Ian McDiarmid Net Worth

What is Ian McDiarmid's Net Worth?

Ian McDiarmid is a Scottish actor and theater director who has a net worth of $5 million. Ian McDiarmid is best known for playing Palpatine in the "Star Wars" franchise, beginning with "Return of the Jedi" in 1983. He has also appeared in such films as "Gorky Park," "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," and "Restoration"; in such stage plays as "Insignificance," "The Castle," and "Faith Healer"; and on television in various series and films, including "Touching Evil," "Crime and Punishment," and "37 Days."

Early Life and Education

Ian McDiarmid was born on August 11, 1944 in Carnoustie, Scotland. He became interested in theater at the age of five after seeing a play in Dundee. Although he wanted to act, McDiarmid feared his father's disapprobation and went to school to study psychology. He graduated with his MA degree from Queen's College, Dundee, a constituent part of the University of St Andrews. Not long after that, however, McDiarmid chose to pursue acting and trained at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow.

Theater Career

McDiarmid has been most prolific on stage, starting with his debut in a 1972 production of "Hamlet." In 1974, he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company and appeared in "Measure for Measure." Over the subsequent years, McDiarmid acted in productions of "Macbeth," "Destiny," "Dingo," "Much Ado About Nothing," and "Every Good Boy Deserves Favour," among other plays. In the early 1980s, his stage credits included "Peer Gynt," "The Worlds," "Ezra," and "Insignificance." For his portrayal of Albert Einstein in "Insignificance," McDiarmid won the Laurence Olivier Award for Actor of the Year in a New Play. He went on to appear in such plays as "The Wild Duck," "The Merchant of Venice," "The Party," "Henry V," and "The Castle: A Triumph." In 1986, McDiarmid directed his first play, "Venice Preserv'd," at the Almeida Theatre. He continued directing plays at that theater through the mid-1990s, including "Scenes from an Execution," "The Rehearsal," "Volpone," "Lulu," and "A Hard Heart." McDiarmid also starred in some of these, as well.

In the latter half of the 1980s, McDiarmid acted in such plays as "Edward II," "The Saxon Shore," "Creditors," "Don Carlos," and "The Black Prince." His credits in the 1990s included "The School for Wives," "Hated Nightfall," "Tartuffe," "The Government Inspector," and "The Jew of Malta." Kicking off the 21st century, McDiarmid acted in a production of "The Tempest" at the Almeida Theatre. He then appeared in a revival of "Faith Healer" at the Almeida. McDiarmid went on to reprise his role from "Faith Healer" in Dublin in 2001 and on Broadway in 2006. For the Broadway production, he won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play. After that, McDiarmid appeared in "John Gabriel Borkman" at the Donmar Warehouse. His subsequent credits included "Jonah and Otto," "Be Near Me," "Six Characters in Search of an Author," and "The Prince of Homburg." In 2012, McDiarmid starred in "Timon of Athens" at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Since then, he has acted in such plays as "Life of Galileo," "What Shadows," and "The Lemon Table."

Film Career

In 1976, McDiarmid made his film debut in the comedy "The Likely Lads." He next appeared on the big screen in 1980, with roles in three films: "Sir Henry at Rawlinson End," "Richard's Things," and "The Awakening." The following year, McDiarmid appeared in the fantasy film "Dragonslayer." He debuted his most famous role in 1983, playing the villainous Emperor Palpatine in the third "Star Wars" film, "Return of the Jedi." McDiarmid reprised his role in the "Star Wars" prequel trilogy, in which Palpatine is shown as a senator before becoming supreme chancellor and the Sith Lord Darth Sidious. He returned once more to the series in 2019 for the final film in the sequel trilogy, "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker."

Beyond the "Star Wars" series, McDiarmid has had notable roles in some other films. In 1983, he played Professor Levi Andreev in the mystery thriller "Gorky Park," and in 1988 he played Arthur in Frank Oz's comedy "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels." Later, in 1995, McDiarmid was in the historical drama "Restoration." At the end of the decade, he played Dr. Thomas Lancaster in Tim Burton's gothic horror film "Sleepy Hollow." McDiarmid's film credits in the 21st century include James Gray's 2016 biographical adventure drama "The Lost City of Z," in which he portrays Sir George Goldie.

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Television Career

In 1976, the same year he debuted on the big screen, McDiarmid had his first television role in an episode of the anthology series "Red Letter Day." Later in the decade, he played a vengeful killer in an episode of the ITV series "The Professionals." McDiarmid's television credits in the 1980s included episodes of "Playhouse" and "The Modern World: Ten Great Writers," as well as the television film "Pity in History." In 1990, he played a psychopathic grifter in an episode of the detective series "Inspector Morse," and in 1991 he played Dr. Vatisenko in the TNT television film "Chernobyl: The Final Warning." McDiarmid's credits over the remainder of the decade included the television films "Heart of Darkness," "Annie: A Royal Adventure!," "Hillsborough," "Great Expectations," and "All the King's Men," as well as episodes of such series as "Karaoke," "Cold Lazarus," and "Touching Evil."

In 2002, McDiarmid played Detective Porfiry in the two-part BBC Two adaptation of "Crime and Punishment." The following year, he portrayed Sir Edward Hyde in the four-part historical drama "Charles II: The Power and the Passion." In 2005, McDiarmid portrayed Lord Burghley in the two-part historical drama "Elizabeth I." Continuing with historical biographical roles, he portrayed Henry Fielding in the 2008 series "City of Vice" and Denis Thatcher in the 2009 BBC Two film "Margaret." Later, in 2014, he portrayed Sir Edward Grey in the three-part miniseries "37 Days," and also had a recurring role in the thriller series "Utopia." In 2018, McDiarmid starred in the first season of the historical fantasy drama "Britannia." Among his later appearances, he reprised his role as Palpatine in various "Star Wars" programs, including "Star Wars Rebels," "Star Wars: The Bad Batch," and "Obi-Wan Kenobi."

Radio Appearances

In 2005, McDiarmid played Satan in a BBC Radio 4 adaptation of "Paradise Lost." Four years later, he played LeClerc in an adaptation of "The Looking Glass War." McDiarmid's other radio credits include BBC Radio 3's 2021 reimagining of "The Tempest," in which he played Prospero. He also starred in the audio podcast "Akiha Den Den."

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