Ian McDiarmid

Ian McDiarmid, born on August 11, 1944, played the character of Palpatine/Darth Sidious throughout the Star Wars film franchise. He makes an appearance in each movie of the prequel trilogy, alongside his roles in both Return of the Jedi_ and The Rise of Skywalker. Alongside Kenny Baker (R2-D2) and Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), he is one of only three performers who have been in all three Star Wars trilogies. Although he wasn't in the first release of The Empire Strikes Back_, he was added in during the 2004 DVD release for the original trilogy and subsequent versions. McDiarmid also collaborated with George Lucas in 1992 on the television show The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, where McDiarmid played Professor Levi in the episode titled "Paris, October 1916."

He took on the role again for a scene featured in the sixth episode of the television series Obi-Wan Kenobi. The scene he was in was shot using a blue screen. Deborah Chow, the director, instructed him to perform the scene balancing on an edge, while also delivering some lines more casually. During the filming process, McDiarmid found it difficult to remember to say "execute."

Beyond his Star Wars work, McDiarmid has built a notable career in British theatre, having served as Associate Artistic Director for the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester from 1986 to 1989, as joint Artistic Director at the Almedia Theatre in London between 1990 and 2002, and as a Board Member for the National Theatre of Scotland. His recent and upcoming projects include revisiting the character Teddy in Brian Friel's Faith Healer (a role that earned him a Tony award) and starring in the world premiere of Robert Holman's Jonah & Otto, marking his return to the Royal Exchange.