Michael Pennington, the British actor best known for playing Moff Jerjerrod in Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, has died at the age of 82. His death on 7 May was confirmed by The Telegraph, though the cause has not been disclosed.
Pennington was a highly respected stage actor, with a career spanning decades. He began his theatre work with the Royal Shakespeare Company and later co-founded the English Shakespeare Company. His stage credits included Hamlet and The Henrys, and he starred in the 1989 television adaptation The Wars of the Roses.
On screen, Pennington appeared in Tony Richardson's 1969 version of Hamlet and played former Labour leader Michael Foot opposite Meryl Streep in the 2011 film The Iron Lady. More recently, he had roles in Raised by Wolves, Endeavour, Father Brown, and Silent Witness. He also appeared in the 1980s telemovie The Return of Sherlock Holmes.
Despite his film and television work, Pennington's greatest passion was the theatre. He was described as a titan of UK theatre, particularly during the Peter Barton era at the RSC, and was remembered as a brilliant stage actor, director, teacher, and mentor.
