'The Return of Sherlock Holmes' star Michael Pennington passes away at 82

Michael Pennington, who is famous for playing Death Star Commander Moff Jerjerrod in Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, has passed away at the age of 82.

Pennington departed from life on Sunday, May 10, 2026, and the news of his death was shared by The Telegraph but did not reveal his cause of death.

The legendary English actor, writer, and director had an illustrious career in the entertainment world. Other than Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, he captivated audiences with his acting in Tony Richardson’s Hamlet in 1969 and The Iron Lady in 2011.

Pennington spent a large chunk of his life doing television shows, as his notable projects include Into the Storm, Raised by Wolves, Father Brown, Silent Witness, Footprints, The Escape Artist, and Endeavour.

He also played the role of Sherlock Holmes in the 1987 television movie The Return of Sherlock Holmes. In 1989, the late actor acted in The Wars of the Roses, a televised series of Shakespeare’s history plays performed by the English Shakespeare Company.

It is pertinent to mention that Michael Pennington refused to act in Karel Reisz’s 1981 drama The French Lieutenant’s Woman opposite Meryl Streep to play Hamlet for the Royal Shakespeare Company.

“I realised I couldn’t let Hamlet go. It is one of the prizes,” he said at that time.