An acclaimed Star Wars actor who lived in the county has died.
Kenneth Colley was a prominent character in both The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
The films, released in 1980 and 1983, saw Colley play Admiral Piett – the imperial officer who commanded Darth Vader’s flagship.
However, a statement released by his agent says he passed away peacefully at his home in Ashford on Monday aged 87.
It read: “Ken Colley was one of our finest character actors with a career spanning 60 years.
“Ken continually worked on stage, film and television playing a vast array of characters, from Jesus in Monty Python’s Life of Brian to evil and eccentric characters in Ken Russell films, and the Duke of Vienna in Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure for the BBC.”
The statement added Colley had been admitted to hospital with an injured arm after a fall, but soon contracted Covid which developed into pneumonia.
He died with friends at his bedside, it added.
Mr Colley lived in Herne Bay as recently as 2019, spending time touring the sci-fi convention circuit off the back of his role in the two movies.
During his role, not only did the character not find himself throttled by Vader’s use of the Force during the Empire Strikes Back, he even managed to make it to the subsequent movie, Return of the Jedi.
However, he met his doom when his Star Destroyer crashed.
It is said director Irvin Kershner described the role to him as “someone who would frighten Adolf Hitler”.
Colley also featured in Clint Eastwood’s Firefox and the Second World War series War and Remembrance.
His agent, Julian Owen, added: “Ken also loved his garden, art collecting and had a passion for fast cars.”
