Timothy West
Encyclopedia
Timothy Lancaster West, CBE
(born 20 October 1934) is an English
film, stage and television actor
.
rather than a leading man. He began his career as an Assistant Stage Manager at the Wimbledon Theatre
in 1956, and followed this with several seasons of repertory theatre. He acted at the Piccadilly Theatre
in 1959 and was with the Royal Shakespeare Company
in 1965 at Stratford
where he appeared in The Comedy of Errors
, Timon of Athens
, The Jew of Malta
, Love's Labour's Lost
, and Peter Hall's outstanding production of The Government Inspector at the Aldwych Theatre
with Paul Scofield
, Eric Porter
, Donald Burton
, Stanley Lebor
, Bruce Condell, John Corvin and Tim Wylton
, among others. He was Artistic Director of the Forum Theatre, Billingham
from 1980–81 and was appointed Director-in-Residence at the University of Western Australia
in 1982.
Having spent years as a familiar face who never quite became a household name, his big chance came with the major television series, Edward the Seventh (1975), in which he played the title role and his real-life sons, Samuel and Joseph, played the sons of King Edward VII
as children. Other major roles have included parts in the films, Nicholas and Alexandra
(1971), The Day of the Jackal
(1973), The Thirty Nine Steps (1978), Masada
(1981) and Cry Freedom
(1987).
In lighter vein, West starred as patriarch Bradley Hardacre in Granada TV's
satirical Northern super-soap Brass
over three seasons (1982–1990), and made a memorable appearance as Professor Furie in A Very Peculiar Practice
in 1986.
West also made a brief appearance in the Miss Marple
series in 1985, starring Joan Hickson
as the redoubtable Miss Jane Marple, in A Pocket Full of Rye
as the notorious Rex Fortescue.
In 1997, he played Gloucester in the BBC television production of King Lear
. In 2001, West played the older Maurice in Iris, while his actor son, Samuel West
, played young Maurice. In 2002, he made a guest appearance in the BBC Radio 4
series The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
. In 2004, he toured Australia
with the Carl Rosa Opera Company
as Director of the production of HMS Pinafore
, also singing the role of Sir Joseph Porter. He was replaced in the singing role by Dennis Olsen
for the Perth
and Brisbane
performances.
From 2001-2003, he played the grumpy and frequently volatile Andrew in the BBC drama series Bedtime
, with Sheila Hancock
playing his long-suffering wife, Alice. At Christmas 2007, he joined the cast of sitcom Not Going Out
as recurring character Geoffrey Adams, the father of two central characters. He has reprised this role in two episodes since, before Geoffrey Whitehead
was recast in this role.
He is president of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
, and a supporter of the charity Cancer Research UK
.
West has also appeared as the presenter for Midlands (Central TV) Waterworld.
In 2008, he starred in Harold Pinter
's "The Lover" & "The Collection" at the Comedy Theatre in London.
In 2010, he appears alongside John Simm
and Jim Broadbent
in BBC series Exile
, written by BAFTA winning writer Danny Brocklehurst
.
, Yorkshire
, the son of Olive (née Carleton-Crowe) and actor Harry Lockwood West, known as Lockwood West
. He was educated at The John Lyon School, a boys' independent school
in Harrow on the Hill in London and also at Bristol Grammar School
in Bristol, where he was a classmate of Julian Glover
. West is married to the actress Prunella Scales
and they both prominently support the Labour Party
. The couple are both patrons of the Lace Market Theatre in Nottingham
. Their son, Samuel West
, is also an actor.
West is an Ambassador of SOS Children's Villages, an international orphan charity providing homes and mothers for orphaned and abandoned children. He currently supports the charity's annual World Orphan Week campaign which takes place each February.
West is patron of The National Piers Society, a charity dedicated to preserving and promoting seaside piers.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 20 October 1934) is an English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
film, stage and television actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
.
Career
West's craggy looks ensured a career as a character actorCharacter actor
A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
rather than a leading man. He began his career as an Assistant Stage Manager at the Wimbledon Theatre
New Wimbledon Theatre
The New Wimbledon Theatre is situated on The Broadway, Wimbledon, London, in the London Borough of Merton. It is a Grade II listed Edwardian theatre built by the theatre lover and entrepreneur, J B Mullholland. Built on the site of a large house with spacious grounds the theatre was designed by...
in 1956, and followed this with several seasons of repertory theatre. He acted at the Piccadilly Theatre
Piccadilly Theatre
The Piccadilly Theatre is a West End theatre located at 16 Denman Street, behind Piccadilly Circus and adjacent to the Regent Palace Hotel, in the City of Westminster, England.-Early years:Built by Bertie Crewe and Edward A...
