STAR WARS actor IAN McDIARMID suffered a suspected heart attack while on stage in London's West End - but insisted on finishing his opening night debut.
McDiarmid suffered from dizzy spells during his performance in Luigi Pirandello's Six Characters in Search of an Author on Wednesday night (22Oct08). But the star - who played Emperor Palpatine in the Star Wars franchise - continued until the play's final curtain call before being taken to hospital.
A spokeswoman for the play at the Gielgud Theatre says, "I think he had dizzy spells or something. He did the curtain call and he felt not quite there. "The doctor saw him and said, 'Why don't you rest for a few days?' There was a very rigorous technical rehearsal period up to that point. The show had been in Chichester (before it transferred to London) and everything."
McDiarmid is expected to continue in Six Characters in Search of an Author until the run ends on 2 November (08).
