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Discover more about the stars of BBC Drama. |
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 Timothy West
Timothy West is a major name in British theatre. He's been appearing on stage since the 1950s and can regularly be seen in films and on TV. He's best known for appearing in classic comedy, Brass and starring in the acclaimed drama Edward VII. Timothy plays Sir Leicester Dedlock in the BBC adaptation of Bleak House.
Test your knowledge of Timothy West »
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Timothy's career began in the 1950s when he started working with repetory companies across the country. He made his debut in the West End* in 1959 in the farce Caught Napping. By 1962 he was making his first appearance with the Royal Shakespeare Company*.
Timothy's first TV role came in 1960 when he took the part of Charles Hayter in an adaptation of the Jane Austen book, Persuasion. A huge number of TV roles followed and in 1975 he won great acclaim for his performance of Edward VII* in a TV drama based on the story of the King's life.
By this time he was also appearing regularly on the big screen. He can be seen in films such as The Day of the Jackal*, Nicholas and Alexandra*, The Thirty-Nine Steps*, and Joseph Andrews*, alongside Spooks-star Peter Firth.
In 1983 he took the role of Northern Mill owner Bradley Hardacre in the comedy Brass. The programme has been described as a mixture between a gritty northern drama and Dallas*.
Timothy has never lost his love of the theatre and has performed many of the most prestigious stage roles in his time, playing King Lear* and Willy Loman in Arthur Miller's* Death of a Salesman*, amongst many others.
His more recent appearances on television have included Bedtime, in which he co-starred with Sheila Hancock*. He's also guest starred in TV dramas such as The Inspector Lynley Mysteries, New Tricks, The Alan Clark Diaries and in Peter Ackroyd's London.
Timothy's latest TV role is as Sir Leicester Dedlock in the BBC adaptation of Dickens' classic novel, Bleak House. The programme boasts an all star cast including Gillian Anderson, Nathaniel Parker, Charles Dance and Pauline Collins.
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Timothy went to the Bristol Grammar School*. Also in his year were actor Julian Glover*, and David Prowse*, who was the Green Cross Code man and played Darth Vader in Star Wars*.
Timothy is president of the famous drama school, LAMDA*.
He was awarded a CBE* for services to acting in 1984.
He has written several books, including I'm Here I Think - Where Are You?, So You Want to be an Actor, with his wife, Prunella Scales* and his autobiography, A Moment Towards the End of a Play.
Timothy has been awarded honorary doctorates by six different universities.
He's a big fan of boating. He has owned a narrowboat since 1979 and regularly holidays on it with his family. He also vice-president of The Waterways Trust*, the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust* and a patron of the Huddersfield Canal Society*. He's was also involved in the restoration of The Waverley*, the world's last ocean-going paddle steamer.
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| Personal Details |
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Timothy was born in Bradford on October 20th, 1934. His parents were both actors on tour, performing at Bradford's Prince's Theatre at the time.
His father was the actor Lockwood West*.
Timothy is married to the actress Prunella Scales. He has three children, his daughter Juliet from his first marriage, and two sons with Prunella called Joe and Samuel.
* The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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