Summary
- Palpatine is the villainous core of 'Star Wars,' appearing in every movie trilogy, as well as several shows, and video games.
- Several actors, including Ian McDiarmid, Sam Witwer, and Tim Curry, have voiced Palpatine in various projects.
- The actors who played Palpatine have often been switched out and replaced over the course of 'Star Wars,' making it difficult to follow who has taken on the role.
Several actors have been honored with portraying the overarching villain of the the Galactic Empire.
Palpatine is the villainous heart of Star Wars' Skywalker saga, and his all-encoming role in the tapestry of Star Wars means he's never far from the action. He appeared in Star Wars movies and shows.
Star Wars: Emperor Palpatine's 25 Best Quotes
The Star Wars franchise is unmatched for quotable lines, and some of the best are spoken by the villainous Emperor Palpatine.
Clive Revill, Marjorie Eaton, & An Uncredited Chimp
All three were combined to create Palpatine in the theatrical release of The Empire Strikes Back
After a fleeting mention in the original 1977 Star Wars movie, George Lucas decided to debut the Emperor in The Empire Strikes Back. The script called for a shaky hologram of the character, giving the audience a taste of Palpatine without fully revealing the trilogy's true villain. As such, Lucas didn't definitively cast an actor for the role of Palpatine at that point, and instead left the Emperor down to his visual effects and make-up teams.
- Created By
- George Lucas
- Cast
- Ian McDiarmid, Sam Witwer, Ian Abercrombie
- First Appearance
- Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
- TV Shows
- Obi-Wan Kenobi
- Description
- Dathan (Technical Son), Rey (Technical Granddaughter)
The senator for Naboo, Palpatine rose to power and influence during the dying days of the Republic. In reality, his public persona was just a mask; he was really Darth Sidious, greatest of the Sith Lords, and he used his political skills and Machiavellian cunning to bring down both the Republic and the Jedi. Palpatine ruled his Galactic Empire for decades, until he was betrayed by his apprentice, Darth Vader. Even this wasn't enough to stop the Emperor, however, as he was resurrected by his followers - only to be defeated once again.
The Palpatine glimpsed conversing with Vader in The Empire Strikes Back was physically played by a painter and actress named Marjorie Eaton, who was layered in heavy make-up. To make Palpatine look more like a monster and less like a woman in her 70s, Eaton's eyes were replaced with those of a chimpanzee. The effect gave Palpatine an eerily non-human appearance, but he still needed a voice to match.
Clive Revill was brought in to give voice to Palpatine. Revill had a few film and TV acting credits to his name before Star Wars came calling, but his stint as Palpatine prompted a successful voice acting career with roles in Transformers: The Movie, Batman: The Animated Series and many more. This incarnation of Palpatine only featured briefly, but the disturbing image effectively set up his future and further piqued fan interest in the character. As George Lucas is wont to do, the Revill/Eaton mashup was removed in the 2004 release of The Empire Strikes Back and replaced.
Ian McDiarmid
The most recognizable actor for Palpatine has been playing the role since Return of the Jedi
For all intents and purposes, Ian McDiarmid embodies the most iconic version of Emperor Palpatine. The Scottish stage actor was cast by Lucas for Return of the Jedi after original choice Alan Webb became very ill shortly before filming. Despite being a replacement, McDiarmid made an iconic impact as the scheming mastermind behind everyone's misery in his Star Wars debut.
Scarred and creepy, but intimidating and mysterious, the reveal and fall of Palpatine was vital to the final installment of the original trilogy, and McDiarmid was instrumental in the character living up to the hype, holding his own against Darth Vader in of fear and stature. McDiarmid enjoyed a meatier role in the Star Wars prequels, simultaneously playing a Sith Lord and a politician, exercising his Shakespearean acting talents to great effect. Once again, McDiarmid is a scene-stealer, and while some of his prequel utterings have become memes, Palpatine was a highlight in an inconsistent trilogy.
Ian McDiarmid's Appearances As Palpatine |
Year |
|---|---|
Return of the Jedi |
1983 |
The Phantom Menace |
1999 |
Attack of the Clones |
2002 |
The Empire Strikes Back Special Edition |
2004 |
Revenge of the Sith |
2005 |
Star Wars: Rebels |
2018 |
The Rise of Skywalker |
2019 |
Obi-Wan Kenobi |
2022 |
Tales of the Jedi |
2022 |
The Bad Batch |
2023-24 |
To the surprise of almost everyone, McDiarmid's time as Palpatine on the big screen still wasn't over. In Disney's Star Wars sequels, Snoke had been killed off, and Kylo Ren needed to be redeemed, so director J.J. Abrams decided to return to bring McDiarmid's Palpatine back again for The Rise of Skywalker. It was revealed that he had been manipulating the galaxy from his Sith base on Exegol since the very beginning. Finally, Palpatine was defeated by his own granddaughter, Rey, although one would be foolish to rule out yet another return for the wily foe.
McDiarmid's Palpatine credits don't stop at the movies, as he took over the voice performance of his most famous character in season 4 of Star Wars Rebels. McDiarmid's familiar tones can also be heard in Star Wars Rebels: The Siege of Lothal, although this was another post-release redo. McDiarmid has similarly reprised his role for small parts in episodes of various Disney+ shows, including Obi-Wan Kenobi, Tales of the Jedi, and The Bad Batch.
