Michael Pennington

Known for: Acting

Born: 1943-06-07 – 2026-05-10 (aged 82)

From: Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, UK

Michael Vivian Fyfe Pennington (June 7, 1943 - May 10, 2026) was a British director and actor 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 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.

Filmography (72)

TV
Dans les secrets des films Star Wars
2022
as Narrator ( Voice)
MOVIE★ 6.0
Manik da: The Mystique of Pather Panchali
2021
as Narrator (voice)
TV★ 7.5
Raised by Wolves
2020
as The Trust Voice (voice)
MOVIE★ 7.6
1945: The Savage Peace
2015
as Narrator (voice)
MOVIE★ 7.0
Secrets of the Universe: Great Scientists in Their Own Words
2014
as Narrator (Voice)
MOVIE★ 7.4
RSC Live: Richard II
2013
as John of Gaunt
TV★ 7.1
The Escape Artist
2013
as Judge
TV★ 8.1
Endeavour
2013
as Professor Donald Bagley
TV★ 7.6
Father Brown
2013
as Bishop Reynard
MOVIE★ 6.4
The Iron Lady
2011
as Michael Foot
TV★ 6.0
The Lost World of Communism
2009
MOVIE
Airborne: The RAF at 90
2008
as Narrator - (Voice)
MOVIE★ 6.0
Florence Nightingale
2008
as Wen
TV★ 7.6
Lewis
2007
as Dr. Melville
MOVIE★ 6.5
Fragile
2005
as Marcus
TV★ 7.0
Empire Warriors
2004
as Narrator
MOVIE★ 7.2
Colosseum - Rome's Arena of Death
2003
as Narrator (UK version) (voice)
TV★ 7.4
State of Play
2003
as Richard Siegler
MOVIE★ 6.5
The Dinosaur Hunters
2002
as William Buckland
MOVIE★ 7.3
Pyramid
2002
as Narrator (voice)
TV★ 7.0
Dr Terrible's House of Horrible
2001
as Priest
TV★ 7.2
Waking the Dead
2001
as Prof Alan Macintosh
MOVIE★ 7.0
Cracker: White Ghost
1996
as Commander Gordon Ellison
TV★ 6.4
Dalziel and Pascoe
1996
as Hartley Culpepper
TV★ 7.6
Silent Witness
1996
as Dennis Morgan
MOVIE★ 7.6
The Last Bolshevik
1994
as Self (voice: English version)
MOVIE★ 8.0
Degas and Pissario Fall Out
1994
as Degas
TV★ 5.5
Between the Lines
1992
MOVIE
Richard II
1991
as Richard II
MOVIE
Henry IV: Part 1
1991
as Prince Henry of Wales
MOVIE
Henry IV: Part 2
1991
as Henry Prince of Wales
MOVIE★ 8.0
Henry V
1991
as King Henry V
MOVIE
Henry VI: House of York
1991
as Jack Cade
MOVIE
Henry VI: House of Lancaster
1991
as Earl of Suffolk
MOVIE
Richard III
1991
as Duke of Buckingham
TV★ 7.3
Summer's Lease
1989
as Hugh Pargeter
MOVIE★ 6.0
The Return of Sherlock Holmes
1987
as Sherlock Holmes
MOVIE★ 4.5
Theban Plays: Oedipus the King
1986
as Oedipus Rex
MOVIE★ 1.0
The Marlowe Inquest
1986
as Thomas Kyd
TV★ 6.0
ScreenPlay
1986
as Thomas Kyd
MOVIE
Forbidden Passion: The Oscar Wilde Movie
1985
MOVIE★ 5.0
The Mayor of Montemilone
1984
as Narrator
TV
Italians
1984
as Narrator
TV★ 5.0
Freud
1984
as Carl Jung
TV★ 9.7
Playing Shakespeare
1984
MOVIE
Waving to a Train
1984
as Richard
MOVIE★ 6.3
Cymbeline
1983
as Posthumus
MOVIE★ 7.9
Return of the Jedi
1983
as Moff Jerjerrod
MOVIE★ 8.0
Outside Edge
1982
as Bob
MOVIE
A Last Visitor for Mr. Hugh Peter
1981
as John Lilburne
MOVIE★ 9.0
Danton's Death
1978
as Saint-Just
MOVIE
Mr and Mrs Bureaucrat
1978
as E1A
TV★ 7.0
BBC2 Play of the Week
1977
as E1A
MOVIE
It's Only Rock 'n' Roll
1977
as Don Harris
MOVIE★ 5.5
The Witches of Pendle
1976
as Minister
TV★ 7.0
Playhouse
1974
as John Lilburne
TV
No Exit
1972
as Ian Strawson
MOVIE★ 9.0
The Dolly Scene
1970
as Tom
MOVIE★ 9.0
Mad Jack
1970
MOVIE★ 5.8
Hamlet
1969
as Laertes
TV
W. Somerset Maugham
1969
as Hans
MOVIE
The Tycoon
1968
as Peter Bell
TV★ 7.0
ITV Playhouse
1967
as Lancelot Wishart
TV★ 7.0
Callan
1967
TV★ 5.3
BBC Play of the Month
1965
as St Just
TV★ 4.2
Thirty-Minute Theatre
1965
as Martin
TV★ 8.2
Public Eye
1965
as John Sheldon
TV★ 5.2
The Wednesday Play
1964
as Geoffrey Cromlech
TV★ 7.2
Theatre 625
1964
as Wulfnoth
TV
Drama 61-67
1961
as First youth
TV★ 4.8
No Hiding Place
1959
TV★ 6.0
Armchair Theatre
1956
as Adrian