Michael Pennington
Known for: Acting
Michael Vivian Fyfe Pennington (June 7, 1943 - May 10, 2026) was a British actor and director who, together with director Michael Bogdanov, founded the English Shakespeare Company. Although primarily a stage actor, he is best known to wider audiences for his role as Moff Tiaan Jerjerrod, commanding officer of the Death Star in the film Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi and as Michael Foot in The Iron Lady, opposite Meryl Streep.
Filmography
Series
Silent Witness
Dennis Morgan
1996
Series
Father Brown
Bishop Reynard
2013
Series
The Wednesday Play
Geoffrey Cromlech
1964
Series
ITV Playhouse
Lancelot Wishart
1967
Series
Thirty-Minute Theatre
Martin
1965
Series
BBC Play of the Month
St Just
1965
Series
BBC Play of the Month
Alexei Turbin
1965
Series
Waking the Dead
Prof Alan Macintosh
2001
Series
No Hiding Place
1959
Series
Endeavour
Professor Donald Bagley
2013
Series
Dalziel and Pascoe
Hartley Culpepper
1996
Series
Lewis
Dr. Melville
2007
Series
Playhouse
John Lilburne
1974
Series
Theatre 625
Wulfnoth
1964
Series
Theatre 625
Alexander
1964
Series
ScreenPlay
Thomas Kyd
1986
Series
Raised by Wolves
The Trust (voice)
2020
Series
Public Eye
John Sheldon
1965
Series
Between the Lines
1992
Drama 61-67
First youth
1961
Film
Return of the Jedi
Moff Jerjerrod
1983
Series
Callan
1967
Series
BBC2 Play of the Week
E1A
1977
W. Somerset Maugham
Hans
1969
Series
Dr Terrible's House of Horrible
Priest
2001
Series
State of Play
Richard Siegler
2003
Series
The Escape Artist
Judge
2013
Series
Playing Shakespeare
1984
Series
Armchair Theatre
Adrian
1956
Series
Armchair Theatre
Tom
1956
Film
The Iron Lady
Michael Foot
2011
The Root of All Evil?
Clive Pinner
1968
Series
Freud
Carl Jung
1984
Film
Richard III
Duke of Buckingham
1991
Series
Summer's Lease
Hugh Pargeter
1989
Film
Fragile
Marcus
2005
Film
Henry V
King Henry V
1991
No Exit
Ian Strawson
1972
Film
Henry VI: House of Lancaster
Earl of Suffolk
1991
Film
Henry VI: House of York
Jack Cade
1991
Film
RSC Live: Richard II
John of Gaunt
2013
The Tycoon
Peter Bell
1968
Film
Pyramid
Narrator (voice)
2002
It's Only Rock 'n' Roll
Don Harris
1977
Series
The Lost World of Communism
2009
In My Defence
Franz Jagerstatter
1991
Film
The Return of Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
1987
Film
Cracker: White Ghost
Commander Gordon Ellison
1996
Waving to a Train
Richard
1984
Film
Theban Plays: Oedipus the King
Oedipus Rex
1986
Film
Mr. and Ms. Bureaucrat
E1A
1978
Film
The Last Bolshevik
Self (voice: English version)
1994
Series
Empire Warriors
Narrator
2004
Film
Colosseum - Rome's Arena of Death
Narrator (voice)
2003
Film
The Witches of Pendle
Minister
1976
Film
Henry IV: Part 1
Prince Henry of Wales
1991
Film
The Marlowe Inquest
Thomas Kyd
1986
Film
1945: The Savage Peace
Narrator (voice)
2015
Film
Danton's Death
Saint-Just
1978
Film
The Mayor of Montemilone
Narrator
1984
Film
Hamlet
Laertes
1969
Film
A Last Visitor for Mr. Hugh Peter
John Lilburne
1981
Film
Cymbeline
Posthumus
1983
Film
Manik da: The Mystique of Pather Panchali
Narrator (voice)
2021
Airborne: The RAF at 90
Narrator - (Voice)
2008
Film
Outside Edge
Bob
1982
Film
Degas and Pissario Fall Out
Degas
1994
Series
Italians
Narrator
1984
Film
Forbidden Passion: The Oscar Wilde Movie
1985
Film
Secrets of the Universe: Great Scientists in Their Own Words
Narrator (Voice)
2014
Film
Florence Nightingale
Wen
2008
Film
Mad Jack
1970
Film
Henry IV: Part 2
Henry Prince of Wales
1991
Film
The Dinosaur Hunters
William Buckland
2002
Film
Richard II
Richard II
1991
The Dolly Scene
Tom
1970