Ian McDiarmid
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| Ian McDiarmid | |
 McDiarmid in 2005 at a premiere of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. |
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| Born | August 11, 1944 (age 62) Carnoustie, Tayside,Scotland |
| Notable roles | Palpatine in the Star Wars trilogies |
Ian McDiarmid (born August 11, 1944) is a Scottish actor born in Carnoustie. He has had a successful career in theatre; he has been cast in many plays, while occasionally directing others. From 1990 until 2001, he served with Jonathan Kent as artistic director of the now prestigious Almeida Theatre, thanks largely to both their efforts.
Although McDiarmid's passion lies chiefly in theatrical productions, he has also accepted roles in theatrical films and TV movies. He is most famous for his role as Palpatine, a cunning politician who eventually becomes Emperor of the Galactic Empire; in both the original and prequel Star Wars trilogies.
Currently, McDiarmid is playing the part of Satan in the BBC7 Radio Play based on John Milton's Paradise Lost [1].
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[edit] Early life and education
McDiarmid's love of the theatre began when he was only five years old, on the day his father took him to see an act by the name of Tommy Morgan in a theatre located in Dundee. According to McDiarmid:
| It sort of fascinated me, and it also scared me. All those lights, all that make-up. I said to myself, 'I don't know what this is, but I want it.'[2] |
However, fearing that his father wouldn't approve of his aspiration to be an actor, McDiarmid attended the University of St Andrews, where he received a degree in psychology, as well as an M.A. in social science.[2] Soon after, he decided to pursue a career in the theatre instead, and took acting training courses at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow. In 1968, McDiarmid received a gold medal for his work. This would later prove to be the first of many recognitions given to him for outstanding work in the theatre. McDiarmid claimed he became its recipient "by doing all the boring jobs you have to do when you are young, to eke out an existence."[3]
[edit] Theatrical work
McDiarmid is renowned for his work in British theatre, having won plaudits as an actor and director from a wide variety of sources. He has starred in a variety of Shakespearean plays including Hamlet (1972), The Tempest (1974, 2000), Much Ado About Nothing (1976), The Merchant of Venice (1984), and King Lear (2005). While at the Almedia he directed plays such as Venice Preserv'd (1986) and Hippolytus (1991).[4]
In 2001, McDiarmid won Almedia Theatre's Critics Circle Award for Best Actor for his role as Teddy in a revival of Brian Friel's The Faith Healer. Five years later in 2006, he reprised this role in his debut on Broadway.[5] Directed by Kent, he performed alongside Ralph Fiennes and Cherry Jones, and won the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play.[6]
One theatrical performance of note is his portrayal of the lead character Harry Hackamore in Sam Shepard's play Seduced. By McDiarmid's own description, Hackamore was a Howard Hughes-type character. To play the part, he was made-up in prosthetics, including a false beard and long fingernails, to resemble Hackamore. McDiarmid was only 37 at the time, and this convinced George Lucas and Richard Marquand that he could convincingly play a much older character in extreme cinematic close-up, which helped him land the role of Palpatine.[7]
[edit] Almeida Theatre
From 1990 until 2001, McDiarmid and Jonathan Kent served as the artistic directors of the Almeida Theatre, located in the Islington district of London. In 1998 they shared the Special Evening Standard Award for Theatrical Achievement of the Year.[6] Their tenure was marked by a string of highly successful performances involving 'big name' actors usually seen in films such as Kevin Spacey and Ralph Fiennes.[8]
[edit] Work in Star Wars
- Further information: Ian McDiarmid as Palpatine
After a minor part in the film Dragonslayer, McDiarmid was cast by George Lucas in Return of the Jedi as Emperor Palpatine, the principal villain. Sixteen years after appearing in Return of the Jedi, he reprised the role as a younger Senator and Chancellor in the Star Wars prequel films. McDiarmid has the distinction of being the only Star Wars actor to reprise his role of a human character, an opportunity that he attributes to having been so much younger than his character the first time he played the part.
The prequels had him play two faces to his character; He re-created his diabolical interpretation of the character from Return of the Jedi when playing Darth Sidious, the Chancellor's Sith Lord alter ego, but created a more attractive, pleasant, and seductive character in playing Palpatine's public persona. While he had previously achieved little recognition for this role, except from fans, he received widespread attention and critical acclaim for his expanded role in the prequels.[6]
In the 2004 re-release of The Empire Strikes Back, a brief scene between Darth Vader and a hologram of Emperor Palpatine was updated to have him depicted by McDiarmid (the Emperor was originally voiced by Clive Revill for that scene and the face on the projector was that of a woman wearing prosthetic makeup and chimpanzee eyes replacing normal human ones).[9] With this addition to The Empire Strikes Back, McDiarmid has now appeared in at least one version of every film in which Palpatine appears.
