A Star Wars actor, who also appeared in Life of Brian, Doctor Who and Peaky Blinders, distributed his fortune to his loved ones and some other unexpected places
Kenneth died aged 87(Image: Derek Storm, FilmMagicvia Getty Images)
A Star Wars legend has left a considerable portion of his fortune to some cats.
87-year-old Kenneth Colley, most famous for his portrayal of Admiral Piett in the iconic Star Wars movies The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, passed away in Kent last June. A portion of his fortune was donated to the cat sanctuary, with additional money distributed amongst his sister and friends.
Legal documents have now revealed the complete sum the Life of Brian actor left behind totalled £734,408, which was reduced to £726,004 after tax, reports the Mirror.
Based on his will, as reported by the Daily Mail, his sister, various charities and friends inherited the largest portions following his death. He also left his Hythe property to his sister Michelle, while a gift of £10,000 was also made to someone else.
Rhodes Minnis Cat Sanctuary in Hythe was left £2,000 from his estate, and he also donated £20,000 to the Edith Cavell Fund for Nurses, while a further £5,000 was allocated to Demelza House Children’s Hospice in Sittingbourne.
After these charitable gifts, the remainder of the actor’s wealth was inherited by friend and executor Lynn Margaret Shaw. Kenneth died last June after catching Covid and reports stated he passed away “peacefully” at his Ashford home.
His representative issued a statement at the time: “He had been admitted after a fall with an injured arm, however he quickly contracted Covid which developed into pneumonia. He passed away peacefully with friends at his bedside.”
“Ken Colley was one of our finest character actors with a career spanning 60 years. Ken continually worked on stage, film and television playing a vast array of characters, from Jesus in Monty Python’s Life of Brian to evil and eccentric characters in Ken Russell films, and the Duke of Vienna in Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure for the BBC.”
“Ken’s favourite part was playing Estragon in the stage production of Beckett’s classic Waiting for Godot at the Cockpit Theatre in London in 2014. Ken’s participation in Star Wars led him to being invited to conventions and official fan events all over the World.”
“There, he remains one of the best loved actors from the original trilogy. Ken loved his garden, art collecting and had a passion for fast cars.”
Kenneth also portrayed Jesus in Monty Python’s Life of Brian alongside comedy legends John Cleese, Graham Chapman and Michael Palin. He also appeared in Holby City, Peaky Blinders and two episodes of a Doctor Who special.
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