Michael Pennington, the British actor best known to film audiences for playing Death Star Commander Moff Jerjerrod in Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedihas died at the age of 82.
The telegraph announced his death on Sunday.
Pennington appeared in the 1983 film in one of its most memorable scenes, taking orders from Darth Vader as the Empire’s sinister military commander.
Despite the role proving to be enduringly popular with Star Wars fans, Pennington was characteristically self-deprecating looking back on it.
“I look at it now and I think I’m overreacting horribly and I don’t even remember the story,” he said in a 2012 interview.
“We all did it for a song, but I suppose it’s kind of given me a calling card for movies.”
He noted that for years after the film, audiences waiting at the stage door after his theatrical performances would almost exclusively ask about Star Warsalthough in 2012 he found it The Iron Lady created just as much conversation.
His career extended far beyond that galaxy far, far away.
He played Laertes in a 1969 production of Hamlet and portrayed politician Michael Foot in the 2011 film The Iron Ladyalong with Meryl Streep.
In 1986, Pennington co-founded the English Shakespeare Company with theater director Michael Bogdanov, an organization dedicated to promoting the work of William Shakespeare, which stands as an essential part of his legacy.
Pennington married actress Katharine Barker in 1964 and the couple had a son, Mark, before divorcing in 1967.
His partner, arts administrator Prue Skene, died last year.
The telegraph fondly remembered him as “a warm and pleasant man” who “enjoyed the company of fellow actors and took his turn cooking for everyone” and was at one point known to hand out jars of his homemade quince butter.
