FUN FACTS

1. Ian is the only actor in the Star Wars Universe that has played his character in the original trilogy, a younger version of him in the prequel trilogy, and a much older version of him in the sequel trilogy.

2. Ian made his stage acting debut in Hamlet in 1972, and has since starred in a number of Shakespearean plays including Macbeth, The Tempest, and also King Lear on BBC Radio 3 Production.

3. Ian's last stage leading role was in 2024 in the famous on-stage production of “The Caretaker”, in which he was nominated for a UK Theatre award nomination for Best Performance in a Play.

4. He was awarded an Oliver Award for Best Actor and a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his stage performances.

After a smaller role in the movie Dragonslayer, Ian was cast as the role of the Sith Emperor Palpatine by George Lucas for “The Return of the Jedi” film in 1983. With this casting…His destiny was sealed! After an amazing performance as the iconic villain, Ian would forever be linked to Star Wars mythos. 

 The prequels had him play two faces to his character; he re-created his diabolical interpretation of the Emperor from Return of the Jedi when playing Darth Sidious, the Chancellor’s Sith alter ego, but created a pleasant, charming character in Sidious’ public persona.

Since this time, Ian McDiarmid has also reprised his cannon role of Palpatine/Sideous in Disney+’s hit shows Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Bad Batch, and Tales of the Jedi. He is truly an icon of both stage and screen.