in 1959 and was with the Royal Shakespeare Company
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
in 1965 at Stratford
Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon is a market town and civil parish in south Warwickshire, England. It lies on the River Avon, south east of Birmingham and south west of Warwick. It is the largest and most populous town of the District of Stratford-on-Avon, which uses the term "on" to indicate that it covers...
where he appeared in The Comedy of Errors
The Comedy of Errors
The Comedy of Errors is one of William Shakespeare's earliest plays. It is his shortest and one of his most farcical comedies, with a major part of the humour coming from slapstick and mistaken identity, in addition to puns and word play. The Comedy of Errors is one of only two of Shakespeare's...
, Timon of Athens
Timon of Athens
The Life of Timon of Athens is a play by William Shakespeare about the fortunes of an Athenian named Timon , generally regarded as one of his most obscure and difficult works...
, The Jew of Malta
The Jew of Malta
The Jew of Malta is a play by Christopher Marlowe, probably written in 1589 or 1590. Its plot is an original story of religious conflict, intrigue, and revenge, set against a backdrop of the struggle for supremacy between Spain and the Ottoman Empire in the Mediterranean that takes place on the...
, Love's Labour's Lost
Love's Labour's Lost
Love's Labour's Lost is one of William Shakespeare's early comedies, believed to have been written in the mid-1590s, and first published in 1598.-Title:...
, and Peter Hall's outstanding production of The Government Inspector at the Aldwych Theatre
Aldwych Theatre
The Aldwych Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Aldwych in the City of Westminster. The theatre was listed Grade II on 20 July 1971. Its seating capacity is 1,200.-Origins:...
with Paul Scofield
Paul Scofield
David Paul Scofield, CH, CBE , better known as Paul Scofield, was an English actor of stage and screen...
, Eric Porter
Eric Porter
Eric Richard Porter was an English actor of stage, film and television.-Early life:Porter was born in Shepherd's Bush, London, to Richard John Porter and Phoebe Elizabeth Spall...
, Donald Burton
Donald Burton
Donald Burton was an English theatre and television actor. Burton was the husband of actress Carroll Baker....
, Stanley Lebor
Stanley Lebor
Stanley Harvey Lebor is an English actor, best known for his role as Howard in the 1980s BBC TV series, Ever Decreasing Circles and the Mongon Doctor in Flash Gordon...
, Bruce Condell, John Corvin and Tim Wylton
Tim Wylton
Tim Wylton is a British television actor best known for his roles Stanley Dawkins in My Hero and Lol Ferris in As Time Goes By....
, among others. He was Artistic Director of the Forum Theatre, Billingham
Billingham
Billingham is a town in the unitary authority of Stockton on Tees, in north east England, with a population of 35,765 . It was founded circa 650 by a group of Saxons known as Billa's people, which is where the name Billingham is thought to have originated...
from 1980–81 and was appointed Director-in-Residence at the University of Western Australia
University of Western Australia
The University of Western Australia was established by an Act of the Western Australian Parliament in February 1911, and began teaching students for the first time in 1913. It is the oldest university in the state of Western Australia and the only university in the state to be a member of the...
in 1982.
Having spent years as a familiar face who never quite became a household name, his big chance came with the major television series, Edward the Seventh (1975), in which he played the title role and his real-life sons, Samuel and Joseph, played the sons of King Edward VII
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
as children. Other major roles have included parts in the films, Nicholas and Alexandra
Nicholas and Alexandra
Nicholas and Alexandra is a 1971 biographical film which tells the story of the last Russian monarch, Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, and his wife, Tsarina Alexandra....
(1971), The Day of the Jackal
The Day of the Jackal (film)
The Day of the Jackal is a 1973 Anglo-French film, set in August 1963 and based on the novel of the same name by Frederick Forsyth. Directed by Fred Zinnemann, it stars Edward Fox as the assassin known only as "the Jackal" who is hired to assassinate Charles de Gaulle.- Synopsis :The film opens...
(1973), The Thirty Nine Steps (1978), Masada
Masada (miniseries)
Masada is an American television miniseries that aired on ABC in April 1981. Advertised by the network as an "ABC Novel for Television," it was a fictionalized account of the historical siege of the Masada citadel in Israel by legions of the Roman Empire in AD 73. The TV series' script is based on...
(1981) and Cry Freedom
Cry Freedom
Cry Freedom is a 1987 British drama film directed by Richard Attenborough, set in the late 1970s, during the apartheid era of South Africa. It was written from a screenplay by John Briley based on a pair of books by journalist Donald Woods...
