Michael Pennington, Actor Who Played Moff Jerjerrod in Return of the Jedi, Dies at 82

Michael Pennington, the British actor who portrayed Death Star Commander Moff Jerjerrod in Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi, died Sunday at age 82. The Telegraph first reported the news, though no cause of death was disclosed. Pennington appeared in more than 70 screen roles and maintained a prolific stage career that spanned decades.

Born on June 7, 1943, in Cambridge, England, Pennington joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1964 as a bit player. His screen career began a year later with a supporting role in the BBC miniseries The War of the Roses. Pennington also played Laertes in a 1969 production of Hamlet and portrayed Michael Foot in the 2011 film The Iron Lady opposite Meryl Streep.

He founded the English Shakespeare Company in 1986 with a theater director to promote Shakespeare's works. The actor appeared in numerous other Shakespearean roles including Richard II, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth and King Lear.

In addition to his film and television work, Pennington performed in stage productions such as The Madness of George III and a one-man play about Anton Chekhov. He authored nearly a dozen books focused on the craft of acting. His final credited role came in 2022 when he voiced a sentient quantum computer in five episodes of the HBO Max series Raised by Wolves.

Pennington appeared in British television series including Waking the Dead and The Tudors, some of which aired in the United States. He judged his own performance as Moff Jerjerrod harshly despite its popularity with fans. >"I look at it now and I think I overact horribly and I can’t even remember the storyline.

" — Michael Pennington, September 2012 (The Telegraph) He noted that theatergoers frequently asked him about Star Wars after performances, though interest later shifted toward his role in The Iron Lady. Pennington was married to actress Katharine Barker from 1964 until their divorce in 1967.

The couple had a son, Mark. His partner, arts administrator Prue Skene, died last year.

A report described Pennington as a warm man who enjoyed the company of fellow actors and took turns cooking meals for the group, proving himself an accomplished chef who once distributed jars of his homemade quince butter. He continued working into his later years while embracing the lasting recognition from his Star Wars appearance.

’" — Michael Pennington (The Telegraph) The actor amassed more than 100 stage and screen credits during his lifetime.