Kenneth Colley

Acting · Born 1937-12-07 in Manchester, England, UK

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…

Filmography

• Life of Brian as Jesus
• The Empire Strikes Back as Admiral Piett
• Brassed Off as Greasley
• Return of the Jedi as Admiral Piett
• The Devils as Legrand
• Firefox as Colonel Kontarsky
• I Hired a Contract Killer as The Killer
• The Scarlet and the Black as Capt. Hirsch
• Les Misérables as Police Prefect
• The Blood Beast Terror as James

TV

• The Avengers
• Inspector Morse as DCI Patrick Dawson
• Foyle's War as Brian Jones
• Agatha Christie's Poirot as Mathew Davenheim
• Misfits as Old Rudy
• Peaky Blinders as Vicente Changretta
• The Institute as Gate Guard #5
• Midsomer Murders as Lloyd Kirby
• Wycliffe as Sam Peploe
• The Last Train