(1987).
In lighter vein, West starred as patriarch Bradley Hardacre in Granada TV's
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
satirical Northern super-soap Brass
Brass (TV series)
Brass was a British television Comedy-Drama, made by Granada Television for ITV.Set mostly in Utterley, a fictional Lancashire mining town in the 1930s, Brass was a comedy satirising the working-class period dramas of the 1970s and the American supersoaps such as Dallas and Dynasty...
over three seasons (1982–1990), and made a memorable appearance as Professor Furie in A Very Peculiar Practice
A Very Peculiar Practice
A Very Peculiar Practice is a BBC comedy-drama series, which ran for two series in 1986 and 1988. It was the first major success for screenwriter Andrew Davies, and was inspired by his experiences as a lecturer at the University of Warwick.- Storyline :...
in 1986.
West also made a brief appearance in the Miss Marple
Miss Marple
Jane Marple, usually referred to as Miss Marple, is a fictional character appearing in twelve of Agatha Christie's crime novels and in twenty short stories. Miss Marple is an elderly spinster who lives in the village of St. Mary Mead and acts as an amateur detective. She is one of the most famous...
series in 1985, starring Joan Hickson
Joan Hickson
Joan Hickson OBE was an English actress of theatre, film and television, famed for playing Agatha Christie's Miss Marple in the television series Miss Marple.- Wivenhoe :...
as the redoubtable Miss Jane Marple, in A Pocket Full of Rye
A Pocket Full of Rye
A Pocket Full of Rye is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on November 9, 1953, and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company the following year. The UK edition retailed at ten shillings and sixpence and the US edition at $2.75...
as the notorious Rex Fortescue.
In 1997, he played Gloucester in the BBC television production of King Lear
King Lear
King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The title character descends into madness after foolishly disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological...
. In 2001, West played the older Maurice in Iris, while his actor son, Samuel West
Samuel West
Samuel Alexander Joseph West is an English actor and theatre director. He is perhaps best known for his role in Howards End and his work on stage. He also starred in the award-winning play ENRON...
, played young Maurice. In 2002, he made a guest appearance in the BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
series The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
This article is about the BBC Radio 4 series transmitted from 2002 to 2010. There is also a U.S. produced series, which began in 1998, that transmits under the same title....
. In 2004, he toured Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
with the Carl Rosa Opera Company
Carl Rosa Opera Company
The Carl Rosa Opera Company was founded in 1873 by Carl August Nicholas Rosa, a German-born musical impresario, to present opera in English in London and the British provinces. The company survived Rosa's death in 1889, and continued to present opera in English on tour until 1960, when it was...
as Director of the production of HMS Pinafore
HMS Pinafore
H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in London, England, on 25 May 1878 and ran for 571 performances, which was the second-longest run of any musical...
, also singing the role of Sir Joseph Porter. He was replaced in the singing role by Dennis Olsen
Dennis Olsen
Dennis Hans Olsen AM , is an accomplished Australian singer, actor, director and pianist.-Professional career:...
for the Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
and Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
performances.
From 2001-2003, he played the grumpy and frequently volatile Andrew in the BBC drama series Bedtime
Bedtime
Bedtime, in Western parenting tradition, involves to a greater or lesser extent, rituals made to help children feel more secure, and become accustomed toward a comparatively more rigid sleep schedule than they would otherwise establish....
, with Sheila Hancock
Sheila Hancock
Sheila Cameron Hancock, CBE is an English actress and author.-Early life:Sheila Hancock was born in Blackgang on the Isle of Wight, the daughter of Ivy Louise and Enrico Cameron Hancock, who was a publican. Her sister Billie is seven years older...
playing his long-suffering wife, Alice. At Christmas 2007, he joined the cast of sitcom Not Going Out
Not Going Out
Not Going Out is a British television sitcom that has aired on BBC One since 2006. Starring Lee Mack, Tim Vine, Sally Bretton, Miranda Hart and Katy Wix, it was initially written by Mack, Andrew Collins, Paul Kerensa, Simon Evans and Peter Tilbury, but now features contributions from other...
as recurring character Geoffrey Adams, the father of two central characters. He has reprised this role in two episodes since, before Geoffrey Whitehead
Geoffrey Whitehead
Geoffrey Whitehead is an English actor. He has appeared in a huge range of television, film and radio roles. In the theatre, he has played at the Shakespeare Globe, St...
was recast in this role.
