Tag: Star Wars

R.I.P. Kenneth Colley

Once again, I’m writing a very belated obituary for a fine actor. The great British character actor Kenneth Colley passed away a couple of weeks ago. Thanks to the enduring magic of Star Wars, many young people today will know Colley from his brilliant, understated performance as Admiral Piett (a.k.a. the closest thing Darth Vader has to a trusted friend) in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.

With his stern voice, dour face, and no-fucks-left-to-give demeanor, Colley specialized in world-weary, authoritarian roles. But like Gene Hackman (who also passed away recently), Colley was an amazingly versatile actor who appeared in dozens of films and TV shows, playing everything from Jesus in The Life of Brian to Frédéric Chopin in Lisztomania.

My favorite of his performances was that of a revenge-corrupted cop in the great Inspector Morse series episode “The Second Time Around.” 

Godspeed, Mr. Colley…!

R.I.P. James Earl Jones

Let’s face it, 99% of the people alive today who knew anything at all about James Earl Jones knew about him from Star Wars. He was, after all, the voice of Darth Vader, the most commanding villain in all cinema.

My first memory of Jones, however, was from the early 1970s, when I was a little kid. I was watching a made-for-TV movie about the Barney and Betty Hill UFO incident. Jones played Barney, and the scene where he recalls, under hipnosis, his encounter with a UFO struck me, even a kid, as unbelievably powerful and even scary. (If you can find this movie on Youtube, you should check it out.)

It’s important for us all to remember how truly great an actor Jones was. He wasn’t just a voice–he was a master of the entire art. One of my lit. professors in college recalled seeing Jones as Othello on Broadway in a now-legendary production with Christopher Plummer as Iago, and how absolutely mesmerizing Jones was.

In keeping with that memory, I am posting a brief, command performance that Jones did of a scene from Othello about ten years ago.

Godspeed, Mr. Jones….!!!