- "I first encountered Emperor Palpatine at Elstree Studios in the early 1980s. He was staring back at me from a make-up mirror, larger than life and 50 times as ugly. Yellow contact lenses stung my eyes and afforded little peripheral vision. As I walked onto a vast sound stage that had been transformed into a starship hangar, populated by seemingly endless platoons of gleaming white stormtroopers, the scale of George Lucas's vision hit me. This was space spectacle, a back-drop for a space opera of Wagnerian dimension."
- ―Ian McDiarmid
Ian McDiarmid (born August 11, 1944[1]) portrayed Palpatine/Darth Sidious in the Star Wars films. He appears in every film of the prequel trilogy, as well as in Return of the Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker. He is one of the three actors to have appeared in all three Star Wars trilogies along with Kenny Baker (R2-D2) and Anthony Daniels (C-3PO). He did not play the Emperor in the original release of The Empire Strikes Back, but was edited in for the 2004 DVD release of the original trilogy and subsequent releases. McDiarmid also worked with George Lucas on the 1992 television series The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, in which McDiarmid portrayed Professor Levi in the episode "Paris, October 1916."
McDiarmid reprised his role in one scene in the sixth episode of the Obi-Wan Kenobi television series.[3] His scene was filmed against a blue screen. Director Deborah Chow told him to film his scene between being on an edge and having some lines be more casual. McDiarmid struggled with remembering to use the word "execute" during filming.[4]
McDiarmid has also had a distinguished career in British theatre, working as Associate Artistic Director for the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester (1986–1989), joint Artistic Director at London's Almedia Theatre (1990–2002) and as a Board Member of the National Theatre of Scotland. Recent and upcoming projects include a return to the role of Teddy in Brian Friel's Faith Healer (for which he won a Tony award) and in the world premiere of Robert Holman's Jonah & Otto, which marks his return to the Royal Exchange.
Works[]
Filmography[]
Gameography[]
| Year | Title | Contribution(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Angry Birds Star Wars II | Emperor Palpatine | Official Trailer[6][7] |
Sources[]
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1
This Week! in Star Wars LEGO Celebrates Life Day, Bounty Hunters #4 Preview, and More! on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
- ↑ Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide
- ↑
Obi-Wan Kenobi — "Part VI"
- ↑ Obi-Wan Kenobi: A Jedi's Return
- ↑
James Dyer (@jamescdyer) on Twitter: "In case there's any lingering ambiguity from the trailer (and McDiarmid's appearance at the panel!), I can 100% confirm that Palpatine is back in The Rise Of Skywalker as I just asked JJ. He's thrilled - and slightly incredulous- that McDiarmid's presence on set didn't leak." (screenshot)
- ↑
Angry Birds Star Wars II: Join the Pork Side on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
- ↑ Angry Birds Star Wars II: The Making of Join the Pork Side on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
