Actor Timothy West dies
He had been in front of the camera since the 1960s and made a name for himself as a character actor: Timothy West. The Brit has now died at the age of 90.
Timothy West initially made a career as a stage actor. It was only a few years later, in 1961, that the Brit also received offers from film and television.
He played historical figures such as Winston Churchill, Mikhail Gorbachev and the Roman Emperor Vespasian. His reputation was always excellent.
Timothy West is now dead. The actor died “peacefully in his sleep” at the age of 90, as his three children Juliet, Samuel and Joseph announced in a statement to the public.
“After a long and extraordinary life on and off the stage,” West died yesterday, Tuesday. It continues: “Tim was with friends and family at the end. He leaves behind his wife Prunella Scales, to whom he was married for 61 years, a sister, a daughter, two sons, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. We will all miss him.” Various British media such as the “Guardian” and “Sky News” quote from the family’s statement.
Apparently West spent his last days in a clinic. The statement says that they would like to thank the St. George’s staff for their selfless and loving care.
He also played in “Inspector Barnaby”
West not only won a television award for his leading role in “Churchill and the Generals” in 1979. For his role as Edward VII in the historical drama, West was also nominated for Best Actor at the 1976 BAFTAs. Four years later, he was nominated in the same category for several roles, including Best Actor in “Crime and Punishment”. In 1984 he was awarded the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to the theatre.
West also became known to an international audience through supporting roles in films such as “The Jackal” in 1973, “Cry Freedom” in 1987 and “Beyond All Borders” in 2003. Striking guest appearances in popular British crime series such as “Inspector Barnaby” may also have contributed to his fame.
Timothy West, British Star of Stage and Screen Known for ‘Coronation Street’ and ‘EastEnders,’ Dies at 90
Timothy West, the English star of the stage and screen known for memorable turns in U.K. soaps “Coronation Street” and “EastEnders,” died on Tuesday. He was 90.
His children released a statement on Wednesday confirming the news. They said that West died “peacefully in his sleep” and was “with friends and family at the end.”
Born in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England on Oct. 20, 1934, West went on to have a long career on stage and screen. He was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company for three seasons in the ’60s, and throughout his life frequently played the leading roles in “Macbeth,” “Uncle Vanya” and “King Lear.”
His first big screen role came in 1975 with the TV series “Edward the Seventh,” in which he portrayed the titular king from the age of 23 until his death. From 1983 to 1990, he starred as patriarch Bradley Hardacre in the comedy drama “Brass,” and also appeared in the 1985 Agatha Christie series “Miss Marple” and the 1986 black comedy show “A Very Peculiar Practice.” West also featured in several films, including Richard Attenborough’s Apartheid drama “Cry Freedom” (1987), Luc Besson’s “The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc” (1999) and Richard Eyre’s biographical drama “Iris” (2001).
Going into the 2000s, West ventured more into TV, playing Geoffrey Adams on the BBC One sitcom “Not Going Out” from 2007 to 2009 and joining ITV soap “Coronation Street” in 20133 as Eric Babbage, a love interest of Sue Johnston’s character Gloria Price. The next year, he appeared in another soap, “EastEnders,” as Stan Carter, the father of Shirley (Linda Henry) and Tina Carter (Luisa Bradshaw-White).
From 2014 to 2019, he hosted a Channel 4 series, “Great Canal Journeys,” alongside his wife and fellow actor Prunella Scales. The show followed the pair as they took narrowboat journeys around the U.K. and Europe. More recently, he played Jeremy Lister, an American Revolution-era British officer, in historical drama series “Gentlemen Jack” from 2019 to 2022.
West is survived by Scales, to whom he was married for 61 years, as well as his sister Patricia, daughter Juliet, sons Samuel (who is also an actor) and Joseph, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
