Timothy Leonard Spall (born 27 February 1957) is an English actor and presenter. He became a household name in the UK after appearing as Barry Spencer Taylor in the 1983 ITV comedy-drama series '' Auf Wiedersehen, Pet''. Spall performed in '' Secrets & Lies'' (1996), and was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Subsequently, he starred in many films, including ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

'' (1996), '' Still Crazy'' (1998), '' Nicholas Nickleby'' (2002), '' The Last Samurai'' (2003), '' Enchanted'' (2007), '' Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street'' (2007), ''

The Damned United ''The Damned United'' is a 2009 British sports drama film directed by Tom Hooper and adapted by Peter Morgan from David Peace's bestselling 2006 novel '' The Damned Utd'' – a largely fictional book based on the author's interpretation of ...

'' (2009), '' The King's Speech'' (2010), '' Ginger and Rosa'' (2012), '' Denial'' (2016), and '' The Party'' (2017). He voiced Nick, a cynical, portly rat in '' Chicken Run'' (2000). He played

Peter Pettigrew Peter Pettigrew (born 9 September 1950) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Collingwood in the Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia se ...

in five ''Harry Potter'' films, from '' Prisoner of Azkaban'' (2004) to '' Deathly Hallows – Part 1'' (2010). Spall has collaborated with director

Mike Leigh Mike Leigh (born 20 February 1943) is an English film and theatre director, screenwriter and playwright. He studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and further at the Camberwell School of Art, the Central School of Art and Des ...

, making six films together: '' Home Sweet Home'' (1982), '' Life is Sweet'' (1990), '' Secrets & Lies'' (1996), ''

Topsy-Turvy ''Topsy-Turvy'' is a 1999 British musical period drama film written and directed by Mike Leigh, starring Allan Corduner as Sir Arthur Sullivan and Jim Broadbent as W.S. Gilbert, along with Timothy Spall, Lesley Manville and Ron Cook. The ...

'' (1999), ''

All or Nothing All or Nothing may refer to: Film and television * ''All or Nothing'' (film), a 2002 film by Mike Leigh * ''All or Nothing'' (game show), a 2004–2005 Russian game show based on ''Deal or No Deal'' * ''All or Nothing'' (sports docuseries), ...

'' (2002), and ''

Mr. Turner ''Mr. Turner'' is a 2014 biographical drama film based on the last 25 years of the life of artist J. M. W. Turner (1775–1851). Written and directed by Mike Leigh, the film stars Timothy Spall in the title role, with Dorothy Atkinson, Paul J ...

'' (2014). Spall won great acclaim for his performance in the last of these for his portrayal as

J. M. W. Turner Joseph Mallord William Turner (23 April 177519 December 1851), known in his time as William Turner, was an English Romantic painter, printmaker and watercolourist. He is known for his expressive colouring, imaginative landscapes and turbul ...

winning him the Best Actor Award at the

2014 Cannes Film Festival The 67th Cannes Film Festival was held from 14 to 25 May 2014. New Zealand film director Jane Campion was the head of the jury for the main competition section. The Palme d'Or was awarded to the Turkish film ''Winter Sleep'' directed by Nuri Bil ...

. He starred in the television documentary '' Timothy Spall: ...at Sea'' (2010–2012) and in 2019 he appeared as Lord Arthur Wallington in the 6-part BBC

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because t ...

drama '' Summer of Rockets''.

Early life

Spall, the third of four sons, was born on 27 February 1957 in

Battersea Battersea is a large district in south London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and extends along the south bank of the River Thames. It includes the Battersea Park. History Batt ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. His mother, Sylvia R. (''

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

'' Leonard), was a hairdresser, and his father, Joseph L. Spall, was a

postal worker A postal worker is one who works for a post office, such as a mail carrier. In the U.S., postal workers are represented by the National Association of Letter Carriers, AFL–CIO, National Postal Mail Handlers Union – NPMHU, the National Associat ...

. He trained at the

National Youth Theatre The National Youth Theatre of Great Britain (NYT) is a youth theatre and registered charity in London. Its aim is to develop and nurture young people through creative arts and theatrical productions. Founded in 1956 as the world's first youth the ...

and

RADA The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the S ...

, where he was awarded the Bancroft Gold Medal as the most promising actor in his year.

Career

Spall initially made his mark in theatre performing in productions for Birmingham Rep, including the UK premier of Arnold Wesker's '' The Merchant'', and, later, the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and produces around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, St ...

, including '' The Merry Wives of Windsor'', '' Three Sisters'', '' Nicholas Nickleby'' and '' The Knight of the Burning Pestle''. At The National Theatre Spall played the Dauphin in

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...

's St Joan Following a film debut in '' Quadrophenia'' and wider TV exposure playing the, as Wayne says, "gormless radish" wkwardBarry Taylor in all four series of '' Auf Wiedersehen, Pet'', Kevin in ''Outside Edge'' and as Aubrey the appalling chef in

's '' Life is Sweet'', Spall has since appeared in the films '' Crusoe'', '' Secrets & Lies'', '' Shooting the Past'', ''

'', ''

Vanilla Sky ''Vanilla Sky'' is a 2001 American science fiction thriller film directed, written, and co-produced by Cameron Crowe. It is an English-language remake of Alejandro Amenábar's 1997 Spanish film '' Open Your Eyes'', which was written by Amenábar ...

'', '' Rock Star'', ''

'', '' The Last Samurai'', '' Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events'' and '' The King's Speech''. He performed as

("Wormtail") in the

Harry Potter film series ''Harry Potter'' is a film series based on the eponymous novels by J. K. Rowling. The series is produced and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures and consists of eight fantasy films, beginning with ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone ...

