Biographie

7 décembre 1937 · Manchester, Angleterre, Royaume-Uni

1,73 m

Is the only actor to have played the role of a named Imperial officer (that of Admiral Piett) in more than one Star Wars film.

One of the few actors - perhaps the only one - to have played both Jesus Christ and Adolf Hitler.

Was among those actors offered the role of Varlik in Doctor Who:The power Of Kroll.

Considered for the roles of Dr. Armstong, Dr. Bukovsky, Lamson and Kelly in Lifeforce - L'étoile du mal (1985).

In one year, I worked with Clint Eastwood, Gregory Peck, and David Prowse. I got a crick in my neck from always looking up toward the stars!

[on his role in Le Retour du Jedi (1983)] [Admiral Piett] wasn't in the script of the third movie. I got a call from my agent saying there's been a lot of fan mail about this character and George [Lucas] has decided to put him in the next one, do you want to do it, and I said sure, yeah. Who wouldn't? So I went and sat on the set while George wrote scenes for me as he was talking about the saga. I remember sitting in while they were rehearsing how to make Jabba the Hutt work. He wrote a scene and gave it to me as we were sat watching them rehearsing with this huge thing. Because in those days it wasn't CGI, what you saw on the screen was actually three dimensionally there, whether it was tiny or as big as a room, and that was.

[on working with the Monty Python team in Monty Python : La Vie de Brian (1979)] What a joy they were to be with. There was as much fun between takes as on takes, always with them. They were simply great. I mean I go back, with that kind of comedy, to The Goons, who were my gods of comedy and then there was nobody until they came along anywhere near. This kind of collective genius was so rare. Individuals, but a collective genius across four people, that's something. And I was just part of it, so I was privileged.