Nearly a half century of life hasn’t been enough to lessen the impact Star Wars has on pop culture.
The unyieldingly popular media franchise has been a constant favorite for more than 45 years now, and with each fresh release new life is injected into the Star Wars fandom. A huge amount of credit for the franchise’s enduring popularity goes to its stellar stars, many of whom became lasting celebrities following their appearance in a Star Wars release.
The majority of these stars remain huge names today, with celebrities like Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford going on to dominate the box office for decades following their first galactic appearance. One name that is rarely discussed belongs to one of the franchise’s most persistent characters — one that has cropped up in more films than Luke, Leia, or Han.
Emperor Palpatine is a mainstay across more than 10 separate Star Wars creations, and remains the franchise’s overarching villain. Despite this, the accomplished actor behind the longstanding character doesn’t have anywhere near the name recognition of his peers. We’re taking a moment to appreciate the singularly talented Ian McDiarmid, without whom Star Wars would be a shadow of itself.
Who is Ian McDiarmid?
McDiarmid is a Scottish actor and director who’s biggest claim to fame — among most audiences, at least — remains his repeated stints as Emperor Palpatine in the Star Wars universe. He’s played the character in more than a dozen separate releases, making him one of the most frequently-used characters in the entire franchise. He’s even lent his vocal talent to the animated series.
But long before he was seducing Anakin to the Dark Side, McDiarmid was dazzling audience with his broad acting talent. He’s been a mainstay on stages since he was a young man, after discovering a love for acting at the ripe young age of five. The 77-year-old actor has contributed a huge amount of work to the theater, as well as television and film, over the course of his celebrated career.
What else has McDiarmid been in?
While Star Wars will likely always be his most recognizable badge of honor, it’s far from the only major project McDiarmid has been in. The man who would go on to flawlessly portray Darth Sidious was in his very first play in 1975, when he starred in Hamlet at London’s Open Space Theatre. From there, he went on to appear in more than 50 theatrical productions, including a number of high-profile Shakespearean plays.
McDiarmid’s onscreen career began soon after he first appeared on stage. His first film role came about in 1976, when McDiarmid played Vicar in The Likely Lads. A handful of years later, he was debuting as Sidious in 1983’s Return of the Jedi, and he became an all-time favorite among Star Wars fans. The role doesn’t seem to have affected his career much, however, appearing as simply a blip for more than 15 years, until The Phantom Menace came out in 1999.
The years since the prequel trilogy debuted have seen McDiarmid lean hard on his Star Wars influence, likely at the behest of a legion of Star Wars creators and fans. The majority of his film roles in the two and a half decades since The Phantom Menace released tie back to Star Wars in some shape or form, illustrating the undeniable domination of this media franchise.
McDiarmid is no stranger to the small screen, either. He appeared in his first televised role the same year he debuted on the big screen, with a 1976 episode of Red Letter Day launching his career on television. In total, he’s appeared in more than 30 television roles — and nearly 100 roles in total — including several appearances in shows like Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Through it all, McDiarmid has been nominated for nearly two dozen awards, and he’s won the majority of them. He hasn’t won any for Star Wars — though his appearances in Revenge of the Sith and The Rise of Skywalker earned him nominations — but his talent is apparent through the beloved actor’s passionate fan following, and the 14 awards he’s been granted over his tenure on screen and stage.
