LONDON – Michael Pennington, the British actor best known and acclaimed by audiences around the world for his role in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, has died at the age of 82, his representative announced.
His death was reported by the Telegraph on May 10, but the cause of death was not disclosed.
Many will instantly recognize Pennington as the stern Moff Jergerrod, the Death Star commander famous for facing Darth Vader on Emperor Palpatine’s behalf, but his career spanned far beyond the galaxy. In fact, it was on stage, not on screen, that he truly made his mark.
A prominent figure in British theater, Pennington devoted decades of his life to Shakespeare. He joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1964, initially as a young actor and then rising through the ranks to become one of its most respected performers.
An accomplished Shakespearean, he is listed as an Honorary Associate Artist of the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Actress Miriam Margolyes paid tribute to Pennington, calling him “a very good actor, intelligent, wise, clear-minded person.”
She said he was an “old friend from my Cambridge days”, adding: “I am saddened beyond measure. Blessings on your precious memories, my old friend.”
Born Michael Vivian Fyfe Pennington on June 7, 1943 in Cambridge, England, the actor’s on-screen career began in 1965 with a supporting role in the BBC mini-series The Wars of the Roses.
She went on to appear in more than 70 films throughout her career, including starring opposite actress Meryl Streep in The Iron Lady, for which she won her third Academy Award for Best Actress.
The British actor is also known for his collaborations with Dame Judi Dench and her husband Michael Williams, with whom they co-starred in several stage productions, including King Lear.
In a 2015 interview with The Independent, Pennington said she was inspired to go to the theater after seeing Dench play Ophelia in the 1957 London production of Hamlet.
“There’s no one like Judy. Her acting is acting, so she’s a one-of-a-kind daughter,” he told the newspaper.
Pennington also appeared in several BBC productions, including The Witches of Pendle, Oedipus Rex, and an adaptation of Middlemarch.
His last credited role was in 2022, when he voiced The Trust in five episodes of the sci-fi series Raised by Wolves.
Beyond acting, he is also an accomplished writer and has written several books that explore the art of performance and the intricacies of the entertainment industry.
In his personal life, Pennington married Katherine Barker in 1964 and they had a son together before they separated in 1967. He then had a long-lasting relationship with his partner Prue Skene, who passed away in 2025.
