Timothy West dies aged 90: Legendary actor and husband of Fawlty Towers star Prunella Scales passes away ‘peacefully’ surrounded by friends and family
Legendary actor Timothy West, who was married to Fawlty Towers actor Prunella Scales, has died aged 90.
Mr West enjoyed a prestigious career on stage and television, with roles in shows including the comedy-drama Brass, the sitcom Not Going Out and the soap operas Coronation Street and EastEnders.
His children Juliet, Samuel and Joseph West announced the tragic news with a shared statement on social media, saying he died peacefully in his sleep “at the end with his friends and family.”
The statement read: “After a long and extraordinary life on and off the stage, our dear father Timothy West passed away peacefully in his sleep last night. He was 90 years old.
‘Tim was with friends and family at the end. He is survived by his wife Prunella Scales, to whom he was married for 61 years, a sister, a daughter, two sons, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. We will all miss him terribly.
‘We would like to thank the incredible NHS staff at St George’s Hospital, Tooting and Avery Wandsworth for their loving care during his final days.’
Emotional messages have flooded social media following the EastEnders star’s death, with the likes of broadcaster Piers Morgan, fellow actor James Dreyfus and Gyles Brandreth paying tribute.
Legendary actor Timothy West (pictured), married to Fawlty Towers actor Prunella Scales, has died aged 90
His children Juliet, Samuel and Joseph West announced the tragic news in a joint statement
West was married to fellow actress Prunella Scales for more than 60 years
The couple married in 1963, twelve years before she played Sybil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers, the role she is best known for.
Timothy West pictured with Queen Camilla in May 2024
The TalkTV presenter, 59, paid tribute to the ‘amazing’ man, alongside a photo with Timothy from when he appeared on My Life Stories.
He wrote: ‘A great actor and a great man. The My Life Stories interview with him, with the love of his life Prunella Scales in the audience, was so moving.
“They were married for 61 years, and his dedication to her after she developed Alzheimer’s disease was deeply moving.”
Mr. Dreyfus wrote on X: “Great actor. A constant in many of our lives. He will be greatly missed. My thoughts with his family. RIP Timotheus West.’
Alongside a sweet photo of Timothy, Gyles Brandreth, 76, said: “Cheers, Tim! And thank you. A great man – a great actor, husband, father, friend.
‘On stage, on screen, on a tour boat, at the end of a pier (he loved a pier by the sea!), in the garden with a glass of wine, he was simply the best. The great Timothy West has passed away at the age of 90: what a valuable, well-filled life.’
Rev. Richard Coles also wrote: ‘Dearest Sam, my condolences to you and yours xxx’
West was married to fellow actress Prunella Scales for more than 60 years after they tied the knot in 1963, 12 years before she played Sybil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers, the role she is best known for.
Prunella and Timothy previously starred together in their own Channel 4 TV show, Great Canal Journeys, between 2014 and 2021, but were forced to quit after the actress was diagnosed with dementia.
Prunella filmed her last show in October 2019, but the couple appeared in more than 30 episodes of the programme.
The show documented the journeys that Prunella and Timothy would make on narrowboats through Europe, Egypt and India. involved in campaigns to revive the Kennet & Avon Canal in the 1980s.
Mr West has also appeared in television shows such as the comedy-drama Brass, the sitcom Not Going Out and the soaps Coronation Street and EastEnders.
In an interview with The Daily Mail in 2023, Mr West revealed the sadness of seeing his wife slip away during her battle.
He said: ‘The part I have always found most challenging as a carer is staying patient. To be honest, I have never been particularly well-endowed in this area, although I do try to keep everything under control.
‘Not only for Pru’s sake, who forgets it all in no time these days, but also for my own sake and for the sake of the people around us.
‘What I find especially frustrating is that she actually understands everything I say perfectly. She just can’t hear me very well.’
Timothy West depicted with his wife Prunella Scales in the play The External
Timothy West on the set of Gentleman Jack in Halifax, Yorkshire, in 2018
Mr West pictured with his son Samuel West, 56, who is also an actor, in October 2010
Mr West’s son Samuel West, 56, is also an actor and is a household name for his starring role in All Creatures Great and Small.
He was also married to actor Jacqueline Boyer from 1956 to 1961, and they had a daughter, Juliet West.
In Brass he played ruthless self-made businessman Bradley Hardacre from 1982 to 1984 before returning for a third series in 1990, while in Not Going Out he played Geoffrey, the father of Lucy Adams, played by Sally Bretton.
In Coronation Street he appeared in seven episodes as Eric Babbage in 2013, while in EastEnders he played Stan Carter from 2014 to 2015.
During his career, West also played former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill three times, in From Churchill and the Generals (1979), The Last Bastion (1984) and Hiroshima (1995).
In 2019, Bradford-born actor played Private Godfrey in Dad’s Army: The Lost Episodes, a recreation of three missing episodes of the BBC comedy Dad’s Army.
His film roles include Commissioner Berthier in The Day Of The Jackal (1973), King Francis in From Ever After: A Cinderella Story (1998), and Nazi doctor and war criminal Karl Gebhardt in Hitler: The Last Ten Days (1973).
On stage he was a regular performer of Shakespeare and played Lear in 2016 and 2002.
He has performed at the Piccadilly Theatre, with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theater and the West End, playing many classic roles including Shylock, Falstaff and Macbeth.
In 1984, West was appointed CBE for services to drama in the Queen’s Birthday Honors List.
Before acting, West had attended John Lyon School and Bristol Grammar School, and worked as an office furniture salesman and recording engineer before becoming assistant stage manager at the Wimbledon Theater in 1956.