He is president of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art is a leading British drama school in west London. LAMDA's president is Timothy West and its new principal is Joanna Read, who recently succeeded Peter James...
, and a supporter of the charity Cancer Research UK
Cancer Research UK
Cancer Research UK is a cancer research and awareness charity in the United Kingdom, formed on 4 February 2002 by the merger of The Cancer Research Campaign and the Imperial Cancer Research Fund. Its aim is to reduce the number of deaths from cancer. As the world's largest independent cancer...
.
West has also appeared as the presenter for Midlands (Central TV) Waterworld.
In 2008, he starred in Harold Pinter
Harold Pinter
Harold Pinter, CH, CBE was a Nobel Prize–winning English playwright and screenwriter. One of the most influential modern British dramatists, his writing career spanned more than 50 years. His best-known plays include The Birthday Party , The Homecoming , and Betrayal , each of which he adapted to...
's "The Lover" & "The Collection" at the Comedy Theatre in London.
In 2010, he appears alongside John Simm
John Simm
John Simm is an English stage and screen actor. In recent years he is best known for his roles as Sam Tyler in the detective drama Life on Mars and as The Master in the revival of the science fiction series Doctor Who, but he has also starred in many highly acclaimed award-winning television...
and Jim Broadbent
Jim Broadbent
James "Jim" Broadbent is an English theatre, film, and television actor. He is known for his roles in Iris, Moulin Rouge!, Topsy-Turvy, Hot Fuzz, and Bridget Jones' Diary...
in BBC series Exile
Exile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
, written by BAFTA winning writer Danny Brocklehurst
Danny Brocklehurst
Danny Brocklehurst is a BAFTA and International Emmy -winning English screenwriter. Brocklehurst worked as a journalist for several years before becoming a full-time screenwriter.He has written acclaimed television drama...
.
Personal life
West was born in BradfordBradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, the son of Olive (née Carleton-Crowe) and actor Harry Lockwood West, known as Lockwood West
Lockwood West
Lockwood West was a British actor. He is the father of actor Timothy West and the grandfather of actor Samuel West....
. He was educated at The John Lyon School, a boys' independent school
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
in Harrow on the Hill in London and also at Bristol Grammar School
Bristol Grammar School
Bristol Grammar School is a co-educational independent school in Clifton, Bristol, England. The school was founded in 1532 by two brothers, Robert and Nicholas Thorne....
in Bristol, where he was a classmate of Julian Glover
Julian Glover
Julian Wyatt Glover is a British actor best known for such roles as General Maximilian Veers in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, the Bond villain Aristotle Kristatos in For Your Eyes Only, and Walter Donovan in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.-Personal life:Glover was born in...
. West is married to the actress Prunella Scales
Prunella Scales
Prunella Scales CBE is an English actress, known for her role as Basil Fawlty's long-suffering wife in the British comedy Fawlty Towers and her award-nominated role as Queen Elizabeth II in the British film A Question of Attribution.-Career:Throughout her long career, Scales has usually been cast...
and they both prominently support the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
. The couple are both patrons of the Lace Market Theatre in Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
. Their son, Samuel West
Samuel West
Samuel Alexander Joseph West is an English actor and theatre director. He is perhaps best known for his role in Howards End and his work on stage. He also starred in the award-winning play ENRON...
, is also an actor.
West is an Ambassador of SOS Children's Villages, an international orphan charity providing homes and mothers for orphaned and abandoned children. He currently supports the charity's annual World Orphan Week campaign which takes place each February.
West is patron of The National Piers Society, a charity dedicated to preserving and promoting seaside piers.
Stage roles
- Opening of St Pancras railway stationSt Pancras railway stationSt Pancras railway station, also known as London St Pancras and since 2007 as St Pancras International, is a central London railway terminus celebrated for its Victorian architecture. The Grade I listed building stands on Euston Road in St Pancras, London Borough of Camden, between the...
as William Henry BarlowWilliam Henry BarlowOn 28 December 1879, the central section of the North British Railway's bridge across the River Tay near Dundee collapsed in the Tay Bridge disaster as an express train crossed it in a heavy storm. All 75 passengers and crew on the train were killed...
