Ian McDiarmid
Born: August 11 1944
Where: Carnoustie, Scotland, UK
The actor has made the quantum leap from a vicar in TV's The Likely Lads to the evil Star Wars villain Emperor Palpatine, mentor to Darth Vader.
He originally studied clinical psychology at the University of St Andrews but switched to acting at Glasgow's Royal Academy.
McDiarmid made his small screen debut in 1976 in the Geordie comedy The Likely Lads and made his big screen debut as a burglar in 1980's Richard's Things.
Subsequent feature outings included Mike Newell's horror-thriller The Awakening, the British comedy Sir Henry at Rawlinson End and fantasy adventure Dragonslayer.
In 1983, director George Lucas cast him for the first time as Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious in Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi.
The same year he appeared in the accomplished thriller Gorky Park and went on to star alongside Steve Martin and Michael Caine in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.
In 1995, he appeared in the period drama Restoration while TV work included Dennis Potter's Cold Lazarus and Jimmy McGovern's Hillsborough.
In the theatre, McDiarmid had established himself as a leading director at Manchester's Royal Exchange and had also played at the RSC, Royal National Theatre and Royal Court.
From 1990 until 2001 he was joint artistic director of London's Almeida Theatre and persuaded Hollywood stars such as Kevin Spacey and Ralph Fiennes to tread the boards.
He returned to a galaxy, far, far away for Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace in 1999 and went on to appear in Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow.
Recent big screen work has been dominated by the Star Wars prequels Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, which brought the story cycle to a close.
