Line #28 Creator/IanMcDiarmid


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ianmcdiarmid.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350: ''[[Film/ReturnOfTheJedi "Everything is proceeding as I have foreseen."]]'']]
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4	->''"Consistency is very important when you're making films."''
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6	''[[Film/RevengeOfTheSith Did you ever hear the Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise?]]''
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8	Ian [=McDiarmid=] (born 11 August 1944 in Carnoustie, Scotland) is a [[UsefulNotes/{{Scotland}} Scottish]] character actor and director. He is well known for his film and television appearances, but is perhaps most famous for his chilling performance as [[Characters/StarWarsEmperorPalpatine Emperor Palpatine]] in the ''Franchise/StarWars'' films.
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10	He earned a Master's degree in Clinical Psychology at the University of St. Andrews, but eventually found that his calling was in theatre. He went to the Royal Academy in Glasgow, where he received the prestigious gold medal for his work. He now has a highly successful career as a theatre director, and from 1990 until his retirement in 2001, was Joint Artistic Director of London's Almeida Theatre in Islington. He and his co-director Creator/JonathanKent (no, not [[Franchise/{{Superman}} that one]]) revived the Almeida and persuaded many Hollywood stars (including Creator/KevinSpacey, Creator/RalphFiennes and Creator/AnnaFriel) to tread the boards in their humble theatre. They won the coveted London Evening Standard Award in 1998 for their efforts.
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12	As mentioned above, he is renowned for his work in British theatre, having won plaudits as an actor and director from a wide variety of sources. He has starred in a variety of [[Creator/WilliamShakespeare Shakespeare]] plays, including ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'', ''Theatre/TheTempest'', ''Theatre/MuchAdoAboutNothing'', Ross and the Porter in Creator/TrevorNunn's 1976 TV adaptation of ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}'', ''Theatre/TheMerchantOfVenice'' and ''Theatre/KingLear''. Other theater roles include the title role in ''Theatre/TimonOfAthens'', Ivanov in Creator/TomStoppard's ''Theatre/EveryGoodBoyDeservesFavour'' and Harry Hackamore in Music/SamShepard's play ''Theatre/{{Seduced}}''. He has also acted in several television programmes such as ''City of Vice'' (which also got a browser game tie-in called ''Bow Street Runner'').
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14	!!Tropes relating to the man and his work:
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16	* DyeingForYourArt:
17	** In Music/SamShepard's ''Theatre/{{Seduced}}'', [=McDiarmid=]'s own description of his character Hackamore was a "Creator/HowardHughes-type". To play the part, he was made-up in prosthetics, including a false beard and long fingernails. [=McDiarmid=] was only 37 at the time, and this convinced Creator/GeorgeLucas and Creator/RichardMarquand that he could convincingly play a much older character in extreme cinematic close-up, which helped him land the role of [[Franchise/StarWars Palpatine]].
18	** For his Tony Award-winning turn in the revival of ''Faith Healer'', he sported badly-dyed ginger hair. Ironic, as he actually ''was'' a ginger before his hair turned white.
19	* LargeHam: Again, as the role demands. He’s quite capable of being subtle when necessary.
20	* StarMakingRole: For mainstream audiences, it's definitely [[Franchise/StarWars Palpatine]].
21	* WordOfSaintPaul: He's claimed that Palpatine is ''more evil than the devil himself'', as Satan at least [[FallenHero started out as a good guy.]]
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Context Creator / IanMcDiarmid