, Tuesday 6 November 2007 - CoriolanusCoriolanus (play)Coriolanus is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1605 and 1608. The play is based on the life of the legendary Roman leader, Gaius Marcius Coriolanus.-Characters:*Caius Martius, later surnamed Coriolanus...
as Menenius, 2007, Royal Shakespeare CompanyRoyal Shakespeare CompanyThe Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
, Stratford-upon-AvonStratford-upon-AvonStratford-upon-Avon is a market town and civil parish in south Warwickshire, England. It lies on the River Avon, south east of Birmingham and south west of Warwick. It is the largest and most populous town of the District of Stratford-on-Avon, which uses the term "on" to indicate that it covers... - King Lear (2003) with English Touring Theatre Company, as Lear
- The External
- King Lear as Lear, 1971 Edinburgh FestivalEdinburgh FestivalThe Edinburgh Festival is a collective term for many arts and cultural festivals that take place in Edinburgh, Scotland each summer, mostly in August...
- The Merchant of Venice as Shylock, 1981 Royal Flemish Theatre Brussels in association with The British CouncilBritish CouncilThe British Council is a United Kingdom-based organisation specialising in international educational and cultural opportunities. It is registered as a charity both in England and Wales, and in Scotland...
- Gentle Jack (1963/64) as Hubert
- The Old Country as Hilary, Trafalgar StudiosTrafalgar StudiosTrafalgar Studios, formerly The Whitehall Theatre until 2004, is a West End theatre in Whitehall, near Trafalgar Square, in the City of Westminster, London....
, London, 2006 - The Lover/ The Collection, Comedy Theatre, London, 2008
- Romany Wood as Narrator, Shropshire, 2009
TV roles
- PersuasionPersuasion (1960 series)Persuasion is a 1960 British television mini-series adaptation of the Jane Austen novel of the same name. It was produced by the BBC and was directed by Campbell Logan. Daphne Slater stars as Anne Elliot, and Paul Daneman as Captain Frederick Wentworth...
(1960) - Big Breadwinner HogBig Breadwinner HogBig Breadwinner Hog is a British television thriller serial devised by Robin Chapman, produced by Granada TV and transmitted in eight parts, starting at 9.00pm on 11 April 1969 on the ITV network. It portrayed the ruthless rise through the criminal underworld of the trendy young London gangster...
(1969) as Lennox - Edward the SeventhEdward the Seventh (television)Edward the Seventh is a 1975 television drama series, made by ATV in 13 one-hour episodes.Based on the biography of Edward VII by Philip Magnus, it starred Timothy West as the elder Edward VII and Simon Gipps-Kent and Charles Sturridge as Edward in his youth, Annette Crosbie as Queen Victoria,...
(1975) as the Prince of Wales / King Edward VII - Churchill and the GeneralsChurchill and the GeneralsChurchill and the Generals is a 1979 BBC television video taped play concerning the relationship between Winston Churchill and generals of the Allied forces between 1940 and 1945. It was written by Ian Curteis and screened on 5 March 1981 in the United States.-Cast:*Timothy West - Winston...
(1979) as Winston Churchill - BrassBrass (TV series)Brass was a British television Comedy-Drama, made by Granada Television for ITV.Set mostly in Utterley, a fictional Lancashire mining town in the 1930s, Brass was a comedy satirising the working-class period dramas of the 1970s and the American supersoaps such as Dallas and Dynasty...
(1982) as Bradley Hardacre - The Last BastionThe Last BastionThe Last Bastion is a television mini-series which aired in Australia in November 1984. It tells the story of Australia's involvement in World War II, and its often strained relations with its two main allies, Great Britain and the United States.-Cast:...
(1984) as Winston Churchill - The Good Doctor Bodkin Adams (1986): this was a TV docudrama based on the 1957 trial of John Bodkin AdamsJohn Bodkin AdamsJohn Bodkin Adams was an Irish-born British general practitioner, convicted fraudster and suspected serial killer. Between the years 1946 and 1956, more than 160 of his patients died in suspicious circumstances. Of these, 132 left him money or items in their will. He was tried and acquitted for...
, played by West; Adams was controversially acquitted of murdering an elderly female patient, but is thought to have been Britain's second worst serial killer. - Beecham (1990). Adapted from the stage show about the flamboyant conductor, Sir Thomas Beecham, written by Caryl Brahms and Ned Sherrin.
- CampionCampion (TV series)Campion is a television show made by the BBC, adapting the Albert Campion mystery novels written by Margery Allingham. Two seasons were made, in 1989 and 1990, starring Peter Davison as Campion, Brian Glover as his manservant Magersfontein Lugg and Andrew Burt as his policeman friend Stanislaus...
: Police at the FuneralPolice at the FuneralPolice at the Funeral is a crime novel by Margery Allingham, first published in October 1931, in the United Kingdom by Heinemann, London and in 1932 in the United States by Doubleday, New York...
(1989) as "Uncle" William Faraday. - Framed (1992) as DCI Jimmy McKinnes
- King LearKing LearKing Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The title character descends into madness after foolishly disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological...
