Acting

Michael Pennington

Born 1943-06-07 · Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, UK

Died 2026-05-10

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.

Credits

Newest first

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