Michael Pennington, the British actor best known for playing Moff Jerjerrod in Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, has died at age 82. According to The Telegraph, his cause of death has not been disclosed.
Pennington was born on June 7, 1943, in Cambridge, England. His screen career began with a supporting role in the BBC miniseries "The War of the Roses" (1965). In 1964, he had joined the Royal Shakespeare Company as a minor performer.
A Defining Role in a Galaxy Far, Far Away
In Return of the Jedi (1983), his character, Moff Jerjerrod, is warned by Darth Vader about the slow construction of the second Death Star.
A Life in Theatre and On Screen
A longtime member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Pennington accumulated over 70 screen roles. He also appeared in the 2011 film The Iron Lady alongside Meryl Streep.
Pennington performed in numerous Shakespeare plays, including Hamlet, Richard II, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, and King Lear. He also starred in stage productions such as The Madness of George III and in the one-man play Anton Chekhov. He authored nearly a dozen books on acting.
On screen, he had guest roles in Waking the Dead and The Tudors. His final credited role was in 2022, voicing The Trust in five episodes of the HBO Max series Raised by Wolves.