(1998) as Gloucester - Goodnight SweetheartGoodnight SweetheartGoodnight Sweetheart is a sitcom that ran for six series on BBC1 from 1993 to 1999. It stars Nicholas Lyndhurst as Gary Sparrow, an accidental time traveller who leads a double life after discovering a time portal allowing him to travel between the London of the 1990s and the same area during the...
(1998), comedy series as MI5 agent "MacDuff" - Bedtime (series, 2001)
- Bleak House (series, 2005) as Sir Leicester Dedlock
- Since 2000 he has been presenting ITV's series Water World, a programme dedicated to 'the people who live and work on the canals of the Midlands'.
- Not Going OutNot Going OutNot Going Out is a British television sitcom that has aired on BBC One since 2006. Starring Lee Mack, Tim Vine, Sally Bretton, Miranda Hart and Katy Wix, it was initially written by Mack, Andrew Collins, Paul Kerensa, Simon Evans and Peter Tilbury, but now features contributions from other...
(2007-2009) as Geoffrey - Terry Pratchett's Going PostalTerry Pratchett's Going PostalTerry Pratchett's Going Postal is a two-part television adaptation of the book of the same name by Terry Pratchett, adapted by Richard Kurti and Bev Doyle and produced by The Mob, which was first broadcast on Sky1, and in high definition on Sky1 HD, at the end of May 2010.It is the third in a...
(2010) as Mustrum Ridcully - ExileExileExile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
, as Don Metzler.
Radio roles
- 1966 The porter in MacbethMacbethThe Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
, Third Programme; repeated BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
1967 and BBC 7BBC 7BBC Radio 4 Extra, formerly known as BBC 7 and BBC Radio 7, is a British digital radio station broadcasting comedy, drama, and children's programming nationally 24 hours a day. It is the principal broadcasting outlet for the BBC's archive of spoken-word entertainment...
2007. - 1966 Frank in 'If you're glad, I'll be Frank' by Tom StoppardTom StoppardSir Tom Stoppard OM, CBE, FRSL is a British playwright, knighted in 1997. He has written prolifically for TV, radio, film and stage, finding prominence with plays such as Arcadia, The Coast of Utopia, Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, Professional Foul, The Real Thing, and Rosencrantz and...
. - 1971 An old Boy in 'Where are they now?' by Tom StoppardTom StoppardSir Tom Stoppard OM, CBE, FRSL is a British playwright, knighted in 1997. He has written prolifically for TV, radio, film and stage, finding prominence with plays such as Arcadia, The Coast of Utopia, Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, Professional Foul, The Real Thing, and Rosencrantz and...
. - 1978 Dr. James Short in 'The Monument' by David Cregan, BBC Radio 3BBC Radio 3BBC Radio 3 is a national radio station operated by the BBC within the United Kingdom. Its output centres on classical music and opera, but jazz, world music, drama, culture and the arts also feature. The station is the world’s most significant commissioner of new music, and its New Generation...
. - 1981 Dr. John H. Watson in 'Sherlock Holmes v. Dracula' by Loren D. EstlemanLoren D. EstlemanLoren D. Estleman is an American writer of detective and Western fiction. He writes with a manual typewriter....
, dramatised and directed by Glyn DearmanGlyn DearmanGlyn Dearman was a former child actor whose acting career spanned almost two decades. He is perhaps best remembered for his portrayal of the character Tiny Tim in the 1951 film Scrooge. He was also a BBC radio producer in the later part of his career.- External links :* *...
, broadcast in the Saturday Night TheatreSaturday Night TheatreSaturday Night Theatre was a long-running radio drama strand on BBC Radio 4. The strand showcased feature-length, middle-brow single plays on Saturday evenings for more than 50 years, having been lanched in April 1943. The plays featured in the strand included stage plays, books adaptations and...
slot on BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
. - 1981 Agammemnon in 'Operation Lightning Pegasus' by Alick RoweAlick RoweAlick Rowe was a British writer born in 1939. He died on 30 October 2009 in Chiang Mai, Thailand of a suspected heart attack.He was head boy at Hereford Cathedral School before graduating from St. Catharine's College, Cambridge. From the early 1970s onwards he wrote prolifically for radio and...
