Samuel West | |
|---|---|
 West in 2014 | |
| Born | Samuel Alexander Joseph West (1966-06-19)19 June 1966 (age 59) Hammersmith,London, England |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1975–present |
| Partner | Laura Wade |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent(s) | Timothy West Prunella Scales |
| Relatives | Lockwood West (grandfather) |
Samuel Alexander Joseph West (born 19 June 1966) is an English actor, theatre director, and narrator. He has directed on stage and radio, and worked as an actor in theatre, film, television, and radio.
West was nominated for theBAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his portrayal of Leonard Bast in theMerchant Ivoryfilm adaptation ofE. M. Forster's novelHowards End (1992), and was later nominated for theGenie Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of the title role inRupert's Land (1998). In 2010, he was nominated for theLaurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for his portrayal ofJeffrey Skilling inLucy Prebble'sEnron. He has appeared as reciter with orchestras and performed at theLast Night of the Proms. He has narrated several documentary series, including five for the BBC about theSecond World War.
West currently stars asSiegfried Farnon in theChannel 5 remake of the veterinary drama seriesAll Creatures Great and Small.
Samuel Alexander Joseph West was born on 19 June 1966[1][2] inHammersmith,London,[3] the elder son of the actressPrunella Scales and the actorTimothy West, and the grandson of the actorLockwood West.[4][5]
West was educated atAlleyn's School[6] andLady Margaret Hall, Oxford, where he studied English literature[7][5] and was president of theExperimental Theatre Club.[8] West originally intended to attendWebber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, but chose instead to focus on his career after he was cast asKing Caspian in the BBC's 1989 seriesThe Voyage of the Dawn Treader.[9]
West made his London stage debut in February 1989 at theOrange Tree Theatre, playing Michael in Cocteau'sLes Parents Terribles,[10] of which criticJohn Thaxter wrote: "He invests the role with a warmth and validity that silences sniggers that could so easily greet a lesser performance of this difficult role, and he lets us share the tumbling emotions of a juvenile torn between romantic first love and filial duty."[11] Since then, West has appeared frequently on stage; he played Valentine in the first production ofTom Stoppard'sArcadia at theNational Theatre in 1993,[12] and later spent two seasons with theRoyal Shakespeare Company playing the title roles inRichard II andHamlet, both directed bySteven Pimlott.[13][14]
In 2002, West made his stage directorial debut withThe Lady's Not for Burning at theMinerva Theatre, Chichester.[15] He succeededMichael Grandage as artistic director ofSheffield Theatres from 2005 to 2007.[15][16] During his time as artistic director, West revived the controversialThe Romans in Britain,[17] and also directedAs You Like It as part of theRSC'sComplete Works Festival.[18][19] West leftSheffield when the theatre closed for refurbishment in 2007, and made hisWest End directorial debut with the first major revival ofDealer's Choice following its transferral to theTrafalgar Studios.[20] He also continued his acting career: in 2007 he appeared alongsideToby Stephens andDervla Kirwan inBetrayal at theDonmar Warehouse.[21]
In 2008, West played Harry in the Donmar revival ofT. S. Eliot'sFamily Reunion,[22] and in 2009 he starred as Jeffrey Skilling inEnron byLucy Prebble.[23] His 2008 production ofWaste at theAlmeida Theatre was chosen byThe Times as one of its "Productions of the Decade".[24] From November 2012 to January 2013, he appeared as Astrov in a production ofUncle Vanya at theVaudeville Theatre.[25] He played Ivanov and Trigorin in theChichester Festival Theatre's Young Chekhov Season from September 2015, alongsideNina Sosanya,Anna Chancellor, andJames McArdle.[26][27]
In 2023, West played Hugh Delavois inAdrian Edmundson andNigel Planer's comedy playIt’s Headed Straight Towards Us at thePark Theatre, London oppositeRufus Hound. In late 2024, West returned to the Royal Shakespeare Company to playMalvolio inPrasanna Puwanarajah's production ofTwelfth Night oppositeGwyneth Keyworth,Freema Agyeman andBally Gill. He will reprise the role in late 2025 as the production transfers to theBarbican Centre, London.
