# Ian McDiarmid
**Ian McDiarmid** (born 1944 in [Carnoustie](https://www.edgepedia.org/carnoustie), Scotland) is a Scottish actor and director, a winner of both the Tony and Olivier awards, best known to film audiences as Emperor Palpatine (Darth Sidious) in the [Star Wars](https://www.edgepedia.org/star-wars) franchise and to theater audiences as a leading stage actor and, from 1990 to 2002, joint artistic director of London's Almeida Theatre.[1](https://www.unitedagents.co.uk/ian-mcdiarmid/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | Carnoustie, Scotland, 1944[2](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2010/aug/23/portrait-ian-mcdiarmid-actor) |
| Training | Master's degree in Social Science, St Andrews University; Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, where he won the Gold Medal[1](https://www.unitedagents.co.uk/ian-mcdiarmid/) |
| Signature role | Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious, first played in *Return of the Jedi* (1983) while in his mid-30s, later across the prequel trilogy, *The Rise of Skywalker*, and *Obi-Wan Kenobi*[3](https://popcornjedi.com/ian-mcdiarmid-dark-force-rising/) • [4](https://time.com/5567795/star-wars-episode-ix-release-date-cast/) • [5](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/star-wars-tv-shows/george-lucas-once-wanted-to-make-a-palpatine-star-wars-tv-show-emperor-actor-ian-mcdiarmid-reveals/) |
| Theatre leadership | Joint Artistic Director of the Almeida Theatre, London, 1990–2002, with Jonathan Kent[1](https://www.unitedagents.co.uk/ian-mcdiarmid/) |
| Major awards | Tony Award for *Faith Healer*; Olivier Award; Theatregoers' Choice Award for Best Actor (2005) for *King Lear*[6](https://www.westendtheatre.com/24227/star-watch/ian-mcdiarmid/) • [7](https://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/arts-and-culture/theatre-and-stage/well-known-faces-from-film-and-television-ian-mcdiarmid-and-mathew-horne-head-the-line-up-of-actors-in-shakespeare-productions-at-sheffields-crucible-theatre-aff-8819204) |
| Recent stage work | King Lear at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre, 29 August to 19 September 2026[7](https://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/arts-and-culture/theatre-and-stage/well-known-faces-from-film-and-television-ian-mcdiarmid-and-mathew-horne-head-the-line-up-of-actors-in-shakespeare-productions-at-sheffields-crucible-theatre-aff-8819204) |
## Early life and training
McDiarmid was born in Carnoustie, Scotland, in 1944.[2](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2010/aug/23/portrait-ian-mcdiarmid-actor) He has traced his theatrical beginnings to age five, when his uncle, a friend of the stage manager at the Palace Theatre in Dundee, took him backstage to watch the Scottish variety performer Tommy Morgan remove his makeup; he described being fascinated by the transformation from stage creature to ordinary person.[2](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2010/aug/23/portrait-ian-mcdiarmid-actor)
He attended St Andrews University, graduating with a [Master's degree](https://www.edgepedia.org/masters-degree) in Social Science, and then trained at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, where he won the Gold Medal.[1](https://www.unitedagents.co.uk/ian-mcdiarmid/)
## Stage career and the Almeida
As a leading theater actor McDiarmid has appeared with all the major UK companies, in the West End, and on Broadway.[1](https://www.unitedagents.co.uk/ian-mcdiarmid/) His stage credits collected by his agency include Teddy in [Brian Friel](https://www.edgepedia.org/brian-friel)'s *Faith Healer* at the Almeida, Dublin's Gate Theatre, and the Booth Theatre in New York, a role that brought him a Tony Award and a UK Critics' Circle award; Henry IV at the Donmar Warehouse; Galileo for the [Royal Shakespeare Company](https://www.edgepedia.org/royal-shakespeare-company); Timon of Athens for Chicago Shakespeare Theatre; Maximus in *Emperor and Galilean* at the National Theatre; Shylock in Rupert Goold's *The Merchant of Venice* at the Almeida; and [Enoch Powell](https://www.edgepedia.org/enoch-powell) in *What Shadows* at Birmingham Rep and the Park Theatre.[1](https://www.unitedagents.co.uk/ian-mcdiarmid/) • [6](https://www.westendtheatre.com/24227/star-watch/ian-mcdiarmid/) • [8](https://www.whatsonstage.com/news/ian-mcdiarmid-an-audience-member-shouted-at-me-to-get-off-the-stage_44827/)