; comedy broadcast in the Saturday Night TheatreSaturday Night TheatreSaturday Night Theatre was a long-running radio drama strand on BBC Radio 4. The strand showcased feature-length, middle-brow single plays on Saturday evenings for more than 50 years, having been lanched in April 1943. The plays featured in the strand included stage plays, books adaptations and...
slot on BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
. - 1982 'Lady Windermere's Fan' by Oscar WildeOscar WildeOscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
, broadcast in the Saturday Night TheatreSaturday Night TheatreSaturday Night Theatre was a long-running radio drama strand on BBC Radio 4. The strand showcased feature-length, middle-brow single plays on Saturday evenings for more than 50 years, having been lanched in April 1943. The plays featured in the strand included stage plays, books adaptations and...
slot on BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
. - 1983 The Emperor Diocletian in 'Actors, or Playing for Real' by Lope de VegaLope de VegaFélix Arturo Lope de Vega y Carpio was a Spanish playwright and poet. He was one of the key figures in the Spanish Golden Century Baroque literature...
, BBC Radio 3BBC Radio 3BBC Radio 3 is a national radio station operated by the BBC within the United Kingdom. Its output centres on classical music and opera, but jazz, world music, drama, culture and the arts also feature. The station is the world’s most significant commissioner of new music, and its New Generation...
. - 1984 642 in 'With A Whimper To The Grave' by Wally K Daly.
- 1985 Claudius in I, ClaudiusI, ClaudiusI, Claudius is a novel by English writer Robert Graves, written in the form of an autobiography of the Roman Emperor Claudius. As such, it includes history of the Julio-Claudian Dynasty and Roman Empire, from Julius Caesar's assassination in 44 BC to Caligula's assassination in AD 41...
and Claudius the God by Robert GravesRobert GravesRobert von Ranke Graves 24 July 1895 – 7 December 1985 was an English poet, translator and novelist. During his long life he produced more than 140 works...
produced by Glyn DearmanGlyn DearmanGlyn Dearman was a former child actor whose acting career spanned almost two decades. He is perhaps best remembered for his portrayal of the character Tiny Tim in the 1951 film Scrooge. He was also a BBC radio producer in the later part of his career.- External links :* *... - 1987 Generally well-intentioned King Wenceslas in Alick RoweAlick RoweAlick Rowe was a British writer born in 1939. He died on 30 October 2009 in Chiang Mai, Thailand of a suspected heart attack.He was head boy at Hereford Cathedral School before graduating from St. Catharine's College, Cambridge. From the early 1970s onwards he wrote prolifically for radio and...
's comedy 'Crisp and Even Brightly' broadcast in the Saturday Night TheatreSaturday Night TheatreSaturday Night Theatre was a long-running radio drama strand on BBC Radio 4. The strand showcased feature-length, middle-brow single plays on Saturday evenings for more than 50 years, having been lanched in April 1943. The plays featured in the strand included stage plays, books adaptations and...
slot on BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
. - 1992 The Expedition Of Humphry Clinker by Tobias Smollet, Classic SerialClassic SerialThe Classic Serial is a strand on BBC Radio 4 in which classics of English literature are adapted into series of one-hour dramas. It is broadcast twice weekly on BBC Radio 4, first from 3:00-4:00pm on Sunday, then repeated on 9:00-10:00pm the next Saturday....
BBC radio 4BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
, 4 episodes. - 1992 'The Gibson' by Bruce Bedford.
- 1993 Willy Loman in 'Death of a Salesman' by Arthur MillerArthur MillerArthur Asher Miller was an American playwright and essayist. He was a prominent figure in American theatre, writing dramas that include plays such as All My Sons , Death of a Salesman , The Crucible , and A View from the Bridge .Miller was often in the public eye,...
. - 2000 'Dorothy, a manager's wife'] by Peter TinniswoodPeter TinniswoodPeter Tinniswood was an English radio and TV comedy scriptwriter, and author of a series of popular cricketing novels...
. - 2001 Groupie by Arnold WeskerArnold WeskerSir Arnold Wesker is a prolific British dramatist known for his contributions to kitchen sink drama. He is the author of 42 plays, 4 volumes of short stories, 2 volumes of essays, a book on journalism, a children's book, extensive journalism, poetry and other assorted writings...
- 2001 Polymestor in The Hecuba by EuripidesEuripidesEuripides was one of the three great tragedians of classical Athens, the other two being Aeschylus and Sophocles. Some ancient scholars attributed ninety-five plays to him but according to the Suda it was ninety-two at most...
. - 2003–2010 Starred as Rumpole of the BaileyRumpole of the BaileyRumpole of the Bailey is a British television series created and written by the British writer and barrister John Mortimer which starred Leo McKern as Horace Rumpole, an ageing London barrister who defends any and all clients...
in fourteen 45 minute playsRumpole and the Primrose PathRumpole and the Primrose Path is a light hearted legal comedy, one of six short stories in an anthology by writer John Mortimer. It is the 12th in a series based in part on his own past experiences as a barrister but also notable for their use of themes topical at the time each was published...
