Kenneth Colley
Acting
Born: December 7, 1937 · Manchester, England, UK
Died: June 30, 2025 (aged 87)
Highest Rated
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
The Empire Strikes Back
1980
Return of the Jedi
1983
Peaky Blinders
2013
Life of Brian
1979
Misfits
2009
Firefox
1982
Agatha Christie's Poirot
1989
The Devils
1971
Midsomer Murders
1997
Jabberwocky
1977
Brassed Off
1996
I Hired a Contract Killer
1990
Photos (3)
Movies (54)
The Empire Strikes Back
Admiral Piett
Return of the Jedi
Admiral Piett
Life of Brian
Jesus
The Devils
Legrand
Firefox
Colonel Kontarsky
Jabberwocky
1st Fanatic
Juggernaut
Detective Brown
The Scarlet and the Black
Capt. Hirsch
The Whistle Blower
Bill Pickett
The Music Lovers
Modeste Tchaikovsky
Brassed Off
Greasley
Les Misérables
Police Prefect
Performance.
Tony Farrell
Hitler: The Last Ten Days
Boldt
Casanova
Le Duc
I Hired a Contract Killer
The Killer
Mahler
Krenek
The Jokers
De Winter
Greetings
Ken
LEGO Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out
Admiral Piett (voice)
The Rainbow
Mr. Brunt
The Blood Beast Terror
James
The Boy Friend
King in fantasy sequence (uncredited)
La Vie de Bohème
Street Sweeper
The Last Island
Nick
Lisztomania
Frederic Chopin
A Summer Story
Jim
Unnatural Causes
Inspector Gerry Reckless
Prisoner of Honor
Capt. Dreyfus
How I Won the War
2nd Replacement
The Plot to Kill Hitler
Wilhelm Keitel
The Triple Echo
Provo Corporal
Flame
Tony Devlin
Measure for Measure
Duke Vincentio
Scar Tissue
Weaver
Solomon & Sheba
Nathan
Shadow Run
Larcombe
Like Father Like Son
Rawsthorne
I Remember Nelson
Vice-Adm. Horatio Viscount Nelson
Come the Revolution
Bruce Tetley
The Danedyke Mystery
The Major
The Chester Mystery Plays
1976
The Testing of Eric Olthwaite
Robber
Robert Rylands' Last Journey
Archdale
Dan Hawk Psychic Detective
Thaddeus Moncrief
Giro City
Martin
The Secret Life of Arnold Bax
John Ireland
Three Clear Sundays
Nick
Seventy Deadly Pills
Covent Garden porter
Return to Waterloo
The Traveller
One Bummer News Day
Frank Benyon
Kremlin Farewell
Sergej
Dance of the Seven Veils
1970
A Master of the Marionettes
Inspector Tennyson
TV Shows (63)
Midsomer Murders
Lloyd Kirby · 1 eps
Play for Today
Bruce Tetley · 1 eps
Play for Today
Frank Benyon · 1 eps
Agatha Christie's Poirot
Mathew Davenheim · 1 eps
Peaky Blinders
Vicente Changretta · 2 eps
The Avengers
1 eps
Casualty
Paddy · 1 eps
Casualty
Clifford Watkins · 1 eps
Casualty
Arthur Cobb · 1 eps
Vera
Ronald Devreux · 1 eps
New Tricks
1 eps
Foyle's War
Brian Jones · 1 eps
BBC Play of the Month
Yolinichev · 1 eps
Peak Practice
Stan Jordan · 1 eps
Minder
Ron · 1 eps
The Wednesday Play
Bethold Florenberg · 1 eps
Crown Court
Stanley Meredith · 2 eps
Omnibus
Hitler · 1 eps
Screen Two
Sergej · 1 eps
Heartbeat
Clive Harris · 1 eps
Relic Hunter
Professor Lamenza · 1 eps
Inspector Morse
DCI Patrick Dawson · 1 eps
Thirty-Minute Theatre
Paddy · 1 eps
Thirty-Minute Theatre
Dr. Emil Justin · 1 eps
Thirty-Minute Theatre
Adolf Hitler · 1 eps
Thirty-Minute Theatre
Charles I · 1 eps
Misfits
Old Rudy · 1 eps
The BBC Television Shakespeare
Duke Vincentio · 1 eps
No Hiding Place
1 eps
Wycliffe
Sam Peploe · 1 eps
The Sweeney
Noah Riley · 1 eps
Churchill's People
Ancient Beau · 1 eps
The Institute
Gate Guard #5 · 1 eps
Between the Lines
Chief Supt. Tattersall · 1 eps
War and Remembrance
Paul Blobel · 2 eps
The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes
Farrish · 2 eps
The Protectors
Devlin · 1 eps
The Play on One
DI Tennyson · 1 eps
New Scotland Yard
Peter Elliot · 1 eps
The Expert
Foreman · 1 eps
The Expert
Munt · 1 eps
Fall of Eagles
Father Gapon · 1 eps
Redcap
Private Bolt · 1 eps
Always and Everyone
Joseph · 1 eps
Target
Jessal · 1 eps
Ripping Yarns
Robber · 1 eps
Dickens of London
Robert Seymour · 1 eps
John Silver's Return to Treasure Island
Ben Gunn · 10 eps
The Mrs Bradley Mysteries
Archie Burlington · 1 eps
The Queen
5 eps
The Informer
Slater · 1 eps
Peter and Paul
Theodotus · 2 eps
The Modern World: Ten Great Writers
Chief Inspector Heat · 1 eps
Mussolini: The Untold Story
King Vittorio Emmanuele · 4 eps
Pennies from Heaven
The Accordion Man · 6 eps
The Last Train
1 eps
It's Dark Outside
Hammond · 1 eps
The Love School
Edward Burne-Jones · 3 eps
Dear Mother... ...Love Albert
1 eps
Armchair Theatre
Jimmy · 1 eps
Wallenberg: A Hero's Story
Adolf Eichmann · 2 eps
Judge Dee
1 eps
The Royal
Bernard Hussey · 1 eps