From 1990 to 2002 he was joint Artistic Director of the Almeida Theatre in [Islington](https://www.edgepedia.org/islington), north London, alongside Jonathan Kent, a period credited with helping to establish the theater's international reputation.[1](https://www.unitedagents.co.uk/ian-mcdiarmid/) He has described running a theater as a 24-hour-a-day job during which he and Kent gave up everything else.[2](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2010/aug/23/portrait-ian-mcdiarmid-actor) His 2005 [King Lear](https://www.edgepedia.org/king-lear) at the Sheffield Crucible, directed by Jonathan Kent, earned him the Theatregoers' Choice Award for Best Actor.[7](https://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/arts-and-culture/theatre-and-stage/well-known-faces-from-film-and-television-ian-mcdiarmid-and-mathew-horne-head-the-line-up-of-actors-in-shakespeare-productions-at-sheffields-crucible-theatre-aff-8819204) He returned to the Crucible to play Lear again in the 2026 autumn season, running from 29 August to 19 September 2026.[7](https://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/arts-and-culture/theatre-and-stage/well-known-faces-from-film-and-television-ian-mcdiarmid-and-mathew-horne-head-the-line-up-of-actors-in-shakespeare-productions-at-sheffields-crucible-theatre-aff-8819204)
He has also worked as an adapter and writer, adapting Andrew O'Hagan's novel *Be Near Me* for the stage, in which he played Father David Anderton, and adapting two [Julian Barnes](https://www.edgepedia.org/julian-barnes) stories from *The Lemon Table* into monologues for a UK tour directed by Michael Grandage.[1](https://www.unitedagents.co.uk/ian-mcdiarmid/) • [9](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/features/ian-mcdiarmid-interview-lemon-table-b1936255.html)
## Emperor Palpatine
McDiarmid's screen fame rests on Emperor Palpatine. The character had first appeared briefly in *The Empire Strikes Back* as a hologram voiced by [Clive Revill](https://www.edgepedia.org/clive-revill); for *Return of the Jedi* (1983), [George Lucas](https://www.edgepedia.org/george-lucas) and director [Richard Marquand](https://www.edgepedia.org/richard-marquand) turned to McDiarmid, then a British stage actor in his mid-30s, to play the Emperor.[3](https://popcornjedi.com/ian-mcdiarmid-dark-force-rising/) He was in his thirties when he first took the part, playing a character far older than himself, and has joked about the confusion of playing a 120-year-old as a young man and then returning to his own age for the prequels, in which Palpatine was canonically 30 years younger.[9](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/features/ian-mcdiarmid-interview-lemon-table-b1936255.html) • [10](https://www.thepopverse.com/star-wars-emperor-palpatine-voice-ian-mcdiarmid)
In a taped interview for Star Wars Celebration III in 2005, he discussed developing Palpatine's signature evil voice for *Return of the Jedi*.[11](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBtbwhyBibI) Unlike the face-obscuring Emperor role, the prequel films let him keep his own features as Senator Palpatine, and he has said he had no idea at the start how heavily [Palpatine](https://www.edgepedia.org/palpatine) would come to figure in the saga.[12](https://www.theforce.net/episode3/story/Palpatine_Speaks_91401.asp) • [13](https://malaysia.news.yahoo.com/revenge-sith-supervillain-ian-mcdiarmid-173000808.html) He reprised the role in *The Rise of Skywalker* (2019), announced at Star Wars Celebration in Chicago, and appeared in a cameo in the *Obi-Wan Kenobi* series.[4](https://time.com/5567795/star-wars-episode-ix-release-date-cast/) • [5](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/star-wars-tv-shows/george-lucas-once-wanted-to-make-a-palpatine-star-wars-tv-show-emperor-actor-ian-mcdiarmid-reveals/) He has also voiced the character in animated series including *Star Wars Rebels*, *Star Wars: The Bad Batch*, and *Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi*.[14](https://www.rostercon.com/fr/mag/actus/star-wars-ian-mcdiarmid-annonce-a-la-convention-welcome-to-the-multiverse-458552)