. In 1991 he guest starred in the series 5 ''

Red Dwarf ''Red Dwarf'' is a British science fiction comedy franchise created by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, which primarily consists of a television sitcom that aired on BBC Two between 1988 and 1999, and on Dave since 2009, gaining a cult following. ...

'' episode "Back to Reality". In 1993, Spall was a guest in the Scottish

comedy series Television comedy is a category of broadcasting that has been present since the early days of entertainment media. While there are several genres of comedy, some of the first ones aired were variety shows. One of the first United States television ...

'' Rab C. Nesbitt''. He was appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(OBE) in the 2000 New Year Honours. Spall performed lead vocals on the song "The Devil is an Englishman" from the

Ken Russell Henry Kenneth Alfred Russell (3 July 1927 – 27 November 2011) was a British film director, known for his pioneering work in television and film and for his flamboyant and controversial style. His films in the main were liberal adaptation ...

film ''

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

'' (1986), in which Spall portrayed

John William Polidori John William Polidori (7 September 1795 – 24 August 1821) was a British writer and physician. He is known for his associations with the Romantic movement and credited by some as the creator of the vampire genre of fantasy fiction. His most suc ...

. Spall played the starring role of Albert Pierrepoint in the 2005 film '' Pierrepoint'', which was released as ''The Last Hangman'' in the United States. In the 2006 video game '' Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories'', Spall voiced Phil Collins' manager, Barry Mickelthwaite. In 2007, he starred as Nathaniel in Disney's '' Enchanted'' and Beadle Bamford in Tim Burton's production of '' Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street''. He also starred as Georgie Godwin in a one-off television drama '' The Fattest Man in Britain'' on ITV 1 which aired on 20 December 2009. The drama also featured Bobby Ball, Frances Barber,

Aisling Loftus Aisling Sinead Katie Loftus (born 1 September 1990) is a British actress. She began her career as a child actress and gained prominence through her roles in the BBC dramas ''Five Daughters'' (2010) and '' Dive'' (2010), the play ''Spur of the Mo ...

and Jeremy Kyle. In 2010, he portrayed

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...

in the film '' The King's Speech'' for which as a member of the ensemble he was jointly awarded the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. Spall reprised the role at the 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony. In 2012, Spall filmed ''Wasteland'' (known as '' The Rise'' in Britain), with actors Matthew Lewis and Vanessa Kirby. The Newport Beach Film Festival in

Newport Beach Newport Beach is a coastal city in South Orange County, California. Newport Beach is known for swimming and sandy beaches. Newport Harbor once supported maritime industries however today, it is used mostly for recreation. Balboa Island draws ...

, California, screened ''Wasteland'' in April 2013.”Wasteland Newport Beach Film Festival 2013 Screenings”
/ref> Also in 2012 Spall played Charlie Morgan in the edgy film ''

Comes a Bright Day ''Comes a Bright Day'' is a British film. The film was written and directed by Simon Aboud, and stars Craig Roberts, Imogen Poots, Kevin McKidd and Timothy Spall.http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/archives/2011/05/11/imogen_poots_submarine ...

''. In 2014, he won the Best Actor Award at the

for ''

'', a biographical film on

directed by

. In 2016, Spall portrayed Holocaust denier David Irving in the film '' Denial'', directed by Mick Jackson. From 29 March to 14 May 2016, Spall played the title role of Davies in

Harold Pinter Harold Pinter (; 10 October 1930 – 24 December 2008) was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramatists with a writing career that span ...

's play ''

The Caretaker ''The Caretaker'' is a play in three acts by Harold Pinter. Although it was the sixth of his major works for stage and television, this psychological study of the confluence of power, allegiance, innocence, and corruption among two brothers a ...

'', directed by

Matthew Warchus Matthew Warchus (born 24 October 1966) is a British theatre director, filmmaker, lyricist, and playwright. He has been the Artistic Director of London's The Old Vic since September 2015. Personal life Warchus is married to American actress L ...

at the Old Vic theatre in London opposite George MacKay and Daniel Mays. Spall went on to play Major Alistair Gregory in the acclaimed dramatic film'' Spencer ''(2021). He shared several psychologically charged scenes with Kristen Stewart who portrayed Princess Diana.

Personal life

Spall and his wife Shane have three children: Pascale (born 1976), Rafe (born 1983), who is also an actor, and Mercedes (born 1985). He lives in Forest Hill, South East London. In 1996, Spall was diagnosed with

acute myeloid leukaemia Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a cancer of the myeloid line of blood cells, characterized by the rapid growth of abnormal cells that build up in the bone marrow and blood and interfere with normal blood cell production. Symptoms may inclu ...

, but has since been in remission. He has said of his illness:

I didn't know what made me ill but stress had something to do with it and the point is now to head off stress at the pass. It made me aware of things and become more selective. I am less worried about employment. I really do my homework so I am not getting stressed on the set because I don't know what I'm doing.

He is the owner of a

Dutch barge A Dutch barge is a traditional flat-bottomed shoal-draught barge, originally used to carry cargo in the shallow ''Zuyder Zee'' and the waterways of Netherlands. There are very many types of Dutch barge, with characteristics determined by region ...

, in which he and his wife sailed around the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isl ...

as part of a

BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

TV series '' Timothy Spall: Back at Sea''.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* *
Amy Raphael, "Spall in the Family," (Interview of Timothy Spall and actor son Rafe) ''The Observer'', 28 October 2007

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spall, Timothy 1957 births Living people 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Audiobook narrators Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor winners English male film actors English male Shakespearean actors English male stage actors English male television actors English male voice actors European Film Award for Best Actor winners Male actors from London National Youth Theatre members Officers of the Order of the British Empire Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners People from Battersea Royal Shakespeare Company members