Ian McDiarmid facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ian McDiarmid
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![]() McDiarmid in 2020
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Born | Carnoustie, Angus, Scotland
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11 August 1944
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Occupation |
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Years active | 1972–present |
Ian McDiarmid (born August 11, 1944) is a Scottish actor and director. He is famous for playing the evil Palpatine (also known as the Emperor or Darth Sidious) in the Star Wars movies. He has also had a very successful career in theatre, winning important awards like the Olivier Award for Best Actor and a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Ian McDiarmid was born in Carnoustie, Scotland, on August 11, 1944. When he was just five years old, his father took him to see a show at a theatre. Ian was amazed by the lights and makeup, and he knew right away that he wanted to be an actor.
Even though he loved theatre, he first studied psychology at the University of St Andrews. After that, he decided to follow his dream of acting. He went to the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow to train as an actor. In 1968, he received a gold medal for his acting work there, which was a great start to his career.
Acting Career
Ian McDiarmid has worked a lot in British theatre as both an actor and a director. He has performed in many plays by William Shakespeare, including Hamlet, The Tempest, and Macbeth.
From 1990 to 2001, he was one of the artistic directors of the Almeida Theatre in London. This meant he helped choose which plays would be performed and worked with many famous actors. He also directed several plays himself. In 2006, he won a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play for his role in the play Faith Healer on Broadway.
Star Wars Role

Ian McDiarmid is best known for his role as the Emperor in the Star Wars movies. He first played the Emperor, the main villain, in Return of the Jedi (1983). People loved his performance, especially his dark and powerful voice.
Years later, he returned to play a younger version of the character in the Star Wars prequel films: The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith. In these movies, he played two sides of the character: the kind Senator Palpatine and his evil secret identity, the Sith Lord Darth Sidious.
He also appeared as the Emperor again in the 2019 film Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, which was the final movie in the main Star Wars story. In 2004, a scene in The Empire Strikes Back was updated to include Ian McDiarmid as the Emperor, so now he appears in every live-action Star Wars film where the character is shown.
Beyond the movies, Ian McDiarmid has voiced Palpatine/Darth Sidious in several Star Wars video games and animated TV shows, including Star Wars: The Bad Batch and Tales of the Jedi. He also made a special appearance as the Emperor in the 2022 TV series Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Television and Radio Work
Ian McDiarmid has acted in many television shows and radio dramas. In 1990, he played a character named Hugo DeVries in an episode of Inspector Morse. He also played a police detective in the BBC's 2002 show Crime and Punishment.
In 2005, he voiced Satan in a long radio drama based on the famous poem Paradise Lost. He also played Denis Thatcher, the husband of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, in the 2009 TV film Margaret. In 2014, he had a leading role in the BBC drama 37 Days, which was about the events leading up to the First World War.
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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1976 | The Likely Lads | Vicar | |
1980 | Sir Henry at Rawlinson End | Reg Smeeton | |
Richard's Things | Burglar | ||
The Awakening | Dr. Richter | ||
1981 | Dragonslayer | Brother Jacobus | |
1983 | Return of the Jedi | The Emperor | |
Gorky Park | Professor Andreev | ||
1988 | Dirty Rotten Scoundrels | Arthur | |
1995 | Restoration | Ambrose | |
1999 | Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace | Senator Palpatine / Darth Sidious | |
Sleepy Hollow | Dr. Thomas Lancaster | ||
2002 | Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones | Supreme Chancellor Palpatine / Darth Sidious | |
2004 | Star Wars Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back DVD Special Edition | The Emperor | DVD re-release; replacing portrayal by Marjorie Eaton (visual) Clive Revill (voice) in original 1980 film. |
2005 | Star Wars: A Musical Journey | Host | Musical anthology for DVD |
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith | Supreme Chancellor Palpatine / Darth Sidious | Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated — Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Villain |
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2009 | The Odds | Gambler | Short film |