West appeared in the filmReunion (1989) withJason Robards andChristien Anholt as an aristocratic boy who befriends the son of a Jewish doctor in 1930s Germany. West played the lower-middle-class clerk Leonard Bast in theMerchant Ivoryfilm adaptation ofE. M. Forster's novelHowards End (1992), featuringEmma Thompson,Helena Bonham Carter, andAnthony Hopkins. For this role, he was nominated for best supporting actor at the 1993BAFTA Film Awards.[28] West appeared with Thompson again in the filmCarrington (1995).[29]
Invoice-over, West provided the voice of Pongo in101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure, replacingRod Taylor.
West's film career has continued with roles in films such asFranco Zeffirelli'sJane Eyre,Notting Hill,Iris,Van Helsing andDarkest Hour. In 2004, he appeared in the year's highest rated mini-series on German television,Die Nibelungen, which was released in the United States in 2006 asDark Kingdom: The Dragon King. In 2012, he playedKing George VI inHyde Park on Hudson.[citation needed]
West has appeared in many long-running series:Midsomer Murders,Waking the Dead andPoirot, as well as one-off dramas. He playedAnthony Blunt inCambridge Spies, aBBC production about the four British spies, starring alongsideToby Stephens (Philby),Tom Hollander (Burgess) andRupert Penry-Jones (Maclean). He reprised his role as Blunt in "Olding", the premiere episode of the third season ofThe Crown released in 2019.[30]
In 2006, West took the lead role in aBBC production ofRandom Quest adapted from the short story byJohn Wyndham and the next year playedEdward Heath inMargaret Thatcher – The Long Walk to Finchley, also for the BBC. In 2010 he played Peter Scabius in the televised adaptation ofWilliam Boyd's novelAny Human Heart, while in 2011 he starred as Zak Gist in the ITV seriesEternal Law. In addition, he appeared in the BBC sitcomAs Time Goes By, as Terry in the episode "We'll Always Have Paris" (1994).[31]
West played Frank Edwards in the ITV dramaMr Selfridge, and Sir Walter Pole in the 2015BBC adaptation ofJonathan Strange and Mr Norrell.[citation needed]
West stars in theChannel Five series (broadcast in September 2020)All Creatures Great and Small asSiegfried Farnon. A second six-episode series and Christmas special was broadcast in 2021, followed by a third season airing in late 2022.[32][33] As of 2025, it has run for six series.
West is regularly heard on radio as a reader or reciter and has performed in many radio dramas, includingOtherkin byLaura Wade,Present Laughter byNoël Coward,[34]Len Deighton'sBomber,Life and Fate byVasily Grossman,Michael Frayn'sHere,The Meaning of Zong byGiles Terera andThe Homecoming as Lenny toHarold Pinter's Max.[35]In 2011, he made his radio directing debut with a production ofMoney byEdward Bulwer-Lytton onBBC Radio 3.[36]
West has appeared alongside his actor parents on several occasions: with his motherPrunella Scales inHowards End andStiff Upper Lips, and with his fatherTimothy West on stage inA Number,Henry IV, Part 1 andPart 2. In two films (Iris in 2001 and the 1996 television filmOver Here), Sam and his father played the same character at different ages.
InEdward the Seventh (1975), West and his brother Joseph played young sons of the title character, who was played by their father. In 2002, all three family members performed inStravinsky'sThe Soldier's Tale at theSt Magnus Festival onOrkney,[37] and in 2006 they gave a rehearsed reading of theHarold Pinter playFamily Voices as part of theSheffield Theatres Pinter season.[38]
West became the patron ofSheffield Philharmonic Chorus in February 2008, having been the narrator for a concert of theirs in February 2002.[39] He is also a patron of London children's charity Scene & Heard,[40] Eastside Educational Trust and Mousetrap Theatre Projects.[citation needed]
While at university, West was a member of theSocialist Workers Party,[5] and later briefly the Socialist Alliance.[1] West was an outspoken critic of theNew Labour government ofTony Blair and their involvement in theIraq War.[41] On 26 March 2011, West spoke at theTUCMarch for the Alternative.[42]
West has written essays onRichard II for theCambridge University Press seriesPlayers of Shakespeare,[43] onHamlet for Michael Dobson's CUP studyPerforming Shakespeare's Tragedies Today[44] and on Shakespeare and Love[45] and Voice and Radio[46] forBBC Radio 3.
