Portrait of Timothy West

Birthday profile

Timothy West

Timothy West, English actor (died 2024)

Born
October 20, 1934
Died
November 12, 2024
Zodiac sign
Libra
Birth year
1934

About Timothy West

Timothy Lancaster West (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. West played King Lear (four times) and Macbeth (twice) along with other notable roles in The Master Builder and Uncle Vanya. In 1978, West was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Actor of the Year in a Revival for his performance in The Homecoming. On screen, his breakout role was playing King Edward VII in the television series Edward the Seventh in 1975, earning him his first nomination for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor, with a second following in 1980. 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. West was a supporter of the Talyllyn Railway in mid Wales, the first preserved railway in the world. West played King Lear and Macbeth (twice) along with other notable roles in The Master Builder and Uncle Vanya.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Timothy West timeline

  1. 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.
  2. On screen, his breakout role was playing King Edward VII in the television series Edward the Seventh in 1975, earning him his first nomination for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor, with a second following in 1980.
  3. 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.

The world when Timothy West was born

Timothy West was born in 1934. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1934

  • #1 song"Stars Fell on Alabama"
  • Top movieIt Happened One Night
  • Best-selling bookTender Is the Night – F. Scott Fitzgerald

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentFirst Masters Tournament held at Augusta National
  • Top headlineFBI kills John Dillinger outside a Chicago theater
  • Technology milestoneFirst streamlined passenger train (Burlington Zephyr)
  • Defining fadShirley Temple mania
  • Notable inventionLaundromat
  • World population2.20 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderFranklin D. Roosevelt
  • Sports championSt. Louis Cardinals (World Series)
  • U.S. population126.4M

1934 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Timothy West's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19342026
Gas$0.19$3.45/gal
Average home$4,900$435,000
Average income$2,500$67,500
Minimum wage$0.25$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$0.20$11.95
Postage stamp$0.03$0.73
Population126.4M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, IMDb, Wikidata. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.