Star Wars actor Ian McDiarmid, who played evil Emperor Palpatine in four of the classic hit movies, has suffered a suspected heart attack whilst performing in front of a theatre audience in London’s West End.
Despite falling ill half way through his performance, suffering from dizziness and feeling unwell, the highly distinguished Scottish stage actor stuck to the old saying “the show must go on” and concealed his condition from everyone so he could finish the play. He was so convincing that audience members were totally unaware he was suffering some sort of attack, and he even received glowing reviews from critics watching his performance.
McDiarmid not only finished his performance in Luigi Pirandello’s Six Characters in Search of an Author on Wednesday night, but he even took the curtain call at the Gielgud Theatre before calling an ambulance to take him to hospital.
Today his agent is insisting that Mr McDiarmid is perfectly well and will be continuing the role until the run at the Gielgud Theatre ends in November.
You will be able to catch this brilliant actor on television soon, he is playing the part of Dennis Thatcher in a forthcoming television dramatisation of the final days of Margaret Thatchers political career.
