Star Wars actor Michael Pennington dies aged 82

"Pennington, who played Moff Jerjerrod in Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, died on Sunday (10 May). No cause of death was given. Born in Cambridge in 1942, Pennington found a passion for the stage as a member of the National Youth Theatre. Studying at Cambridge University, he appeared in 30 undergraduate plays and made his debut as Shakespeare's Hamlet."

"A frequent collaborator of Judi Dench, Pennington never went to drama school, but joined the Royal Shakespeare Company after graduating. In this same period, he married fellow actor Katharine Barker, with whom he had one son. Their marriage was dissolved in 1967. Pennington initially spent eight years with the RSC during which he most notably played Fortinbras in a 1965 production of Hamlet."

"When he returned to the RSC in 1974, it was initially to play Angelo in Measure for Measure. Thus started a new era of his relationship with the company; Pennington was now a leading actor and appeared in a number of productions, the most notable of which was a 1980 version of Hamlet, where he played the titular Danish prince."

"In order to play Hamlet, the four-time Olivier nominee infamously turned down the role that would have changed his career trajectory: the lead opposite Meryl Streep in the film adaptation of The French Lieutenant's Woman. The film, written by Harold Pinter and directed by Karel Reisz, earned five Oscar nominations. Pennington, however, said at the time that he had no regrets about choosing Hamlet."

Michael Pennington, a British actor born in Cambridge in 1942, died at age 82. He developed a passion for stage work through the National Youth Theatre and studied at Cambridge University, where he appeared in 30 undergraduate plays and debuted as Hamlet. He joined the Royal Shakespeare Company after graduating, spending eight years there and later returning in 1974 as a leading actor. His notable RSC roles included Fortinbras in 1965 and Hamlet in a 1980 production. He also played Moff Jerjerrod in Star Wars: Episode VI—Return of the Jedi. He declined the lead opposite Meryl Streep in The French Lieutenant’s Woman and later said he had no regrets about choosing Hamlet.

Read at The Independent