Timothy West, one of Britain’s most distinguished and versatile actors, has passed away at the age of 90, according to an announcement by his family.
The late actor was known for his roles on stage and screen including in the TV sitcoms: “Not Going Out” and “Bedtime”, dramas such as “Bleak House” and “Gentleman Jack”.
West’s children had released a statement saying that the actor had died “peacefully in his sleep” and was “with his friends and family at the end”.
He is survived by his children, and wife, Fawlty Towers star Prunella Scales, to whom he was married to for 61 years.
In their statement, Juliet, Samuel and Joseph West described their father as having lived a “long and extraordinary life on and off the stage”.
“We would like to thank the incredible NHS staff at St George’s Hospital, Tooting and at Avery Wandsworth for their loving care during his last days.” Ghe statement had partly read
Paying tribute on X, renowned broadcaster, Piers Morgan had commiserated with West’s family, saying he recalled interviewing the late actor for his Life Stories series with the actor’s wife Scales sitting in the audience.
Timothy West was born in 1934 in Bradford and was the son of actors Lockwood West and Olive Carleton-Crowe.
He attended Bristol Grammar School and began his career in entertainment as an assistant stage manager at the Wimbledon Theatre.
He broke through with his career in stage and screen in the 1960s, and BBC adaptations of Richard II and Edward II in the 1970s saw him repeat roles he had already played to much critical acclaim in the theatre.
West portrayed former British prime minister Winston Churchill three times, in From Churchill and the Generals (1979), The Last Bastion (1984) and Hiroshima (1995) during his long-spanning career.