At Spacecon San Antonio in 2026, McDiarmid revealed that George Lucas once pitched him a television series following the Emperor's rise, comparing it to the rise-of-Hitler format, with a failed assassination attempt; Lucas also suggested McDiarmid could direct an episode. The project never went into production.[5](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/star-wars-tv-shows/george-lucas-once-wanted-to-make-a-palpatine-star-wars-tv-show-emperor-actor-ian-mcdiarmid-reveals/)
## Other screen work
Beyond Star Wars, his screen appearances include *Sleepy Hollow*, *Restoration*, and *Dirty Rotten Scoundrels*, and television roles including *Britannia* (as King Pellenor), *Utopia*, *37 Days*, *City of Vice*, and *Elizabeth I*.[15](https://www.whatsonstage.com/news/ian-mcdiarmid-why-you-should-come-see-emperor-galilean_8683/) • [14](https://www.rostercon.com/fr/mag/actus/star-wars-ian-mcdiarmid-annonce-a-la-convention-welcome-to-the-multiverse-458552) Between filming the prequel episodes he took the *Sleepy Hollow* role, appearing alongside Star Wars actors [Christopher Lee](https://www.edgepedia.org/christopher-lee) and [Ray Park](https://www.edgepedia.org/ray-park), while continuing to run the Almeida.[3](https://popcornjedi.com/ian-mcdiarmid-dark-force-rising/)
## References
1. [Ian McDiarmid, United Agents (biography and credits)](https://www.unitedagents.co.uk/ian-mcdiarmid/)
2. [Portrait of the artist: Ian McDiarmid, actor, The Guardian (23 August 2010)](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2010/aug/23/portrait-ian-mcdiarmid-actor)
3. [Ian McDiarmid: Dark Force Rising, Popcorn Jedi](https://popcornjedi.com/ian-mcdiarmid-dark-force-rising/)
4. [Everything We Know About Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker, Time](https://time.com/5567795/star-wars-episode-ix-release-date-cast/)
5. [George Lucas once wanted to make a Palpatine Star Wars TV show, Emperor actor Ian McDiarmid reveals, GamesRadar](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/star-wars-tv-shows/george-lucas-once-wanted-to-make-a-palpatine-star-wars-tv-show-emperor-actor-ian-mcdiarmid-reveals/)
6. [Ian McDiarmid, West End Theatre](https://www.westendtheatre.com/24227/star-watch/ian-mcdiarmid/)
7. [Well-known faces from film and television head the line-up at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre, Derbyshire Times (10 August 2026)](https://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/arts-and-culture/theatre-and-stage/well-known-faces-from-film-and-television-ian-mcdiarmid-and-mathew-horne-head-the-line-up-of-actors-in-shakespeare-productions-at-sheffields-crucible-theatre-aff-8819204)
8. [Ian McDiarmid: 'An audience member shouted at me to get off the stage', WhatsOnStage (9 October 2017)](https://www.whatsonstage.com/news/ian-mcdiarmid-an-audience-member-shouted-at-me-to-get-off-the-stage_44827/)
9. [Ian McDiarmid: 'Why should older people go quietly?', The Independent (13 October 2021)](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/features/ian-mcdiarmid-interview-lemon-table-b1936255.html)
10. [The secret behind the voice of Star Wars' Emperor Palpatine, according to Ian McDiarmid himself, Popverse](https://www.thepopverse.com/star-wars-emperor-palpatine-voice-ian-mcdiarmid)
11. [Ian McDiarmid Discusses Playing Emperor Palpatine in Return of the Jedi, Star Wars YouTube channel (19 August 2012)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBtbwhyBibI)
12. [Palpatine Speaks, TheForce.net (17 April 2005)](https://www.theforce.net/episode3/story/Palpatine_Speaks_91401.asp)
13. ['Revenge of the Sith' Supervillain Ian McDiarmid on His 'Star Wars' Heel Turn, Yahoo News](https://malaysia.news.yahoo.com/revenge-sith-supervillain-ian-mcdiarmid-173000808.html)
14. [Star Wars : Ian McDiarmid annoncé à la convention Welcome to the Multiverse, Roster Con](https://www.rostercon.com/fr/mag/actus/star-wars-ian-mcdiarmid-annonce-a-la-convention-welcome-to-the-multiverse-458552)
15. [Ian McDiarmid: Why You Should Come & See … Emperor & Galilean, WhatsOnStage](https://www.whatsonstage.com/news/ian-mcdiarmid-why-you-should-come-see-emperor-galilean_8683/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › Scottish actors › Surnames M to W*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license