Has Ian McDiarmid always played the Emperor?

Has Ian McDiarmid always played the Emperor?

Yet he’s never a dry character thanks to Ian McDiarmid. A stage actor by trade, McDiarmid always plays Palpatine at the heightened register “Star Wars” demands. When he first played the villain in “Return of the Jedi,” McDiarmid’s face was concealed behind makeup.

Did Ian McDiarmid play the Emperor in Obi-Wan?

Somehow Ian McDiarmid returned to play Emperor Palpatine. And that proved true with his cameo appearance in Obi-Wan Kenobi. Palpatine appeared to, yes, give Star Wars fans some cat nip for one of the most appreciated characters in the franchise and one of the great villains of all time.

How old was Ian McDiarmid when he played Palpatine?

This look was eventually replaced with actor Ian McDiarmid, who was just 37 at the time and wore heavy prosthetics to capture the iconic wrinkled look.