LONDON—British actor Timothy West, who played the classic roles of Hamlet, King Lear and Macbeth in Shakespeare and who, in recent years, with his wife Prunella Scales, enchanted millions with their boating exploits on British waterways, died. was 90 years old.

In a statement Wednesday, his children said West died “peacefully” in his sleep “with his friends and family at the end.”

“After a long and extraordinary life on and off the stage, our beloved father Timothy West died peacefully in his sleep last night,” said his children Juliet, Samuel and Joseph.

During his long career, West has been a regular presence on stage and screen, his versatility allowing him to play a wide range of characters. He excelled as a leading actor in numerous Shakespeare productions, while his recurring roles in British television’s two most popular soap operas, “Coronation Street” and “Eastenders,” kept him in the public eye. public later in his life.

“Timothy West was an icon of British drama, and at the BBC we feel incredibly privileged to have him on our screens over the decades,” said Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama.

West, born in Bradford, northern England, made his stage debut in London in 1959, before joining the Royal Shakespeare Company in the 1960s, where he honed his acting skills.

On television, he has starred in numerous adaptations of Charles Dickens novels, including “Hard Times,” “Oliver Twist” and “Bleak House.” “Hard Times” was parodied on ITV’s “Brass” from 1982 to 1984, in which he played a ruthless, self-made businessman. It returned for a third series in 1990.

He clearly had the look, as well as the depth, to play British war leader Winston Churchill three times, first in “From Churchill and the Generals” in 1979, then in “The Last Bastion” five years later and finally in “Hiroshima” in 1979. 1995.

West, who was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1984 for his services to theatre, was married for 61 years to actress Prunella Scales, who was best famous for her role as Sybil Fawlty in the comedy 1970s BBC classic ‘Fawlty’. Towers.

The couple had two sons, actor Samuel West and Joseph West. West was also married to actress Jacqueline Boyer from 1956 to 1961 and they had a daughter, Juliet West.

The couple’s long romance was featured in 10 series of Channel 4’s ‘Great Canal Journeys’ between 2014 and 2021. The programme, which was ostensibly a love letter to barges and the British countryside, was widely praised for the how he honestly portrayed Scales’ story. slow deterioration with dementia.

The Canal & River Trust, which looks after the UK’s 3,000 kilometers of waterways, praised West for inspiring countless people to get out and enjoy the country’s water network.

“He was a dedicated supporter and strong advocate of recreational boating who will be greatly missed,” said the association’s chief executive, Richard Parry.