Star Wars actor dead aged 82
Yahoo • • entertainment
Key Points:
- Michael Pennington, renowned British actor best known for his role as Moff Jerjerrod in Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, has died at the age of 82, with his death reported on May 10 and no cause given.
- Pennington was a towering figure in British theatre, dedicating decades to Shakespeare and joining the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1964, later founding The English Shakespeare Company in 1986 to bring classical productions to wider audiences.
- He famously declined a film role opposite Meryl Streep in The French Lieutenant’s Woman to continue playing Hamlet, underscoring his deep commitment to theatre despite a varied screen career in television and film.
- Pennington also authored several books on acting and the entertainment industry, and his final screen role was a voice part in Ridley Scott’s sci-fi series Raised by Wolves in 2022.
- In his personal life, he was married to Katharine Barker, with whom he had a son, and later had a long relationship with Prue Skene, who passed away in 2025.