Film & TV
Richard LeParmentier
1946–2013 · actor, screenwriter
Star Wars' Admiral Motti, the officer Darth Vader chokes with the Force, who trained in drama at Wayne State University before moving to Britain.
- Born
near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania- Died
Austin, Texas
aged 66- Also known as
- Admiral Motti
- Detroit years
- early 1970s
- Field
- Film & TV
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Richard LeParmentier was born near Pittsburgh and grew up partly on a dairy farm; his father came from Guernsey and his mother from County Mayo in Ireland. As a teenager in Hollywood, Florida, he was encouraged by a drama teacher to take acting seriously, and he went on to take drama courses at Wayne State University in Detroit, the home of the university's well-regarded theater program. In 1974 he moved to the United Kingdom, where he spent the rest of his career. Three years later he played Admiral Motti in the original Star Wars, the Imperial officer who mocks Darth Vader's 'sad devotion to that ancient religion' and is choked for it, one of the saga's most quoted scenes. He was also Lt. Santino in Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), later wrote for British television series such as The Bill and Boon, and was a popular guest at science-fiction conventions.
Highlights
- Admiral Motti in Star Wars (1977)
- Lt. Santino in Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
- Wrote for the British series The Bill and Boon
- Studied drama at Wayne State University in Detroit
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 1
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Studied here · early 1970s
Wayne State University
LeParmentier took drama courses here before moving to the UK in 1974.