West has also published articles onHarold Pinter,[47][48]Caryl Churchill[49] and theShipping Forecast.[50] He frequently writes and speaks in public about arts funding.[51] West hascollected stamps since childhood and owns more than 200 Two Shilling Blues.[5]
In 2013, West was one of the judges for theForward Prizes for Poetry. In December 2014, he appeared on two programmes forChristmas University Challenge,[52] as part of a team of alumni fromLady Margaret Hall, Oxford.
West is an Associate Artist of theRoyal Shakespeare Company[53] and a trustee and previous Chair of theCampaign for the Arts.[5] He was a member of the council of the British Actors' UnionEquity from 1996 to 2000 and 2008–2014.[54] He is a keenbirdwatcher,[55] and an Ambassador for theRoyal Society for the Protection of Birds.[56]
In 2007, West began living with playwrightLaura Wade,[3] but in 2011 the couple temporarily split up.[4][57] In 2013, West was cast in a minor role inThe Riot Club, the film version of Wade's play,Posh, and in 2014 the couple had a daughter.[58][5] In August 2017, the couple had a second daughter.[59]
West is a supporter ofAFC Wimbledon.[60]
West is a patron of theWilfred Owen Association which commemorates Owen's life and poetry.[61]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Edward the Seventh | Albert Victor 'Eddy' – Aged 5 | Episode 6: "The Invisible Queen" |
| 1981 | Nanny | James Lamerton | Series 1, Episode 6: "Goats and Tigers" |
| 1985 | Screen Two | Johnnie Mallett | Series 2, Episode 4: "Frankie and Johnnie" |
| 1989 | The Voyage of the Dawn Treader | King Caspian | |
| 1991 | Stanley and the Women | Stephen Duke | |
| 1993 | Screen Two | Mark | Series 9, Episode 8: "Voices in the Garden" |
| The Inspector Alleyn Mysteries | Donald Potter | Series 1, Episode 5: "Death in a White Tie" | |
| Performance | Jack Maitland | Series 3, Episode 2: "The Maitlands" | |
| Doctor Who: Dimensions in Time | Cyrian | ||
| 1994 | As Time Goes By | Terry | Series 3, Episode 1: "We'll Always Have Paris" |
| Screen One | Lt. Charles Thoroughgood | Series 6, Episode 2: "A Breed of Heroes" | |
| 1996 | Strangers | Simon | Series 1, Episode 10: "Costumes" |
| Over Here | Archie Bunting | ||
| 1997 | The Nazis: A Warning from History | Narrator | |
| 1999 | Hornblower | Major Edrington | Series 1, Episode 4: "The Frogs and the Lobsters" |
| The Planets | Narrator | ||
| Living Britain | Narrator | ||
| War of the Century: When Hitler Fought Stalin | Narrator | ||
| 2000 | Longitude | Nevil Maskelyne | |
| 2001 | Horror in the East | Narrator | |
| 2001–2002 | Timewatch | Narrator | |
| 2002 | Waking the Dead | Thomas Rice | Series 1, Episodes 1–2: "Life Sentence" |
| 2002–2006 | The Private Life of a Masterpiece | Narrator | |
| 2003 | Cambridge Spies | Anthony Blunt | |
| Imagine | Wightwick | Series 2, Episode 3: "Entertaining Mr. Soane" | |
| 2004 | Foyle's War | Lt. Col. James Wintringham | Series 3, Episode 1: "The French Drop" |
| 2005 | Nova | Humphry Davy | Series 33, Episode 3: "E=mc²: Einstein's Big Idea" |
| Auschwitz: The Nazis and 'The Final Solution' | Narrator | ||
| 2006 | The Inspector Lynley Mysteries | Tony Wainwright | Series 5, Episode 3: "Chinese Walls" |
| 2007 | Midsomer Murders | Jeremy Thacker | Series 10, Episode 2: "The Animal Within" |
| 2008 | World War II Behind Closed Doors: Stalin, the Nazis and the West | Narrator | |
| 2009 | New Tricks | David Fleeting | Series 6, Episode 3: "Fresh Starts" |
| Desperate Romantics | Lord Rosterley | Series 1, Episode 4 | |
