Michael Pennington, known for his role as Death Star Commander Moff Jerjerrod in “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi,” passed away on Sunday. He was 82 years old.
Pennington’s passing was verified byThe Telegraphand shared by Star Wars News Net writer Soeren Kamper.
Although he may not have been as familiar to American viewers, Pennington was a cherished English actor who established the English Shakespeare Company (ESC). He was recognized for his performances on stage, featuring roles in “Hamlet,” “The Judge,” and “The Henrys,” along with numerous other productions.
He also played Antony in a 2012 staging of “Cleopatra and Antony,” a part he found somewhat unexpected. “I had kind of assumed that it was about time I was taking on roles like Prospero and Lear, although there have been quite a few King Lear productions lately,” he said.informed the Chichester Festival Theatre in 2012.
So Antony wasn’t really on my radar, although maybe more than ‘Richard III’ or Benedick in ‘Much Ado About Nothing,’ which have never really interested me. I had played Antony before in an audio production for the Open University with Lindsay Duncan, but I always thought of Antony as being quite stocky in build—like Anthony Hopkins, who actually played the role opposite Judi Dench at the National in the 1980s,” he added. “But it’s been absolutely wonderful to take on. Once you start working on one of his plays, Shakespeare sends you in every direction.
Although it may astonish those who recall him from the role, Pennington also voiced remorse over his “Jedi” performance. “Looking at it now, I think I acted terribly and I can’t even remember the plot. We all did it for a small amount of money, but I guess it has served as a kind of introduction to films,” he explained in the same interview. “Every time I leave the Stage Door after a show, everyone asks me about ‘Star Wars.'”
As he also explained, establishing the ESC was the achievement he felt most proud of. “Looking back, I’m most impressed by how bold and improbable it was. It has provided me with a wealth of fascinating stories to share, especially regarding some of the adventures we experienced,” Pennington said. “At the same time, we managed to transform many young actors, who might have otherwise gone elsewhere, into classical performers. And I see the impact of the ESC everywhere, whenever Shakespeare is performed in a straightforward manner, and when productions are both meaningful and lively.”
Michael Vivian Fyfe Pennington was born on June 7, 1943, in Cambridge, England. He enrolled at Trinity College in Cambridge and pursued English studies at Oxford before deciding to pursue a career in acting right away.
“I wasn’t trained as an actor. I was one of those Oxbridge students who studied English (but not really much of it) at Cambridge in the early 1960s, part of a group that included Trevor Nunn and Richard Eyre, and I believed I could jump straight into acting after university, viewing it more like a theater company!” he said.told What’s On Stage in 2003.
Pennington gave credit to his father for exposing him to theater at the age of 11. While talking about it toThe StageIn 2021, he stated, “My father took me to watch Paul Rogers in Macbeth at the Old Vic. I was instantly captivated. It felt like uncovering rock’n’roll. Afterward, I composed a small newsletter on an old Olivetti typewriter as though I had been assigned to critique the performance.”
He mentioned that his parents recognized “from the beginning” that he was dedicated to theater, and he gained his notable role as Captain Jack’s Revenge in 1971.
Although he was a well-known and respected figure in English theatre, Pennington mentioned that he once considered pursuing a career in the United States. “Yes, I did think about going to the States, but I didn’t believe I would get the opportunity. I lacked the necessary connections. I had several close calls, but there was a key factor I never managed to figure out,” he shared with The Stage.
His partner, Prue Skene, died in 2025. Michael Pennington is survived by his son, Mark.
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