Timothy Lancaster West CBE FRSA (20 October 1934 – 12 November 2024) was an English actor with a long and varied career across theatre, film, and television. He began acting in repertory theatres in the 1950s before making his London stage debut in 1959 moving on to three seasons with the Royal Shakespeare Company during the 1960s. During his life, West played King Lear (four times) and Macbeth (twice) along with other notable roles in The Master Builder and Uncle Vanya. On screen, his breakout role was playing King Edward VII in the television series Edward the Seventh in 1975. West appeared in major films such as Nicholas and Alexandra (1971), The Day of the Jackal (1973), and The Thirty Nine Steps (1978). His television highlights included Brass (1982–1990), Bedtime (2001–2003), and Churchill and the Generals for which he won a Royal Television Society award in 1980. As a director, West led productions at the Forum Theatre in Melbourne, Australia and the Old Vic in London. He was also known for his collaborations with his second wife, actress Prunella Scales, in both acting and personal projects.

Early life and education

West was born on 20 October 1934 in Bradford, West Riding of Yorkshire, the only son of Olive (née Carleton-Crowe; 1902–1985) and actor Lockwood West (1905–1989). He had a sister Patricia who was five years younger than him. He was educated at the John Lyon School, Harrow on the Hill, at Bristol Grammar School, where he was a classmate of Julian Glover, and at Regent Street Polytechnic (now the University of Westminster).

Career

West worked as an office furniture salesman and as a recording technician before becoming an assistant stage manager at the Wimbledon Theatre in 1956.

Stage

West played repertory seasons in Newquay, Hull, Northampton, Worthing and Salisbury before making his London debut at the Piccadilly Theatre in 1959 in the farce Caught Napping. He was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company for three seasons: the 1962 Arts Theatre Experimental season (Nil Carborundum and Afore Night Come), the 1964 'Dirty Plays' season (Victor, the premiere production of Marat/Sade and the revival of Afore Night Come) and the 1965 season at Stratford and later at the Aldwych Theatre appearing in The Comedy of Errors, Timon of Athens, The Jew of Malta, Love's Labour's Lost and Peter Hall's production of The Government Inspector, in a company which included Paul Scofield, Eric Porter, Janet Suzman, Paul Rogers, Ian Richardson, Glenda Jackson and Peter McEnery. West played Macbeth twice, Uncle Vanya twice, Solness in The Master Builder twice and King Lear four times: in 1971 (aged 36) for the Prospect Theatre Company at the Edinburgh Festival; on a worldwide tour in 1991 in Dublin for Second Age; in 2003 for the English Touring Theatre, on tour in the UK and at the Old Vic; and in 2016 at the Bristol Old Vic.

Screen

Having spent years as a familiar face who never quite became a household name, West's big break came with the major television series Edward the Seventh (1975), in which he played the title role from age 23 until the King's death; his real-life sons, Samuel and Joseph, played the sons of the King as children. His father, Lockwood West, also portrayed King Edward VII in 1972 in an episode of the LWT television drama series Upstairs, Downstairs. Other screen appearances included Nicholas and Alexandra (1971), The Day of the Jackal (1973), The Thirty Nine Steps (1978), Masada (1981), Cry Freedom (1987) and Luc Besson's The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999). In Richard Eyre's Iris (2001) he played Maurice and his son Samuel West played Maurice as a young man. West starred as patriarch Bradley Hardacre in Granada TV's satirical Northern super-soap Brass over three seasons (1982–1990). He appeared in the series Miss Marple in 1985 (in "A Pocket Full of Rye" as the notorious Rex Fortescue) and made an appearance as Professor Furie in A Very Peculiar Practice in 1986. In 1997, he played Gloucester in the BBC television production of King Lear, with Ian Holm as Lear. From 2001 to 2003, he played the grumpy and frequently volatile Andrew in the BBC drama series Bedtime. In 1989, West played Nigel in the Thames Television sitcom After Henry alongside his real-life wife, Prunella Scales, who played Sarah France. They appeared together in the episode 'Upstagers', shown on 21 March 1989. At Christmas 2007, he joined Not Going Out as Geoffrey Adams. He reprised the role in two episodes of series three; Geoffrey Whitehead played the role in later seasons. In 2011, he appeared alongside John Simm and Jim Broadbent in the BBC series Exile, written by BAFTA-winning Danny Brocklehurst. In February 2013, West joined the cast of ITV soap Coronation Street, playing Eric Babbage. He joined the cast of EastEnders in 2013, playing Stan Carter from January 2014. He filmed his final scenes for EastEnders in February 2015. In 2019, West played Private Godfrey in Dad's Army: The Lost Episodes, a recreation of three missing episodes of the BBC comedy Dad's Army. His final acting role was in the penultimate episode of the BBC daytime series Doctors, which was screened the day after his death.