| 2010 | Garrow's Law | Thomas Erskine | Series 2, Episode 4 |
| Any Human Heart | Peter Scabius | Series 1, Episodes 1–4 | |
| Agatha Christie's Poirot | Dr Constantine | Series 12, Episode 3: "Murder on the Orient Express" | |
| 2011 | Law & Order: UK | Lucas Boyd | Series 5, Episode 5: "Intent" |
| 2012 | Eternal Law | Zak Gist | |
| 2012–15 | Mr Selfridge | Frank Edwards | Character based on journalist and publisherFrank Harris |
| 2014 | Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond | Admiral John Godfrey | Character wasIan Fleming's model for"M" |
| The Crimson Field | Elliot Vincent | Series 1, Episode 4 | |
| 2015 | W1A | Richard Cartwright | Series 2, Episode 1 |
| Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell | Sir Walter Pole | ||
| 2016 | The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses | Bishop of Winchester | Henry VI Part 1 |
| 2017 | Midsomer Murders | James Oswood | Episode: "Death by Persuasion" |
| 2019 | The Crown | Anthony Blunt | Season 3, episode 1 "Olding" |
| 2020 | Death in Paradise | Donald McCormack | Series 9, Episode 1 |
| 2020– | All Creatures Great and Small | Siegfried Farnon | |
| 2022– | Slow Horses | Peter Judd | Recurring cast |
| 2022 | The Midwich Cuckoos | Bernard Westcott | Series 1, Episodes 2, 4-7 |
West narrated theYorkshire Television documentaryThe SS in Britain for director Julian Hendy in 1999,[62] and considering his role in the ITV drama seriesMr Selfridge, he was the voiceover forSecrets of Selfridges (PBS) in 2014.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Doctor Who - The Eighth Doctor Adventures | The Vengeance of Morbius | Morbius | Re-released in 2024 as part of"The Eighth Doctor and Lucie Miller Series 2" |
| 2014 | Doctor Who - The Monthly Adventures | Mask of Tragedy | Aristophanes | |
| 2015 | The Diary of River Song Series 01 | "I Went to a Marvellous Party" & "Signs" | Mr Song | |
| 2018 | Doctor Who - The Monthly Adventures | Serpent in the Silver Mask | The Mazzini Family | |
| 2024 | Dark Gallifrey | Morbius | Morbius | |
| Doctor Who: The War Doctor Rises | Morbius the Mighty | |||
West has recorded over one hundredaudiobooks, among which are theShakespeare playsAll's Well That Ends Well,Coriolanus,Henry V,The Merchant of Venice,A Midsummer Night's Dream,Much Ado About Nothing,Richard II andMacbeth (directed bySteven Berkoff), the completeInspector Morse novels byColin Dexter, theWind on Fire trilogy byWilliam Nicholson (The Wind Singer,Slaves of the Mastery andFiresong), the Arthur trilogy byKevin Crossley-Holland (The Seeing Stone,At the Crossing Places and King of the Middle March), five books bySebastian Faulks (Charlotte Gray,Birdsong,The Girl at the Lion d'Or,Human Traces andA Possible Life), four byMichael Ridpath (Trading Reality,Final Venture,Free to Trade, andThe Marketmaker), two byGeorge Orwell (Nineteen Eighty-Four andHomage to Catalonia), two byMary Wesley (An Imaginative Experience andPart of the Furniture), two byRobert Goddard (Closed Circle andIn Pale Battalions) and several compilations of poetry(Realms of Gold: Letters and Poems ofJohn Keats,Bright Star,The Collected Works ofShelley,Seven Ages,Great Narrative Poems of the Romantic Age andA Shropshire Lad). AlsoFaust,Bomber,Doctor Who: The Vengeance of Morbius,Empire of the Sun andBrighton Rock.
In June 2012, West recorded an English narration ofThe Book about Moomin, Mymble and Little My byTove Jansson for an interactive audiobook developed by Spinfy and published bySort of Books.