Sam Witwer
He lent his prolific Star Wars voice to Palpatine for several animated projects
Sam Witwer has been a reliable source of voices across the entire Star Wars franchise and, just like Palpatine himself, can be found in movies, TV and video games. A successful TV actor in front of the camera, Witwer has appeared in Supergirl, Smallville and Being Human, among many other roles. However, the actor's introduction to Star Wars came via the 2008 Force Unleashed video game, in which Witwer gave life to both Starkiller and Emperor Palpatine.
Sam Witwer's Appearances as Palpatine |
Years |
|---|---|
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed |
2008 |
ZEN Pinball |
2008 |
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 |
2010 |
Kinect Star Wars |
2012 |
Lego Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out |
2012 |
Disney Infinity 3.0 |
2015 |
Star Wars: Battlefront |
2015 |
Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens |
2016 |
Star Wars: Battlefront II |
2017 |
Star Wars Rebels |
2015-2018 |
Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga |
2023 |
He continued to lend his vocal talents to McDiarmid's character for other game releases, such as Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. Witwer was also later cast as Darth Maul for the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series, receiving much fan acclaim, and he would go on to voice both Maul and Palpatine in Star Wars Rebels. Witwer's performance as Palpatine is a close approximation of McDiarmid's recognizable voice, albeit with a slightly more European accent thrown in. It's also interesting that between his 2008 debut and his more recent turn in Rebels, Witwer's Sidious sounds increasingly like McDiarmid.
Ian Abercrombie
The voice of Palpatine for most of The Clone Wars
An English actor boasting notable credits in Seinfeld and Star Trek: Voyager, Abercrombie also played Alfred Pennyworth in the early 2000s Birds of Prey DC series among his litany of TV and movie credits. Abercrombie sadly ed away in 2012, but one of his final roles was providing the voice of Palpatine in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The storied actor made his villainous Star Wars debut in the poorly-received Clone Wars 2008 movie, but reprised the role in both video games and the far more popular The Clone Wars TV series.
Abercrombie's death came before Palpatine's role in The Clone Wars was complete, although the actor's voice can be posthumously heard sporadically throughout the fifth and sixth seasons. His Palpatine had a more distinctive tone, very different to any other incarnation of the character. Furthermore, there's a very clear, pronounced difference between Abercrombie's more charming, kindly Palpatine and the distorted, evil Sidious.
Tim Curry
He stepped in to replace Abercrombie after his tragic ing
Tim Curry as Emperor Palpatine sounds exactly as one would expect Tim Curry as Emperor Palpatine to sound, with the much-loved actor's famous inflection seeping through the Emperor's usual gravelly menace. Most famous for his bombastic starring turn in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Curry took over as Palpatine in Star Wars: The Clone Wars following the ing of Ian Abercrombie. Curry's iteration of Palpatine can be heard in seasons 5 and 6 of the animated series, with the Clue and Home Alone 2 actor giving a unique performance that's unlike any previous version of the character, but certainly no less effective.
Nick Jameson
His Palpatine rendition in the original Clone Wars show is no longer canon
Before Star Wars: The Clone Wars stole hearts, the now no longer canon Star Wars: Clone Wars explored that eventful interim between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. The Sith Lord was voiced by Nick Jameson for the entire series between 2003 and 2005. An experienced American voice actor, Jameson has also enjoyed minor on-screen parts in Lost and Seinfeld, and also portrayed the Russian president in 24. Jameson's Palpatine feels quite far removed from any other. While acting as the Chancellor, his phrasing takes on a plummy upper-class British quality, but when voicing Sidious, Jameson gives a fair impression of McDiarmid.
Robert Martin Klein
He only voiced Palpatine once, but his rendition was memorable
Robert Martin Klein's sole appearance as Palpatine came in the 2011 special Lego Star Wars: The Padawan Menace. As might be expected from a Lego interpretation of the character, Klein's Palpatine is a little more overblown and a lot more classic stereotypical villain, with a serpent-like hissing and much less of the overbearing menace that non-brick Palpatines come with. Klein has racked up an extensive catalog of voice performances in the realms of anime and video games, and has been especially prominent in the Digimon franchise. He also has a brief appearance in Meet the Fockers.
Trevor Devall
He was Palpatine's main voice actor for several Lego Star Wars installments
Most entries in the series of Lego Star Wars productions see Trevor Devall take on the famed role of Sheev Palpatine, and his performance lands in the same family-friendly ballpark as Klein's. Devall brought an almost comedic level of posh to the politician, and the same exaggerated cartoonish villainy that fans of the Lego Star Wars franchise have come to expect. Once again, the more outwardly evil overtones from official Star Wars canon are wisely reigned in. As with Klein, Devall has a long list of anime credits that includes Death Note and Mobile Suit Gundam, and the respected voice artist can also be heard as Rocket in the animated Guardians of the Galaxy series.
- Created by
- George Lucas
- First Film
- Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
- Cast
- Pedro Pascal
- TV Show(s)
- The Mandalorian, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, The Acolyte, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, Lando, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Star Wars: Resistance, Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures, Star Wars: Visions
- Movie(s)
- Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens, Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi, Star Wars: Episode IX- The Rise of Skywalker, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, Star Wars: New Jedi Order
- Character(s)
- Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Rey Skywalker, Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, Grand iral Thrawn, Grand Inquisitor, Reva (The Third Sister), The Fifth Brother, The Seventh Sister, The Eighth Brother, Yoda, Din Djarin, Grogu, Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, Leia Organa, Ben Solo/Kylo Ren
