Timothy West

West's craggy looks ensured a career as a character actor rather than a leading man. Having spent years as a familiar face who never quite became a household name, his big chance came with the major television series, Edward the Seventh (1975), in which he played the title role and his real-life sons played the sons of King Edward VII as children. Other major roles have included parts in the films, The Thirty-Nine Steps (1978) and Cry Freedom[?] (1987). In 1997, he played Gloucester in the BBC television production of King Lear.

In 2001, West played the older Maurice in Iris[?], while his actor son, Samuel West, played young Maurice.