Ian McDiarmid Biography

Fast Facts

• Shared the Evening Standard Award for theatrical achievement of the year with Jonathan Kent in 1998
• Was nominated for a Saturn Award for his role in "Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith․"
• Was nominated for a Teen Choice Award in 2005 for his portrayal of Chancellor Palpatine in "Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith․"
• Received a gold medal while attending the Royal Academy in Glasgow
• Graduated from the University of St․ Andrews with a Master of Arts in psychology
• Made his Broadway debut with his role in "Faith Healer" in 2006
• Became interested in acting after seeing a play at the age of 5
• Quote: "And then of course I thought Palpatine was a pretty good character․ I like the notion that he didn't have any psychological subtlety or depth, that he was just solidly evil and the dirtiest word in his vocabulary was 'friend'․"
• Best known for his role in the "Star Wars" series
• He first portrayed an elderly Emperor Palpatine in "Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi․"
• From 1990 to 2001, he was the Joint Artistic Director of London's Almeida Theatre in Islington
• Voiced the character Satan in the BBC Radio version of "Paradise Lost" in 2005