Actor Timothy West dies aged 90

Actor Timothy West has died at the age of 90.

A renowned star of film, television and stage, West’s CV includes ATV’s Edward the Seventh, Bedtime, Bremner Bird & Fortune, Bleak House and Poirot.

In 1984, he was appointed CBE for his services to drama.

He was married to Prunella Scales, famous for her role as Sybil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers. Together, they starred in the documentary series Great Canal Journeys from 2014 to 2021, where they explored the waterways on narrowboats.

Timothy West as King Edward VII in ATV’s Edward the Seventh

The couple married in 1963, and have two sons, actor Samuel West, and Joseph West who, along with their sister Juliet from West’s first marriage to Jacqueline Boyer, announced the death of their father today.

“After a long and extraordinary life on and on the stage, our darling father Timothy West died peacefully in his sleep yesterday evening. He was 90-years old.

“Tim was with friends and family at the end.

“He leaves his wife Prunella Scales, to whom he was married for 61 years, a sister, a daughter, two sons, seven grandchildren and four greatgrandchildren. All of us will miss him terribly.”

Timothy West – Churchill and the Generals / BBC 1979

During his career, West thrice played former British prime minister Winston Churchill in Churchill and the Generals (1979), The Last Bastion (1984), and Hiroshima (1995).

He was also a regular performer of Shakespeare, playing Lear in 2003 and 2016. He was nominated for ‘best actor’ – his first of three BAFTA nominations – in 1976 for ATV Elstree produced Edward The Seventh (1975), it won a BAFTA for best drama.

Alexander Larman, writing in The Telegraph, said of his ATV performance:

“The role that turned West from a jobbing character actor into, if not quite a star, then a household name was his magisterial performance as the older Edward VII in the big-budget drama that represented one of the ‘golden age’ productions of commercial television in the Seventies.

“West took on the playboy king with dignity and warmth, and even if the series soft-pedalled the ‘Dirty Bertie’ aspects of Edward’s eventful private life, he managed to give a suitably titanic performance. Annette Crosbie, who played Queen Victoria, won a BAFTA; West was unlucky not to be similarly recognised.”

Timothy West in Granada TV’s Brass which aired on both ITV and later Channel 4

Other notable roles included the sitcom Brass, in which he played ruthless self-made business executive Bradley Hardacre from 1982 to 1984 before returning for a third series in 1990, while in Not Going Out he played Geoffrey, the father of Lucy Adams, played by Sally Bretton.

In Coronation Street, he appeared in seven episodes in 2013 as Eric Babbage, while in EastEnders he played Stan Carter from 2014 to 2015. He was born in West Yorkshire in 1934 and before fame he worked as an office furniture sales assistant and recording engineer.

Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama paid tribute:

“Timothy West was an icon of British drama and at the BBC we feel incredibly privileged that he was on our screens across the decades. Loved by millions for his work in programmes ranging from Bleak House, to EastEnders, Richard II, Last Tango in Halifax, Edward II and Gentleman Jack, his remarkable talent will be remembered for generations to come.”