Ian McDiarmid
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Image:Palpatine1.jpg Ian McDiarmid (born August 11, 1944) is a Scottish actor born in Carnoustie in Angus. He was educated at St Andrews University and the Royal Scottish Academy in Glasgow.
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Work in Star Wars
Image:Emperor Palpatine DVD Empire Strikes Back.jpeg Ian McDiarmid is mostly a stage actor, but after a bit part in the film Dragonslayer he was cast by George Lucas in the key role in Star Wars as Palpatine (a.k.a Darth Sidious), the principal villain. Palpatine is a cunning politician who eventually becomes ruler of the Galactic Empire. First playing the Emperor in Return of the Jedi, and then as a younger Senator and Chancellor Palpatine in Episodes I-III, he is one of the few actors who has depicted the same character in both of the Star Wars trilogies (as well as playing a younger version of the character as an older actor).
In the 2004 re-release of The Empire Strikes Back, a brief scene between Darth Vader and a hologram of Emperor Palpatine was updated to have him depicted by McDiarmid (the Emperor was originally voiced by Clive Revill for that scene and the face on the projector was that of a woman wearing prosthetic makeup). With this addition to The Empire Strikes Back, McDiarmid has now appeared in at least one version of every film in which Palpatine appears.
Image:Palpatine Ep6 DVD 6.jpg He was a relatively unknown charismatic stage actor in his thirties when he was cast as the most powerful being in the Star Wars universe. He had previously achieved little recognition for this role, until 1999 when he was called back to reprise the role in the prequels. While other non-human roles, such as Yoda, R2-D2, C-3PO, and eventually Chewbacca, were all played by their original actors, all the other human roles were recast with younger actors. (A partial exception to this is James Earl Jones reprising his role as the voice of Darth Vader at the end of Episode III - see the Darth Vader article for more details). McDiarmid has the distinction of being the only actor to reprise his role of a human character, an opportunity that he attributes to having been so much younger than his character the first time he played the part. (In 1982 he was just 37 when he filmed his scenes in Return of the Jedi.) The prequels had him play two faces to his character. He re-created the character from Return of the Jedi when playing Darth Sidious, but created a different, more attractive, pleasant, and seductive character in playing Palpatine. While he had received prior recognition from fans, he received widespread attention and critical praise for this expanded role in the prequels.
Theatrical Work
McDiarmid is renowned for his work in British theatre, having won plaudits as an actor and director from a wide variety of sources. From 1990 until 2001, he and Jonathan Kent served as the artistic directors of the Almeida Theatre, located in the Islington district of London. Their tenure was marked by a string of highly successful performances involving 'big name' actors usually seen in films such as Kevin Spacey and Joseph Fiennes.
One theatrical performance of note is his portrayal of the lead character Harry Hackamore in Sam Shepard's play Seduced. By McDiarmid's own description, Hackamore was a Howard Hughes-type character. To play the part, he was made-up in prosthetics, including a false beard and long fingernails, to resemble Hackamore. McDiarmid was only 37 at the time, and this convinced George Lucas and Richard Marquand that he could convincingly play a much older character in extreme cinematic close-up, which helped him land the role of Palpatine.
Filmography
Theatrical films
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith | Supreme Chancellor/Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious |
| 2004 | Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (DVD) | Emperor Palpatine (footage with Ian McDiarmid playing this role was shot and added to a rerelease of the 1980 film in 2004) |
| 2002 | Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones | Supreme Chancellor Palpatine/Darth Sidious |
| 1999 | Sleepy Hollow | Dr. Thomas Lancaster |
| 1999 | Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace | Senator/Supreme Chancellor Palpatine/Darth Sidious |
| 1995 | Restoration | Ambrose |
| 1988 | Dirty Rotten Scoundrels | Arthur |
| 1983 | Gorky Park | Prof. Andreev |
| 1983 | Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi | Emperor Palpatine |
| 1981 | Dragonslayer | Brother Jacobus |
| 1980 | Sir Henry at Rawlinson End | Reg Smeeton |
| 1980 | The Awakening | Dr. Richer |
| 1980 | Richard's Things | Burglar |
| 1976 | The Likely Lads | Vicar |
TV films
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Our Hidden Lives | B Charles |
| 2005 | Elizabeth I | Lord Burghley |
| 2003 | Charles II: The Power and The Passion | Edward Hyde |
| 1999 | All the King's Men | Rev. Pierrepoint Edwards |
| 1999 | Great Expectations | Jaggers |
| 1997 | Rebecca | Coroner |
| 1996 | Hillsborough | Dr. Popper |
| 1995 | Annie: A Royal Adventure! | Dr. Eli Eon |
| 1994 | Heart of Darkness | Doctor |
| 1991 | Chernobyl: The Final Warning | Dr. Vatisenko |
| 1979 | Professionals series:The madness of Micky Hamilton | Micky Hamilton |
| 1979 | Macbeth | Ross & the Porter |
External links
- Ian McDiarmid at the Internet Movie Database
- A fan's website
- Unofficial fansite, created by Marion, a German fan
- Bio from the official Star Wars site
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