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Veteran British actor Timothy West dies aged 90

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Timothy West

Veteran British actor Timothy West has died, aged 90.

Over the years, he was known for many roles in television and theatre, including Brass and popular soaps Coronation Street and EastEnders.

More recently he appeared in the Channel 4 series Great Canal Journeys with his wife Prunella Scales – who played Sybil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers.

His children Juliet, Samuel and Joseph West said in a statement issued by his agent: “After a long and extraordinary life on and off the stage, our darling father Timothy West died peacefully in his sleep yesterday evening. He was 90 years old.

“Tim was with friends and family at the end. He leaves his wife Prunella Scales, to whom he was married for 61 years, a sister, a daughter, two sons, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. All of us will miss him terribly. 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.”

The couple married in 1963 and had two sons, actor Samuel and Joseph. West was also married to actor Jacqueline Boyer from 1956 to 1961, with whom he had a daughter, Juliet.

He made his name on stage and screen in the ’60s, before BBC adaptations of Richard II and Edward II in the ’70s saw him reprise roles he had already played to critical acclaim in the theatre.

In the ’80s he starred in comedy-drama Brass, in which he played ruthless self-made businessman Bradley Hardacre.

He also held other popular TV roles, including BBC comedy-drama Last Tango In Halifax and the long-running comedy, Not Going Out, in which he played Geoffrey, the father of Lucy Adams (played by Sally Bretton).

West also appeared in seven episodes of Coronation Street in 2013 as Eric Babbage, while in EastEnders he played Stan, the patriarch of the Carter family, in 2014 and 2015.

The social media account of EastEnders was among those that paid tribute to the late actor. “We are extremely saddened to hear that Timothy West has passed away. Timothy joined EastEnders as Stan and his presence as the patriarch of the Carter family was immediately felt. He will forever be in our hearts. We send all our love and thoughts to Timothy’s family and friends,” a statement read.

Former EastEnders actress Tracy-Ann Oberman also described West as, external “the most wonderful actor and human being”. You can view more tributes below.

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

His film roles included Commissioner Berthier in The Day Of The Jackal (1973), King Francis in From Ever After: A Cinderella Story (1998), and Nazi physician and war criminal Karl Gebhardt in Hitler: The Last Ten Days (1973).

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