Star Wars and Shakespeare Actor Michael Pennington Dies Aged 82
The veteran actor was celebrated for a long stage career and for founding the English Shakespeare Company, with colleagues confirming the news.
- On Sunday, English stage actor Michael Pennington died at 82, best known for playing Death Star Commander Moff Jerjerrod in 'Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.' The Telegraph confirmed his death.
- Beyond his cinematic work, Pennington was a longtime Royal Shakespeare Company member who co-founded the English Shakespeare Company with director Michael Bogdanov in 1986 to promote William Shakespeare's work.
- Pennington compiled over 100 roles throughout his career, including stage appearances in 'Hamlet' and 'The Judge,' and a 2011 film opposite Meryl Streep in 'The Iron Lady.'
- Pennington's father introduced him to theater at age 11; he later attended Trinity College in Cambridge and studied at Oxford before launching his career with a 1971 breakthrough in 'Captain Jack's Revenge.'
- Following his partner Prue Skene's 2025 death, Pennington is survived by his son, Mark; his final credited role was voicing The Trust in the HBO Max series 'Raised by Wolves' in 2022.
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Star Wars actor Michael Pennington dies aged 82
LONDON — Acclaimed British actor Michael Pennington, best known to global audiences for his role in Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, has died aged 82, his representatives said. His death was reported on May 10 by The Telegraph, with no cause given. While many will instantly recognize Pennington as the stern Moff Jerjerrod, the Death Star commander famously confronted by Darth Vader on behalf of Emperor Palpatine, his career extended f…
Actor Michael Pennington, who incarnated the Moff Tiaan Jerjerrod in Star Wars. Episode VI: The Return of the Jedi, died at 82 years old. According to The Telegraph, the...
In the classic film Return of the Jedi, he faced one of the most terrifying characters...
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