Ellise Shafer Timothy West, the English star of stage and screen known for memorable turns in U.K. soaps “Coronation Street” and “EastEnders,” died on Tuesday.
He was 90. His children released a statement on Wednesday confirming the news. They said that West died “peacefully in his sleep” and was “with friends and family at the end.” Born in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England on Oct.
20, 1934, West went on to have a long career on stage and screen. He was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company for three seasons in the ’60s, and throughout his life frequently played the leading roles in “Macbeth,” “Uncle Vanya” and “King Lear.” His first big screen role came in 1975 with the TV series “Edward the Seventh,” in which he portrayed the titular king from the age of 23 until his death.
From 1983 to 1990, he starred as patriarch Bradley Hardacre in the comedy drama “Brass,” and also appeared in the 1985 Agatha Christie series “Miss Marple” and the 1986 black comedy show “A Very Peculiar Practice.” West also featured in several films, including Richard Attenborough’s Apartheid drama “Cry Freedom” (1987), Luc Besson’s “The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc” (1999) and Richard Eyre’s biographical drama “Iris” (2001).
Read more on variety.com