2015 | Star Wars: The Force Awakens | Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious (voice) | Archive recording |
2016 | The Lost City of Z | Sir George Goldie | |
2019 | Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker | Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious | Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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1976 | Red Letter Day | Blade | Episode: "Amazing Stories" |
1979 | Macbeth | Ross / The Porter | Television film |
The Professionals | Mickey Hamilton | Episode: "The Madness of Mickey Hamilton" | |
1981 | ITV Playhouse | Fedka | Episode: "Last Night Another Dissident..." |
1983 | The Nation's Health | Doctor Vernon Davis | 4 episodes |
1985 | Pity in History | Murgatroyd | Television film |
1988 | The Modern World: Ten Great Writers | Fyodor Dostoyevsky | Episode: "Crime and Punishment" |
1990 | Inspector Morse | Hugo De Vries | Episode: "Masonic Mysteries" |
1991 | Chernobyl: The Final Warning | Dr. Vatisenko | Television film |
1993 | The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles | Professor Levi | Episode: "Paris, October 1916" |
Heart of Darkness | Doctor | Television film | |
Selected Exits | George Devine | ||
1995 | Annie: A Royal Adventure! | Dr. Eli Eon | |
1996 | Karaoke | Oliver Morse | 4 episodes |
Cold Lazarus | Oliver Morse | Episode #1.3 | |
Hillsborough | Dr. Popper | Television film | |
1997 | An Unsuitable Job for a Woman | Ronald Callender | Episode: "Sacrifice" |
Rebecca | Coroner | Episode #1.2 | |
Touching Evil | Ronald Hinks | 2 episodes | |
1999 | Great Expectations | Jaggers | Television film |
All the King's Men | Rev. Pierrepoint Edwards | ||
2002 | Crime and Punishment | Porfiry Petrovich | |
2003 | Charles II: The Power and The Passion | Sir Edward Hyde | |
2004 | Spooks | Prof. Fred Roberts | Episode #3.2 |
2005 | Our Hidden Lives | B. Charles | Television film |
Elizabeth I | Lord Burghley | 2 episodes | |
2008 | City of Vice | Henry Fielding | 5 episodes |
2009 | Margaret | Denis Thatcher | Television film |
2014 | 37 Days | Sir Edward Grey | 3 episodes |
Utopia | Anton / Phillip Carvel | 5 episodes | |
2018 | Britannia | King Pellenor | 9 episodes |
Star Wars Rebels | Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious (voice) | 3 episodes; earlier (2015) in episode "The Siege of Lothal" voiced by Sam Witwer | |
Star Wars Galaxy of Adventures | Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious (voice) | Episode: "Luke vs. Emperor Palpatine - Rise to Evil" (archive recording only) | |
2020 | Star Wars: The Clone Wars | Darth Sidious (voice) | Episode: "Shattered" (archive recording only) |
2021—2024 | Star Wars: The Bad Batch | Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious (voice) | 2 episodes (Also archive recording only in episode: "Aftermath") |
2022 | Obi-Wan Kenobi | Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious | Episode: "Part VI" Episode: "Рart I" (archive material only) |
Tales of the Jedi | Darth Sidious (voice) | Episode: "The Sith Lord" |
Awards and Nominations
Year | Award | Work | Result |
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1968 | Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama Gold Medal | — | Won |
1982 | Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a New Play | Insignificance | Won |
1985 | Time Out Comedy Awards for Directing | Scenes from an Execution | Won |
1990 | Time Out Comedy Awards for Directing | Volpone | Won |
1991 | Observer Awards for Outstanding Achievement for Ten Years of Presenting Irish Drama (nominated) | Volpone, The Rehearsal, and Betrayal Field | Won |
1995 | Manchester Evening News Award for Best Actor | Hated Nightfall | Won |
1998 | Special Evening Standard Award for Theatrical Achievement of the Year (shared with Jonathan Kent) | — | Won |
2001 | Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Best Theatre Actor | Faith Healer | Won |
2002 | Clarence Derwent Award for Best Supporting Actor | Faith Healer | Won |
2004 | Manchester Evening News Award for Best Actor | Henry IV | Won |
2004 | Theatregoers' Choice Award for Best Actor | Henry IV | Won |
2005 | Theatregoers' Choice Award for Best Actor | King Lear | Won |
2005 | Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor | Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith | Nominated |
2005 | Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Villain | Nominated | |
2006 | Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance | Faith Healer | Nominated |
2006 | Outer Critics' Circle Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play | Nominated | |
2006 | Theatre World Award for Outstanding Debut Performance | Won | |
2006 | Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play | Won | |
2021 | Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor | Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker | Nominated |
See also
In Spanish: Ian McDiarmid para niños