In this his wife in real lifePrunella ScalesPrunella Scales CBE is an English actress, known for her role as Basil Fawlty's long-suffering wife in the British comedy Fawlty Towers and her award-nominated role as Queen Elizabeth II in the British film A Question of Attribution.-Career:Throughout her long career, Scales has usually been cast...
played his fictional wife. - 2004 Narrator in 'Lorna Doone' by R.D. Blackmore.
- 2005 Doctor Johnson in 'The Man on the Heath: Johnson and Boswell Investigate' by David Noakes, Saturday PlaySaturday PlayThe Saturday Play is a regular feature on BBC Radio 4 and is described as "Thrillers, mysteries, love stories and detective fiction, as well as an occasional special series."The Saturday Play is part of the BBC's series...
on BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the... - 2010 Harold in 'Seasons' by Gareth Parker - Independent Radio DramaRadio dramaRadio drama is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance, broadcast on radio or published on audio media, such as tape or CD. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the characters and story...
by The Wireless Theatre Company - 2011 Gordon Shappey in Cabin PressureCabin Pressure (radio series)Cabin Pressure is a radio situation comedy series written by John Finnemore. Its first series was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2008. The show follows the exploits of the oddball crew of the single aeroplane owned by "MJN Air" as they are chartered to take all manner of items, people or animals...
by John Finnemore on BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
Filmography
- Twisted NerveTwisted NerveTwisted Nerve is a 1968 British psychological thriller film about a disturbed young man, Martin, who pretends, under the name of Georgie, to be mentally retarded in order to be near Susan, a girl he has become infatuated with, killing those who get in his way.-Plot:The film opens with Martin...
(1968) - Nicholas and AlexandraNicholas and AlexandraNicholas and Alexandra is a 1971 biographical film which tells the story of the last Russian monarch, Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, and his wife, Tsarina Alexandra....
(1971) - The Day of the JackalThe Day of the Jackal (film)The Day of the Jackal is a 1973 Anglo-French film, set in August 1963 and based on the novel of the same name by Frederick Forsyth. Directed by Fred Zinnemann, it stars Edward Fox as the assassin known only as "the Jackal" who is hired to assassinate Charles de Gaulle.- Synopsis :The film opens...
(1973) - HeddaHedda (film)Hedda is a 1975 film adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's Hedda Gabler. It stars Peter Eyre, Glenda Jackson and Patrick Stewart and was directed by Trevor Nunn.This was the first major theatrical film version of the play in English...
(1975) - AgathaAgatha (film)Agatha is a 1979 drama thriller film directed by Michael Apted, starring Vanessa Redgrave, Dustin Hoffman and Timothy Dalton, and written by Kathleen Tynan...
(1979) - The Thirty Nine Steps (1978)
- Rough Cut (1980)
- Cry FreedomCry FreedomCry Freedom is a 1987 British drama film directed by Richard Attenborough, set in the late 1970s, during the apartheid era of South Africa. It was written from a screenplay by John Briley based on a pair of books by journalist Donald Woods...
(1987) - The Tragedy of Flight 103 (1990)
- Ever AfterEver AfterEver After: A Cinderella Story is a 1998 film inspired by the fairy tale Cinderella, directed by Andy Tennant and starring Drew Barrymore, Anjelica Huston and Dougray Scott. The screenplay is written by Tennant, Susannah Grant, and Rick Parks. The original music score is composed by George Fenton...
(1998) - The Messenger: The Story of Joan of ArcThe Messenger: The Story of Joan of ArcThe Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc is a French/American historical drama film directed by Luc Besson. The screenplay was written by Besson and Andrew Birkin, and the original music score was composed by Éric Serra....
(1999) - 102 Dalmatians102 Dalmatians102 Dalmatians is a 2000 live-action film, produced by Walt Disney Pictures and starring Glenn Close as Cruella de Vil. It is the sequel to 101 Dalmatians, a live-action remake of the 1961 Disney animated feature of the same name. In the film, Cruella de Vil attempts to steal puppies for her...
(2000) as Judge - Iris (2001) (as the older Maurice)
- Endgame (2009) as P.W. Botha
- "Martin Luther (2002 PBS video)" as Martin Luther
External links
- The latest (2008) series of 'Water World' is available for watching on ITV's site at http://www.itvlocal.com/central/programmes/