Michael Pennington, Acclaimed Actor, Passes Away at 82
Stage and screen actor Michael Pennington has died at the age of 82, his representatives have confirmed.
Best known for his role as Death Star Commander Moff Jerjerrod in Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, Pennington was also a distinguished Shakespearean actor and held the title of Honorary Associate Artist with the Royal Shakespeare Company.
He co-founded the English Shakespeare Company alongside theatre director Michael Bogdanov.
Tributes from Colleagues
Actress Miriam Margolyes paid tribute to Pennington, describing him as a
"very fine actor, brilliant, wise, clear."
She added,
"He was an old friend, from Cambridge [University] days. I am sad beyond measure. Bless your dear memory, old chum."
Early Life and Career
Born Michael Vivian Fyfe Pennington on June 7, 1943, in Cambridge, England, his on-screen career began in 1965 with a supporting role in the BBC mini-series The War of the Roses.
Throughout his career, he appeared in more than 70 screen roles, including starring opposite Meryl Streep in The Iron Lady, a film for which Streep won her third Academy Award for Best Actress.
Pennington was also known for his collaborations with Dame Judi Dench and her husband Michael Williams, appearing together in several stage productions such as King Lear.
Influences and BBC Work
In a 2015 interview with The Independent, Pennington revealed that watching Judi Dench perform as Ophelia in a 1957 London production of Hamlet inspired his pursuit of theatre.
"There's no one quite like Judi. For her acting is playing: she's a lass unparalleled,"
he told the publication.
Pennington also featured in several BBC productions, including The Witches of Pendle, Oedipus The King, and an adaptation of Middlemarch.
Later Work
His last credited role was in 2022, when he provided the voice of The Trust in five episodes of the sci-fi series Raised by Wolves.