In May 2015, West's reading ofBrighton Rock was chosen as one of "The 20 best audiobooks of all time" by Carole Mansur of theDaily Telegraph.[66]
As a reciter West has worked with all the major British orchestras, as well as theStrasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra,Dallas Symphony Orchestra and theNational Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C. Works include Stravinsky'sOedipus Rex andThe Soldier's Tale, Prokofiev'sEugene Onegin, Beethoven'sEgmont, Schoenburg'sOde To Napoleon, Strauss'Enoch Arden, Saint-Saëns'Carnival of the Animals, Bernstein'sKaddish, Walton'sFaçade andHenry V,Night Mail andThe Way to the Sea by Britten and Auden, the world premieres ofConcrete byJudith Weir at the Barbican andHoward Goodall'sJason and the Argonauts at theRoyal Albert Hall and the UK premiere ofJonathan Harvey's final pieceWeltethos at the Symphony Hall, Birmingham.[67] In 2007 West made his New York recital debut in the first performance ofLittle Red Violin byAnne Dudley andSteven Isserlis. In November 2010, West performed a new English translation ofGrieg's complete incidental music toIbsen's playPeer Gynt with theSouthampton Philharmonic Choir at Southampton Guildhall.[68] He has performed at the Proms six times,[69] including the suite version ofHenry V at the 2002Last Night of the Proms.[70]
He has also appeared with theNash Ensemble, theRaphael Ensemble, The Hebrides Ensemble,Ensemble 360 and theLindsay, Dante andEndellion Quartets at theWigmore Hall, London. Recordings include Prokofief'sEugene Onegin with Sinfonia 21 and Edward Downes,[71]Salad Days and Walton'sHenry V with theBBC Symphony Orchestra andLeonard Slatkin.[72]
As a choral singer, West has participated in three Choir of London tours toPalestine: in May 2006, when he also gave poetry readings as part of the concert programme; in April 2007 when he directedThe Magic Flute.[73] and in September 2013 (see below).
In 2013, the centenary year ofBenjamin Britten, West narrated the Britten/Auden film scoreNight Mail with theNash Ensemble at the Wigmore Hall and later addedCoal Face, God's Chillun, The Peace of Britain,The Way to the Sea andThe King's Stamp with theAurora Orchestra at the Queen Elizabeth and Fairfield Halls.[74] In June he played God in Britten'sNoye's Fludde in Harrogate.[75] In July he appeared in a Proms Plus broadcast discussing Britten's setting of poetry. In September he toured Palestine with the Choir of London as staff director of a new opera based on Britten'sHymn to St Cecilia and sang in Britten'sSt Nicolas.[76] In October, he narrated the concert world premiere ofBritten in America for theHallé orchestra, which was released on CD[77] together with West's recordings of speeches to Britten's incidental music for Auden andIsherwood's playThe Ascent of F6 (the disc,Britten to America, was later nominated for a 2014Grammy Award for Best Classical Compendium).[78] He also toured a program of Britten cabaret songs and Auden poems across the UK with Ruthie Culver and the UtterJazz Quartet.[79]
In June 2013 he appeared in the video forHandyman Blues byBilly Bragg, directed byJohnny Vegas.[80]
On 14 July 2017, one month after theGrenfell Tower fire, BBC'sNewshour programme invited West to read out an excerpt from a letter written by an anonymous firefighter giving a personal account of the fire scene and his inner thoughts on duty that night.
In 2020, West appeared on the albumFrom The Ground Up: an ensemble led byHugo Ticciati improvised overHenry Purcellchaconne bass lines while West readShakespeare and rapperBaba Israel improvised. The album won the 2020Gramophone Award for Best Concept Album.
As actor
As reader
Samuel West has received nineAudioFile Earphones Awards for his narration:The Day of the Triffids byJohn Wyndham (1996),Peter Pan byJ.M.Barrie (1997),Charlotte Gray bySebastian Faulks (1999),The Way I Found Her byRose Tremain (2000),The Swimming Pool Library byAlan Hollinghurst (2007),Faust byGoethe (2011),A Shropshire Lad byA. E. Housman (2011),A Possible Life bySebastian Faulks (2012) andPhilip Pullman'sGrimm Tales for Young and Old (2013)[81]
As director
