British Actor Timothy West Dies

One of Britain’s most distinguished and versatile actors, Timothy West, has died at the age of 90, his family have announced.

A statement released by his children said the actor died “peacefully in his sleep” and was “with his friends and family at the end”.

He was known for roles on stage and screen including in TV sitcoms Not Going Out and Bedtime, dramas such as Bleak House and Gentleman Jack, and soaps Coronation Street and EastEnders.

The late actor is survived by his wife, Fawlty Towers star Prunella Scales, to whom he was married for 61 years.

In recent years, the couple had been followed in 10 seasons of Channel 4’s Great Canal Journeys.

West left behind “a sister, a daughter, two sons, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren”, the family said, adding: “All of us will miss him terribly.

West was born in 1934 in Bradford, the son of actors Lockwood West and Olive Carleton-Crowe.

He attended Bristol Grammar School, where his contemporaries included Julian Glover and Dave Prowse, who would later play Darth Vader in Star Wars.

West began his career in entertainment as an assistant stage manager at the Wimbledon Theatre.

He made his name on stage and screen in the 1960s, his  lead TV roles included 1980s comedy-drama Brass, in which he played ruthless self-made businessman Bradley Hardacre.

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

He was also a regular performer of Shakespeare, portraying King Lear in 2016 and 2002.

BBC/Victoria Ibanga