
Kenneth Colley
Born
1937-12-07
Place of birth
Manchester, England, UK
Died
2025-06-30
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 Measur...
Known for

The Empire Strikes Back
Admiral Piett

Return of the Jedi
Admiral Piett

Peaky Blinders
Vicente Changretta

Life of Brian
Jesus

Misfits
Old Rudy

Firefox
Colonel Kontarsky

Agatha Christie's Poirot
Mathew Davenheim

The Devils
Legrand

Midsomer Murders
Lloyd Kirby

Jabberwocky
1st Fanatic

Brassed Off
Greasley

I Hired a Contract Killer
The Killer

Performance
Tony Farrell

Relic Hunter
Professor Lamenza

Vera
Ronald Devreux