Ian McDiarmid, 76

There is a reason Ian McDiarmid joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1974, and that was to become the best actor possible. He did just that, winning an Olivier Award for Best Actor and a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his exploits on stage.

But he really became an icon when he was cast as Emperor Palpatine, the head of the Empire, in Return of the Jedi. He reprised this iconic role in the prequel films and also again in Rising of Skywalker. He was last featured in the 2020 series called Star Wars: The Clone Wars.