Which actor portrayed Emperor Palpatine in Return of the Jedi?

Ian McDiarmid portrayed Emperor Palpatine in Return of the Jedi. His performance established the Emperor as a sinister, physically present figure rather than merely a distant voice behind the Galactic Empire.

McDiarmid was a relatively young stage actor when he was cast, and his makeup transformed him into the elderly Sith ruler. The role required a controlled, theatrical menace: Palpatine appears frail and ceremonial, but repeatedly reveals his power while tempting Luke Skywalker toward the dark side.

A common mix-up involves Clive Revill, who voiced the Emperor in the original 1980 version of The Empire Strikes Back. That earlier appearance used different on-screen imagery and a different voice performance. McDiarmid returned as Palpatine in the prequel trilogy and later reprised the character in The Rise of Skywalker, making him the actor most closely associated with the role across the saga.