Directing

West was artistic director of the Forum Theatre, Billingham, in 1973, where he directed We Bombed in New Haven by Joseph Heller, The Oz Obscenity Trial by David Livingstone and The National Health by Peter Nichols. He was co-artistic director of the Prospect Theatre Company at the Old Vic from 1980 to 1981, where he directed Trelawny of the 'Wells' and The Merchant of Venice. He was director-in-residence at the University of Western Australia in 1982. In 2004, West toured Australia with the Carl Rosa Opera Company as director of a production of H.M.S. Pinafore, also singing the role of Sir Joseph Porter.

Personal life and death

West was married to actress Jacqueline Boyer from 1956 to 1961 with whom he had a daughter. In 1963 he married actress Prunella Scales, with whom he had two sons, actor Samuel West and Joseph. The Guardian crossword setter Biggles referred to West's 50th wedding anniversary in its prize crossword puzzle (number 26,089) on 26 October 2013. West and Scales were patrons of the Lace Market Theatre in Nottingham, The Kings Theatre in Gloucester and of the Conway Hall Sunday Concerts programme in London, the longest-running series of chamber music concerts in Europe. West was an Ambassador of SOS Children's Villages, an international orphan charity providing homes and mothers for orphaned and abandoned children. He supported the charity's annual World Orphan Week. West was patron of the National Piers Society, a charity dedicated to preserving and promoting seaside piers. He and Prunella Scales were patrons of Avon Navigation Trust (ANT), the charity that runs the River Avon from Stratford-upon-Avon to Tewkesbury. They both supported ANT by attending the Stratford River Festival every year. West supported Cancer Research UK. West was a Patron of Kids for Kids, helping children living in remote villages of Darfur, Sudan through sustainable projects. He and his wife supported Kids for Kids for many years and he continued to be a Reader at the annual Candlelit Christmas Concert at St Peter’s Eaton Square where he always chose something he knew the children would love. West was a supporter of the Talyllyn Railway in mid Wales, the first preserved railway in the world. He visited on a number of occasions, the last being the summer of 2015 to attend the railway's 150th anniversary. He was a patron of the Inland Waterways Association. West was president of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (being succeeded by Benedict Cumberbatch in January 2018) and was president of the Society for Theatre Research. He was also patron of London-based drama school Associated Studios. After a fall, West's health declined throughout his final months, and he died at a care home in Wandsworth on 12 November 2024, aged 90.

Honours

In 1984, West was appointed CBE for his services to drama. He was accepted as a fellow to the Royal Society of Arts in 1992. During his life, West was awarded eight honorary doctorates: University of Bradford (1993), University of the West of England (1994), University of East Anglia (1996), University of Westminster (1999), University of London (2004), University of Hull (2004), Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (2004), and University of Kent (2018) He also received an honorary degree from the University of Bristol in 2017.

Selected theatre appearances

Filmography

Film

Television

Selected radio

Timothy West was a member of the BBC Radio Drama Repertory Company in 1962 and took part in over 500 radio broadcasts. In 1959, he wrote and produced a short audio play, This Gun That I Have in My Right Hand Is Loaded, satirising typical mistakes of radio drama, including over-explanatory dialogue and misuse of sound cues.

Audiobooks

Timothy West recorded many unabridged audiobooks, including the complete Barchester Chronicles and the complete Palliser novels by Anthony Trollope, and seven of George MacDonald Fraser's The Flashman Papers books. He received four AudioFile Earphones Awards for his narration.

Books