Timothy Oliver Woodward (24 April 1953 – 9 November 2023) was an English actor. His credits included ''

Galileo Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642), commonly referred to as Galileo Galilei ( , , ) or mononymously as Galileo, was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, sometimes described as a poly ...

'' (1975), '' Piece of Cake'' (1988), ''

Families Family (from ) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictability, structure, and safety as ...

'', '' Heartbeat'', '' The Europeans'' (1979), '' Tales of the Unexpected'' (1982), '' Salomè'' (1986), '' Personal Services'' (1987) ''

The Scarlet Letter ''The Scarlet Letter: A Romance'' is a historical novel by American author Nathaniel Hawthorne, published in 1850. Set in the Puritan Massachusetts Bay Colony during the years 1642 to 1649, the novel tells the story of Hester Prynne, who concei ...

'' (1995), Prime Suspect (1995), '' Wide-Eye'' (2003–2022), '' Pierrepoint: The Last Hangman'' (2005), ''

Space Race The Space Race (, ) was a 20th-century competition between the Cold War rivals, the United States and the Soviet Union, to achieve superior spaceflight capability. It had its origins in the ballistic missile-based nuclear arms race between t ...

'' (2005), ''

Agatha Christie's Poirot ''Agatha Christie's Poirot'', or simply ''Poirot'' (), is a British mystery drama television programme that aired on ITV from 8 January 1989 to 13 November 2020. The ITV show is based on many of Agatha Christie's famous crime fiction series, wh ...

'' (2006), '' Nuremberg: Nazis on Trial'' (2006), '' The Fattest Man in Britain'' (2009), '' Mad Dogs'' (2011–2013), '' Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond'' (2014), ''

Houdini Erik Weisz (March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926), known professionally as Harry Houdini ( ), was a Hungarian-American escapologist, illusionist, and stunt performer noted for his escape acts. Houdini first attracted notice in vaudeville in ...

'' (2014), '' London Has Fallen'' (2016), ''

Criminal In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definiti ...

'' (2016), ''

Genius Genius is a characteristic of original and exceptional insight in the performance of some art or endeavor that surpasses expectations, sets new standards for the future, establishes better methods of operation, or remains outside the capabiliti ...

'' (2017), '' Beast'' (2017), '' The Marine 6: Close Quarters'' (2018), ''

Peaky Blinders The Peaky Blinders were a street gang based in Birmingham, England, which operated from the 1880s until the 1920s. The group consisted largely of young criminals from lower- to working-class backgrounds. They engaged in robbery, violence, racke ...

'' (2019), and ''

Radioactive Radioactive decay (also known as nuclear decay, radioactivity, radioactive disintegration, or nuclear disintegration) is the process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by radiation. A material containing unstable nuclei is conside ...

'' (2019).

Early life and education

Timothy Oliver Woodward, was born in

Kensington Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around west of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensingt ...

, London, on 24 April 1953, the son of actors Edward Woodward and Venetia Collett (who used the

stage name A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...

Barrett). His siblings included Peter Woodward and Sarah Woodward, both also actors. He was educated at Haileybury and Imperial Service College, Hertford Heath,

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...

, then studied acting at

RADA The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, also known by its abbreviation RADA (), is a drama school in London, England, which provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in Bloomsbury, Central Lond ...

, graduating in 1974 with an Acting (RADA Diploma).

Career

Woodward's career started in 1975, playing Ludovico Marsili in the

Joseph Losey Joseph Walton Losey III (; January 14, 1909 – June 22, 1984) was an American film and theatre director, producer, and screenwriter. Born in Wisconsin, he studied in Germany with Bertolt Brecht and then returned to the United States. Hollywood ...

film ''

'' (1975). His breakthrough role came in 1977 as

Royal Flying Corps The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the air arm of the British Army before and during the First World War until it merged with the Royal Naval Air Service on 1 April 1918 to form the Royal Air Force. During the early part of the war, the RFC sup ...

pilot

Sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...

Alan Farmer in the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

drama '' Wings'' (1977). This was followed by his starring as the by-the-book

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

pilot

Squadron Leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr or S/L) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Squadron leader is immediatel ...

Rex in '' Piece of Cake'' (1988). During the 1990s Woodward made an appearance in the

Granada Television ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV (TV network), ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire on weekdays only, as ABC Weekend TV, ...

soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...

'', as well as taking the role of gamekeeper Walter Gillies in

Yorkshire Television ITV Yorkshire, previously known as Yorkshire Television and commonly referred to as just YTV, is the British television service provided by ITV Broadcasting Limited for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV (TV network), ITV network. Until 19 ...

's long-running 1960s drama '' Heartbeat''. A further appearance in '' Heartbeat'' came in the 2008 episode ''Out of the Long, Dark Night,'' in which he played James Knight, a former

army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

officer. Woodward appeared in the 2000s ITV police drama '' Murder City'', and also portrayed Leonard "Nipper" Read of

Scotland Yard Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's London boroughs, 32 boroughs. Its name derives from the location of the original ...

in the 2008 ITV adaptation of Jake Arnott's crime novel '' He Kills Coppers''. He guest-starred with his father Edward and son Sam as a London gangster family in a special storyline for ''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, broadcast on ITV (TV network), ITV from 16 October 1984 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, "Woodentop (The Bill), Woodentop" (part of the ''Storyb ...

'' in 2008. Also, he appeared with his father Edward in an episode of American TV's '' The Equalizer'', in which he played Robert McCall's father in a flashback scene. Woodward was also known by younger audiences for his audio

narration Narration is the use of a written or spoken commentary to convey a story to an audience. Narration is conveyed by a narrator: a specific person, or unspecified literary voice, developed by the creator of the story to deliver information to the ...

in the children's television show '' Wide-Eye''.

