We remember Kenneth Colley, the British character actor who died late last month. Colley was best known as Admiral Piett in the Star Wars movies.
ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
Imagine being told by a director, I’m looking for someone that would frighten Adolf Hitler. I think you’re it. That’s how the character actor Kenneth Colley described landing apart in the “Star Wars” franchise. He played Admiral Piett, an officer who serves under Darth Vader, in 1980’s “The Empire Strikes Back.”
(SOUNDBITE OF THE LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA’S PERFORMANCE OF JOHN WILLIAMS’ “THE IMPERIAL MARCH”)
MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
Colley died June 30 at age 87. And you might remember the scene when his character, Piett, gets a promotion after his superior is strangled in mid-sentence by a displeased Darth Vader using the Force.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “STAR WARS: EPISODE V – THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK”)
MICHAEL SHEARD: (As Kendal Ozzel) The fleet has moved out of light speed, and we’re preparing to (choking)…
JAMES EARL JONES: (As Darth Vader) You have failed me for the last time, Admiral. Captain Piett?
KENNETH COLLEY: (As Firmus Piett) Yes, my lord?
JONES: (As Darth Vader) Make ready to land our troops beyond their energy field. And deploy the fleet so that nothing gets off the system. You are in command now, Admiral Piett.
COLLEY: (As Firmus Piett) Thank you, Lord Vader.
SHAPIRO: There was originally no part for Colley in the next movie, 1983’s “Return Of The Jedi,” but fans wanted more, as he told a convention of “Star Wars” fans in 2016.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
COLLEY: Got a call from George Lucas saying, we’ve had a lot of fan reaction to the character. Would you like to be in the next movie? So I said, well, yes. And he said, I don’t have any script for you. You’ll have to turn up, and I’ll write you some scenes. So we did.
SHAPIRO: Colley went on to explain why he thought Admiral Piett resonated with viewers.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
COLLEY: I just think he’s a man doing his job. And all the people out there doing their jobs understand that. He’s learning how to survive in a very, very naughty world.
KELLY: Kenneth Colley had a full career outside the “Star Wars” franchise on stage, in TV and film. He portrayed Napoleon, also Hitler more than once, and Jesus in the 1979 film “Monty Python’s Life Of Brian.”
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “MONTY PYTHON’S LIFE OF BRIAN”)
COLLEY: (As Jesus Christ) How blessed are those of gentle spirit? They shall have the Earth for their possession.
TERRY JONES: (As Mandy Cohen) Speak up.
GRAHAM CHAPMAN: (As Brian Cohen) Shh. Quiet, Mum.
JONES: (As Mandy Cohen) Well, I can’t hear a thing.
SHAPIRO: Colley’s agent said in a statement that the actor, quote, “traveled all over the world, yet could never quite grasp why everyone wanted his autograph.”
KELLY: The statement also notes that, quote, “Ken loved his garden, art, cars and the occasional porn star martini.” For those wondering, that is a concoction featuring vanilla vodka, lime juice and passion fruit. Somewhere in a galaxy far, far away, fans are raising a glass.
(SOUNDBITE OF THE LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA’S PERFORMANCE OF JOHN WILLIAMS’ “THE REBEL FLEET / END TITLE”)
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