Ian McDiarmid facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ian McDiarmid
McDiarmid in 2020
Born	(1944-08-11) 11 August 1944 (age 81) Carnoustie, Angus, Scotland
Alma mater	University of St Andrews (MA) Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
Occupation	Actor director
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.

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

McDiarmid's robes from Return of the Jedi (1983) on display

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

Television

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Ian McDiarmid para niños