Personal life and death

Woodward married Amanda Smith in 1997. They had two sons and a daughter. He also had a son from an earlier relationship with the actress Jan Chappell, and a daughter with Kate Barnwell. Tim Woodward died of cancer on 9 November 2023, at the age of 70. He was survived by his wife and five children.

Film and television

*''

'' (1975, by

) as Ludovico Marsili *'' The Expert'' (1976, series 4, episode 7, BBC Television) as Det. Sgt. Hallet *'' Wings'' (1977, BBC Television) as Sgt. Alan Farmer *'' The Europeans'' (1979, by James Ivory) as Felix Young *'' Tales of the Unexpected'' (1982, TV series, episode "Decoy") as Timothy Burton *'' Cousin Phillis'' (1982, TV series) as Edward Holdsworth *''

King David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Damas ...

'' (1985, by

Bruce Beresford Bruce Beresford (; born 16 August 1940) is an Australian film director, opera director, screenwriter, and producer. He began his career during the Australian New Wave, and has made more than 30 feature films over a 50-year career, both locally ...

) as Joab *'' Salomè'' (1986, by Claude d'Anna) as Nerva *'' Personal Services'' (1987, by

Terry Jones Terence Graham Parry Jones (1 February 1942 – 21 January 2020) was a Welsh actor, comedian, director, historian, writer and member of the Monty Python comedy troupe. After graduating from Oxford University with a degree in English, Jones a ...

) as Timms *'' Piece of Cake'' (1988, TV series) as Squadron Leader Rex *'' Passion and Paradise'' (1989, by Harvey Hart) as Godfrey Higgs *'' Closing Numbers'' (1993, by Stephen Whittaker) as Keith *''

'' (1995, by

Roland Joffé Roland Joffé (; born 17 November 1945) is an English film and television film director, director, Film producer, producer and screenwriter. He is known for directing the critically-acclaimed films ''The Killing Fields (film), The Killing Field ...

) as Brewster Stonehall *'' Some Mother's Son'' (1996, by

Terry George Terence George (born 20 December 1952) is an Irish screenwriter and director. Much of his film work (e.g. '' The Boxer'', '' Some Mother's Son'', and '' In the Name of the Father'') involves "The Troubles" in Northern Ireland. He was nominated ...

) as Harrington *'' Heartbeat'' (1996, Old Colonials) as Walter Gillies *'' The House of Angelo'' (1997, by Jim Goddard) as William Angelo *'' B. Monkey'' (1998, by Michael Radford) as Frank Rice *'' RKO 281'' (1999, TV movie) as

Jack L. Warner Jack Leonard Warner (born Jacob Warner; August 2, 1892 – September 9, 1978) was a Canadian-born American film executive, who was the president and driving force behind the Warner Bros., Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California. Warner's ca ...

*'' Yoho Ahoy'' (2000–2001, TV series;

audiobook An audiobook (or a talking book) is a recording of a book or other work being read out loud. A reading of the complete text is described as "unabridged", while readings of shorter versions are abridgements. Spoken audio has been available in sch ...

s) -

narrator Narration is the use of a written or spoken commentary to convey a story to an audience. Narration is conveyed by a narrator: a specific person, or unspecified literary voice, developed by the creator of the story to deliver information to the ...

*'' K-19: The Widowmaker'' (2002, by

Kathryn Bigelow Kathryn Ann Bigelow (; born November 27, 1951) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. Her accolades include two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award. ''Time'' magazine named her one of the 100 most i ...

) as Partonov *''

New Tricks ''New Tricks'' is a British television police procedural comedy drama, created by Nigel McCrery and Roy Mitchell, produced primarily by Wall to Wall (until its final year, when it was handled by Headstrong Pictures), and broadcast on BBC On ...

'' (2003, TV series) as Donald Bevan *'' Wide-Eye'' (2003–present; audiobooks) as narrator *'' Pierrepoint: The Last Hangman'' (2005, by Adrian Shergold) as Governor of Holloway *''

'' (2005, TV series) as Mitrofan Nedelin *''

'' (2006, TV series) as Enoch Arden / Charles *'' Nuremberg: Nazis on Trial'' (2006, TV mini-series) as John Amen *'' Flight of Fury'' (2007, by Michael Keusch) as Admiral Pendleton *
Stiletto
' (2008, short) as the Executive *'' Heartbeat'' (2008, Out of the Long, Dark Night) as James Knight *'' The Fattest Man in Britain'' (2009, TV movie) as Morley Raisin *'' Mad Dogs'' (2011–2013, TV series) as Dominic *'' Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond'' (2014, TV mini-series) as Air Chief Marshal 'Bomber' Harris *''

'' (2014, TV mini-series) as Sheriff John *'' London Has Fallen'' (2016, by Babak Najafi) as General *''

'' (2016, by Ariel Vromen) as Roderick Armstrong *''

'' (2017, TV series) as Magistrate König *'' Beast'' (2017, by Michael Pearce) as Fletcher Huntingdon *'' The Marine 6: Close Quarters'' (2018, by James Nunn) as Tommy Walker *''

'' (2019, TV series) as Lord Suckerby *''

'' (2019, by

Marjane Satrapi Marjane Satrapi (; ; born 22 November 1969) is a French-Iranian graphic novelist, cartoonist, illustrator, film director, and children's book author. Her best-known works include the graphic novel ''Persepolis (comics), Persepolis'' and Persepo ...

) as Alexandre Millerand *'' Casualty'' (2019, TV series) as Vincent Millbank

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Woodward, Tim 1953 births 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors 2023 deaths Actors from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea English male film actors English male television actors Male actors from London People educated at Haileybury and Imperial Service College People from Kensington