Fans searching for Kenneth Colley movies, Kenneth Colley filmography, or the latest projects starring Kenneth Colley can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Kenneth Colley Movies
- The Empire Strikes Back (1980) — as Admiral Piett
- Return of the Jedi (1983) — as Admiral Piett
- Life of Brian (1979) — as Jesus
- Firefox (1982) — as Colonel Kontarsky
- The Devils (1971) — as Legrand
Where to Watch Kenneth Colley Films
Most Kenneth Colley movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Kenneth Colley, check our movies catalogue and browse page.