Kenneth Colley
Acting
127
Acting Credits
1
Directed
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 Shak...
Known For
Filmography
Dan Hawk Psychic Detective
2025
as Thaddeus Moncrief
The Institute
2025
as Gate Guard #5
Scar Tissue
2013
as Weaver
Peaky Blinders
2013
as Vicente Changretta
LEGO Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out
2012
as Admiral Piett (voice)
Vera
2011
as Ronald Devreux
The Queen
2009
Misfits
2009
as Old Rudy
Greetings
2007
as Ken
Like Father Like Son
2005
as Rawsthorne
New Tricks
2004
The Royal
2003
as Bernard Hussey
Foyle's War
2002
as Brian Jones
Hold Back the Night
1999
as Uncle Bob
The Last Train
1999
Relic Hunter
1999
as Professor Lamenza
Always and Everyone
1999
as Joseph
Shadow Run
1998
as Larcombe
The Mrs Bradley Mysteries
1998
as Archie Burlington
Midsomer Murders
1997
as Lloyd Kirby
Brassed Off
1996
as Greasley
Robert Rylands' Last Journey
1996
as Archdale
Solomon & Sheba
1995
as Nathan
Wycliffe
1994
as Sam Peploe
Moving Story
1994
as Ken Uttley
Unnatural Causes
1993
as Inspector Gerry Reckless
Peak Practice
1993
as Stan Jordan
La Vie de Bohème
1992
as Street Sweeper
The Secret Life of Arnold Bax
1992
as John Ireland
Heartbeat
1992
as Clive Harris
Between the Lines
1992
as Chief Supt. Tattersall
Prisoner of Honor
1991
as Capt. Dreyfus
I Hired a Contract Killer
1990
as The Killer
Kremlin Farewell
1990
as Sergej
The Plot to Kill Hitler
1990
as Wilhelm Keitel
The Last Island
1990
as Nick
A Master of the Marionettes
1989
as Inspector Tennyson
The Rainbow
1989
as Mr. Brunt
Agatha Christie's Poirot
1989
as Mathew Davenheim
A Summer Story
1988
as Jim
The Modern World: Ten Great Writers
1988
as Chief Inspector Heat
War and Remembrance
1988
as Paul Blobel
The Play on One
1988
as DI Tennyson
Casanova
1987
as Le Duc
Inspector Morse
1987
as DCI Patrick Dawson
The Whistle Blower
1986
as Bill Pickett
John Silver's Return to Treasure Island
1986
as Ben Gunn
Casualty
1986
as Paddy
Casualty
1986
as Clifford Watkins
Casualty
1986
as Arthur Cobb
Mussolini: The Untold Story
1985
as King Vittorio Emmanuele
Wallenberg: A Hero's Story
1985
as Adolf Eichmann
Screen Two
1985
as Sergej
Function Room
1985
Return to Waterloo
1984
as The Traveller
The Scarlet and the Black
1983
as Capt. Hirsch
Return of the Jedi
1983
as Admiral Piett
Firefox
1982
as Colonel Kontarsky
Giro City
1982
as Martin
The Kenny Everett Television Show
1982
as Self
I Remember Nelson
1982
as ice-Adm. Horatio Viscount Nelson
Peter and Paul
1981
as Theodotus
The Empire Strikes Back
1980
as Admiral Piett
Life of Brian
1979
as Jesus
The Danedyke Mystery
1979
as The Major
Measure for Measure
1979
as Duke Vincentio
Minder
1979
as Ron
Les Misérables
1978
as Police Prefect
One Bummer News Day
1978
as Frank Benyon
Pennies from Heaven
1978
as The Accordion Man
The BBC Television Shakespeare
1978
as Duke Vincentio
Jabberwocky
1977
as 1st Fanatic
The Testing of Eric Olthwaite
1977
as Robber
Come the Revolution
1977
as Bruce Tetley
Target
1977
as Jessal
Three Days in Szczecin
1976
as Edmund Bałuka
The Chester Mystery Plays
1976
Ripping Yarns
1976
as Robber
Dickens of London
1976
as Robert Seymour
Lisztomania
1975
as Frederic Chopin
Flame
1975
as Tony Devlin
The Sweeney
1975
as Noah Riley
The Love School
1975
as Edward Burne-Jones
Juggernaut
1974
as Detective Brown
Mahler
1974
as Krenek
Fall of Eagles
1974
as Father Gapon
Churchill's People
1974
as Ancient Beau
Hitler: The Last Ten Days
1973
as Boldt
Black and Blue
1973
as Schultz
The Triple Echo
1972
as Provo Corporal
Crown Court
1972
as Stanley Meredith
The Protectors
1972
as Devlin
New Scotland Yard
1972
as Peter Elliot
The Music Lovers
1971
as Modeste Tchaikovsky
The Boy Friend
1971
as King in fantasy sequence (uncredited)
The Devils
1971
as Legrand
The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes
1971
as Farrish
Dance of the Seven Veils
1970
Performance.
1970
as Tony Farrell
Play for Today
1970
as Bruce Tetley
Play for Today
1970
as Frank Benyon
Judge Dee
1969
Dear Mother... ...Love Albert
1969
The Blood Beast Terror
1968
as James
Who Pays?
1968
as Corbett
Cause of Death
1968
as Dr. Emil Justin
The Expert
1968
as Foreman
The Expert
1968
as Munt
The Jokers
1967
as De Winter
How I Won the War
1967
as 2nd Replacement
Omnibus
1967
as Hitler
City '68
1967
as Corbett
Macbeth
1966
as Macbeth's servant
The Informer
1966
as Slater
Three Clear Sundays
1965
as Nick
Thirty-Minute Theatre
1965
as Paddy
BBC Play of the Month
1965
as Yolinichev
Thirty-Minute Theatre
1965
as Dr. Emil Justin
Thirty-Minute Theatre
1965
as Adolf Hitler
Thirty-Minute Theatre
1965
as Charles I
The Wednesday Play
1964
as Bethold Florenberg
It's Dark Outside
1964
as Hammond
Redcap
1964
as Private Bolt
Seventy Deadly Pills
1963
as Covent Garden porter
The Avengers
1961
No Hiding Place
1959
Armchair Theatre
1956
as Jimmy