Timothy West, beloved star of screen, and stage, dies at 90

The actor Timothy West, whose career ranged from Shakespeare, Ibsen and Pinter on stage to TV appearances in Brass, EastEnders and Great Canal Journeys (with his wife, Prunella Scales), has died aged 90.

- Chris Wiegand Caroline Davies

The actor Timothy West, whose career ranged from Shakespeare, Ibsen and Pinter on stage to TV appearances in Brass, EastEnders and Great Canal Journeys (with his wife, Prunella Scales), has died aged 90.

His children, Juliet, Samuel and Joseph West, said in a statement: "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 NHS staff at St George's hospital, Tooting, and at Avery Wandsworth for their loving care during his last days."

Hugely popular, with a commanding stage presence but unassuming personal manner, West toured the UK's regional theatres with the same adventurous spirit with which he travelled its waterways. "I feel more useful when I'm on the road, playing in different theatres, exploring different places," he wrote in his witty 2001 memoir A Moment Towards the End of the Play. "It's no way to get rich, or famous, but I love it."