Suspected heart attack fails to prevent Ian McDiarmid taking his curtain call

"A leading actor in a London, UK, West End play insisted on finishing his opening night performance before being taken to hospital. Concealing his discomfort from critics at the Gielgud Theatre sufficiently for them to later deliver glowing reviews, Ian McDiarmid carried on with his role as the Father in Luigi Pirandello's Six Characters in Search of an Author despite suffering from dizzy spells. McDiarmid, 64, who gained international fame as Emperor Palpatine in the Star Wars films, declined to comment yesterday on reports that he had had a heart attack on stage" Times