[edit] Selected filmography
[edit] Theatrical films
Albeit McDiarmid is first and foremost a stage actor, he's happy to work in a movie production if the part is good.[7] Here's a selected list of films McDiarmid has accepted roles in thus far:
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | The Likely Lads | Vicar |
| 1981 | Dragonslayer | Brother Jacobus |
| 1983 | Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi | Emperor Palpatine |
| 1983 | Gorky Park | Prof. Andreev |
| 1988 | Dirty Rotten Scoundrels | Arthur |
| 1995 | Restoration | Ambrose |
| 1999 | Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace | Senator/Supreme Chancellor Palpatine/Darth Sidious |
| 1999 | Sleepy Hollow | Dr. Thomas Lancaster |
| 2002 | Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones | Supreme Chancellor Palpatine/Darth Sidious |
| 2004 | Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (DVD) | Emperor Palpatine (footage with Ian McDiarmid playing this role was shot and added to a rerelease of the 1980 film in 2004) |
| 2005 | Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith | Supreme Chancellor/Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious |
[edit] TV films
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Macbeth | Ross & the Porter |
| 1995 | Annie: A Royal Adventure! | Dr. Eli Eon |
| 1996 | Hillsborough | Dr. Popper |
| 1997 | Rebecca | Coroner |
| 1999 | Great Expectations | Jaggers |
| 1999 | All the King's Men | Rev. Pierrepoint Edwards |
| 2003 | Charles II: The Power and The Passion | Edward Hyde |
| 2005 | Elizabeth I | Lord Burghley |
[edit] Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Work |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a New Play (won) | Insignificance |
| 1985 | Time Out Award for Directing (won) | Scenes From An Execution |
| 1990 | Time Out Award for Directing (won) | Volpone |
| 1991 | Observer Award for Outstanding Achievement for Ten Years of Presenting Irish Drama (nominated) | Volpone, The Rehearsal, and Betrayal Field |
| 1995 | Manchester Evening News Award for Best Actor (won) | Hated Nightfall |
| 1998 | Special Evening Standard Award for Theatrical Achievement of the Year (shared with Jonathan Kent) | |
| 2001 | London Critics Circle Award for Best Theatre Actor (won) | Faith Healer |
| 2002 | Clarence Derwent Award for Best Supporting Actor (won) | Faith Healer |
| 2004 | Manchester Evening News Award for Best Actor (won) Theatrical Management Association Theatre Award for Best Actor (won) |
Henry IV |
| 2005 | Theatrical Management Association Theatre Award for Best Actor (won) | King Lear |
| 2006 | Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance (nominated) Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play (nominated) Theatre World Award for Outstanding Debut Performance (won) Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play (won) |
Faith Healer |
[edit] References
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ John Milton (2006-11-26). Paradise Lost. Retrieved on 2006-11-27.
- ^ a b Simon Hattenstone (2001-12-17). Force for change. The Guardian. Retrieved on 2006-08-27.
- ^ Star Wars Actors Database at Nerf-Herders-Anonymous.net; last accessed August 23, 2006.
- ^ Ian McDiarmid's stage credits at Broadway.com; last accessed November 27, 2006.
- ^ Simi Horwitz (2001-9-5). The Emperor's New Role. BackStage. Retrieved on 2006-10-24.
- ^ a b c Ian McDiarmid at Hollywood.com; last accessed October 23, 2006.
- ^ a b Ian McDiarmid at the Internet Movie Database; last accessed August 26, 2006.
- ^ Fiachra Gibbons (2001-9-5). Celebrated double act quits Almeida theatre. The Guardian. Retrieved on 2006-10-23.
- ^ Palpatine, at the Star Wars Databank; last accessed October 22, 2006.
[edit] Interviews
- Randy Lofficier & Jean-Marc Lofficier Interview Darth Vader's Boss. May 1984. Retrieved 20 August 2006.
[edit] External links
[edit] Fan and tribute sites
[edit] Biographical sites
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | McDiarmid, Ian |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | British actor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1944-08-11 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Carnoustie, Angus, Scotland |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
