Kenneth Colley
Born
December 7, 1937 (87 years old)
Known For
Acting
Place of Birth
Manchester, England, UK
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.
Colley was born in Manchester. He played Jesus (very briefly indeed) 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.
Colley also held an important role in the Clint Eastwood movie 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. 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 1978 BBC television drama, Pennies from Heaven. He has also recently starred in BBC's HolbyBlue as a drunk and violent father, grandfather and father-in-law.
He currently lives at Hythe in Kent.
Description above from the Wikipedia article Kenneth Colley, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Dan Hawk Psychic Detective
Thaddeus Moncrief
2024
Scar Tissue
Weaver
2013
Peaky Blinders
Vicente Changretta · (2 episodes)
2013
LEGO Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out
Admiral Piett (voice)
2012
Vera
Ronald Devreux · (1 episode)
2011
The Queen
(5 episodes)
2009
Misfits
Old Rudy · (1 episode)
2009
Greetings
Ken
2007
Like Father Like Son
Rawsthorne
2005
New Tricks
(1 episode)
2004
The Royal
Bernard Hussey · (1 episode)
2003
Foyle's War
Brian Jones · (1 episode)
2002
Relic Hunter
Professor Lamenza · (1 episode)
1999
Hold Back the Night
Uncle Bob
1999
Always and Everyone
Joseph · (1 episode)
1999
The Last Train
(1 episode)
1999
The Mrs Bradley Mysteries
Archie Burlington · (1 episode)
1998
Shadow Run
Larcombe
1998
Midsomer Murders
Lloyd Kirby · (1 episode)
1997
Brassed Off
Greasley
1996
Robert Rylands' Last Journey
Archdale
1996
Solomon & Sheba
Nathan
1995
Wycliffe
Sam Peploe · (1 episode)
1994
Peak Practice
Stan Jordan · (1 episode)
1993
Unnatural Causes
Inspector Gerry Reckless
1993
The Secret Life of Arnold Bax
John Ireland
1992
Between the Lines
Chief Supt. Tattersall · (1 episode)
1992
Heartbeat
Clive Harris · (1 episode)
1992
La Vie de Bohème
Street Sweeper
1992
Prisoner of Honor
Capt. Dreyfus
1991
The Last Island
Nick
1990
I Hired a Contract Killer
The Killer
1990
Kremlin Farewell
Sergej
1990
The Plot to Kill Hitler
Wilhelm Keitel
1990
The Rainbow
Mr. Brunt
1989
A Master of the Marionettes
Inspector Tennyson
1989
Agatha Christie's Poirot
Mathew Davenheim · (1 episode)
1989
A Summer Story
Jim
1988
The Modern World: Ten Great Writers
Chief Inspector Heat · (1 episode)
1988
Casanova
Le Duc
1987
Inspector Morse
DCI Patrick Dawson · (1 episode)
1987
The Whistle Blower
Bill Pickett
1986
Casualty
Paddy · (1 episode)
1986
Casualty
Clifford Watkins · (1 episode)
1986
Casualty
Arthur Cobb · (1 episode)
1986
John Silver's Return to Treasure Island
Ben Gunn · (10 episodes)
1986
Mussolini: The Untold Story
King Vittorio Emmanuele · (4 episodes)
1985
Wallenberg: A Hero's Story
Adolf Eichmann · (2 episodes)
1985
Return to Waterloo
The Traveller
1984
Return of the Jedi
Admiral Piett
1983
The Scarlet and the Black
Capt. Hirsch
1983
Giro City
Martin
1982
Firefox
Colonel Kontarsky
1982
I Remember Nelson
Vice-Adm. Horatio Viscount Nelson
1982
I Remember Nelson
ice-Adm. Horatio Viscount Nelson · (4 episodes)
1982
The Kenny Everett Television Show
Self · (1 episode)
1982
Peter and Paul
Theodotus · (2 episodes)
1981
The Empire Strikes Back
Admiral Piett
1980
Minder
Ron · (1 episode)
1979
Life of Brian
Jesus
1979
The Danedyke Mystery
The Major
1979
Measure for Measure
Duke Vincentio
1979
Les Misérables
Police Prefect
1978
One Bummer News Day
Frank Benyon
1978
The BBC Television Shakespeare
Duke · (1 episode)
1978
Pennies from Heaven
The Accordion Man · (6 episodes)
1978
Hazell
(1 episode)
1978
Come the Revolution
Bruce Tetley
1977
The Testing of Eric Olthwaite
Robber
1977
Jabberwocky
1st Fanatic
1977
Dickens of London
Robert Seymour · (1 episode)
1976
Ripping Yarns
Robber · (1 episode)
1976
Lisztomania
Frederic Chopin
1975
Flame
Tony Devlin
1975
The Love School
Edward Burne-Jones · (6 episodes)
1975
The Sweeney
Noah Riley · (1 episode)
1975
Juggernaut
Detective Brown
1974
Mahler
Krenek
1974
Fall of Eagles
Father Gapon · (1 episode)
1974
Hitler: The Last Ten Days
Boldt
1973
The Triple Echo
Provo Corporal
1972
Crown Court
Stanley Meredith · (2 episodes)
1972
The Protectors
Devlin · (1 episode)
1972
The Boy Friend
King in fantasy sequence (uncredited)
1971
The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes
Farrish · (2 episodes)
1971
The Devils
Legrand
1971
The Music Lovers
Modeste Tchaikovsky
1971
Play for Today
Bruce Tetley · (1 episode)
1970
Play for Today
Frank Benyon · (1 episode)
1970
Performance
Tony Farrell (as Ken Colley)
1970
Dance of the Seven Veils
1970
Dear Mother... ...Love Albert
(1 episode)
1969
Judge Dee
(1 episode)
1969
The Expert
Foreman · (1 episode)
1968
The Expert
Munt · (1 episode)
1968
The Blood Beast Terror
James
1968
Who Pays?
Corbett
1968
How I Won the War
2nd Replacement
1967
Omnibus
Hitler · (1 episode)
1967
The Jokers
De Winter
1967
BBC Play of the Month
Yolinichev · (1 episode)
1965
Thirty-Minute Theatre
Paddy · (1 episode)
1965
Three Clear Sundays
Nick
1965
The Wednesday Play
Bethold Florenberg · (1 episode)
1964
Seventy Deadly Pills
Covent Garden porter
1963
A for Andromeda
Dead Body (uncredited) · (1 episode)
1961
The Avengers
(1 episode)
1961
No Hiding Place
(1 episode)
1959