Timothy West’s cause of death confirmed six months after legendary actor died at the age of 90
Actor Timothy West died peacefully at a care home with his family around him after suffering a traumatic brain injury from a fall, an inquest has heard.
The 90-year-old actor, known for his roles in EastEnders, Coronation Street and numerous stage productions, passed away on November 12, 2024, at Wandsworth Common Care Home.
Family members of the veteran performer attended a hearing into his death at Westminster Coroner’s Court on Thursday by video link, where details of his final months were revealed.
West had been married to actress Prunella Scales, known for playing Sybil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers, for more than 60 years.
Assistant coroner Ellie Oakley told the inquest: “Timothy West had an unwitnessed fall near his home on 11 August 2024, which resulted in a significant traumatic brain injury.”
The court heard it was not possible to determine how the fall happened, and there was no evidence of others being involved.
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West was treated in hospital for around three months before being discharged to the care home on November 5, 2024, for palliative care.
“Unfortunately, he was not well enough to be discharged to his home despite receiving appropriate care in the care home,” Ms Oakley said.
The actor had been living at Wandsworth Common Care Home in the days leading up to his death.
Thomas Holden, the care home’s general manager, said in a statement read at the inquest: “On November 12, his family were with him all day. They continued to stay with him in his room during the evening, and he passed away peacefully with his family around him at 19:20.”
In a statement released at the time of his death, West’s children Juliet, Samuel and Joseph said: “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. All of us will miss him terribly.”
West enjoyed a distinguished acting career spanning stage, film, and television. In the comedy drama Brass, the Bradford-born actor played ruthless businessman Bradley Hardacre from 1982 to 1984, returning for a third series in 1990.
He appeared as Eric Babbage in Coronation Street in 2013, and played Stan Carter in EastEnders from 2014 to 2015. In Not Going Out, he portrayed Geoffrey, father of Lucy Adams.
His film roles included Commissioner Berthier in The Day Of The Jackal (1973) and King Francis in From Ever After: A Cinderella Story (1998).
On stage, West was a regular Shakespeare performer, playing King Lear in both 2016 and 2002.
In 1984, he was appointed CBE for his services to drama.
West leaves behind his wife, Prunella Scales, to whom he was married for 61 years. The couple had two sons, Samuel and Joseph, and appeared together in the documentary series Great Canal Journeys between 2014 and 2021, which followed them travelling on narrowboats.
Prior to his marriage to Scales, West was married to actor Jacqueline Boyer from 1956 to 1961, with whom he had a daughter, Juliet.
He leaves behind a sister, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Before his acting career, West attended the John Lyon School and Bristol Grammar School, working as an office furniture salesman and recording technician before becoming an assistant stage manager at Wimbledon Theatre in 1956.