Darth Sidious

Sheev Palpatine[3], also known as Darth Sidious and The Emperor, is a fictional character and one of the primary antagonists of the Star Wars franchise,[4] mainly portrayed by Ian McDiarmid. In the original trilogy, he is depicted as the aged, pale-faced and cloaked Emperor of the Galactic Empire and the master of Darth Vader. In the prequel trilogy, he is portrayed as a charismatic Senator from Naboo who uses deception and political manipulation to rise to the position of Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic, and then reorganizes the Republic into the Galactic Empire, with himself as Emperor.

Darth Sidious, a Force-sensitive human male, was the Sith Lord who served as the last Supreme...

Visit the StarWars.com Databank and explore the life and legacy of Darth Sidious with a character biography, pictures, and videos.

Ian McDiarmid (/məkˈdɜːrmɪd/; born 11 August 1944) is an Olivier and Tony award-winning Scottish character actor and director. He has appeared in 47 films since 1976. Internationally, he is most famous for his role as Palpatine in the Star Wars film series.[1]

Ian McDiarmid, Actor: Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. Ian McDiarmid was born on August 11, 1944 in Carnoustie, Tayside, Scotland. He studied for 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 ...