Ian McDiarmid (/mÉ™kˈdÉœË rmɪd/; born 11 August 1944) is a Scottish
actor and director of stage and screen, best known for portraying
Emperor Palpatine in the Star Wars film series. Making his stage debut
in Hamlet in 1972, McDiarmid joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in
1974, and has since starred in a number of Shakespeare's plays. He has
received an Olivier Award for Best Actor and a Tony Award for Best
Featured Actor in a Play for his stage performances.McDiarmid was born
in Carnoustie, Angus, Scotland. He became a theatre aficionado when he
was five years old, when his father took him to see an act named Tommy
Morgan at a theatre in Dundee. In 2004, he stated, "It sort of
fascinated me, and it also scared me. All those lights, all that
make-up. I said to myself, 'I don't know what this is, but I want
it.'"However, fearing his father's disapproval, McDiarmid attended
Queen's College, Dundee, (now the University of Dundee, but then a
constituent part of the University of St Andrews), where he received a
M.A. in psychology. Soon after, he decided to pursue a career in the
theatre instead, and took acting training courses at the Royal
Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow.
actor and director of stage and screen, best known for portraying
Emperor Palpatine in the Star Wars film series. Making his stage debut
in Hamlet in 1972, McDiarmid joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in
1974, and has since starred in a number of Shakespeare's plays. He has
received an Olivier Award for Best Actor and a Tony Award for Best
Featured Actor in a Play for his stage performances.McDiarmid was born
in Carnoustie, Angus, Scotland. He became a theatre aficionado when he
was five years old, when his father took him to see an act named Tommy
Morgan at a theatre in Dundee. In 2004, he stated, "It sort of
fascinated me, and it also scared me. All those lights, all that
make-up. I said to myself, 'I don't know what this is, but I want
it.'"However, fearing his father's disapproval, McDiarmid attended
Queen's College, Dundee, (now the University of Dundee, but then a
constituent part of the University of St Andrews), where he received a
M.A. in psychology. Soon after, he decided to pursue a career in the
theatre instead, and took acting training courses at the Royal
Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow.
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