Timothy Spall

Timothy Spall
OBE
Spall at the world premiere of The Party in Berlin in 2017
Born
Timothy Leonard Spall

(1957-02-27) 27 February 1957 (age 67)
London, England
EducationRoyal Academy of Dramatic Art (BA)
OccupationActor
Years active1978–present
Spouse
Shane Spall
​
(m. 1981)​
Children3, including Rafe Spall

Timothy Leonard Spall OBE (born 27 February 1957)[1] is an English actor. He gained recognition for his character actor roles on stage and screen. He is known for his collaborations with director Mike Leigh, acting in six of his films: Home Sweet Home (1982), Life is Sweet (1990), Secrets & Lies (1996), Topsy-Turvy (1999), All or Nothing (2002), and Mr. Turner (2014). He was nominated for the BAFTA for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his role in Secrets and Lies, and received the Cannes Film Festival Best Actor Award for his portrayal of J. M. W. Turner in Mr. Turner.[2] In 2000, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II.[3] He won the 2024 BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, for his performance as Peter Farquhar in The Sixth Commandment.[4]

He has appeared in many films, including Hamlet (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 (2009), The King's Speech (2010), Ginger and Rosa (2012), Denial (2016), The Party (2017), and Spencer (2021). He voiced Nick the rat in Chicken Run (2000). He also starred as Peter Pettigrew in five Harry Potter films, from Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) to Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010).

Spall gained prominence in the UK playing Barry Spencer Taylor in the ITV comedy drama series Auf Wiedersehen, Pet (1983–2004). His other television work includes the documentary series Timothy Spall: ...at Sea (2010–2012) and the BBC Cold War drama Summer of Rockets (2019).

  1. ^ "BFI Screenonline: Spall, Timothy (1957–) Biography". www.screenonline.org.uk. Archived from the original on 27 February 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  2. ^ "Awards 2014 : Competition". Cannes. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
  3. ^ "ENTERTAINMENT | Spall and Steadman collect OBEs". BBC News. 13 June 2000. Retrieved 30 January 2012.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).