Timothy Spall
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Notes
Created an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in December 1999
Biography
A slightly paunched British actor of stage, television, and films, Timothy Spall has played a wide array of character parts, but his career has been most enhanced through his work with writer-director Mike Leigh. He first teamed with Leigh on the television drama "Home Sweet Home" (BBC, 1981), playing one of a trio of postmen, then on-stage in "Smelling a Rat" (1988). Feature collaborations between the two include "Life Is Sweet" (1991), in which Spall played an inept restaurateur, and the acclaimed "Secrets & Lies" (1996), where he played Maurice, a gentle photographer who possesses secret knowledge about his family.
Spall studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), where he earned the school's prestigious Bancroft Gold Medal, then headed for the stage. Among his many successes were his performances as Bottom in the controversial Royal National Theatre production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream," directed by Robert Lepage, and as Wackford Squeers in Trevor Nunn's production of "Nicholas Nickleby" at the Royal Shakespeare Company. But British audiences know him best from his television work, which included the early-80's sitcom "Auf Wiedersehen Pet," and mid-90's sitcom "Outside Edge," opposite Brenda Blethyn, who played his sister in "Secrets & Lies." American audiences saw him on the 1993 HBO special "Tracey Ullman: A Class Act," and as guest a star on "Young Indiana Jones Chronicles" (ABC, 1992).
Spall's feature film appearances have consisted of supporting roles, but he has worked with some of the most important directors of the past two decades. One of his earliest film appearances was in the little-seen "The Life Story of Baal" (1978). Another early role was as a projectionist in Franc Roddam's "Quadrophenia" (1979), the rock-n-roll opera written by The Who's Pete Townshend. Roles became larger in the mid-80s after Spall's exposure on television. Ken Russell cast him in "Gothic" (1986) as Dr John Polidori, while Agnieszka Holland put him in "To Kill a Priest" (1988). In 1990, Spall was among the cast-within-a-cast of Clint Eastwood's "White Hunter, Black Heart." Also that year, Spall had the meaty film role of Eric Lyle, the sinister chap who steals John Malkovich's passport in Bernardo Bertolucci's "The Sheltering Sky."
Spall was also seen as the foppish yet evil Rosencrantz in Kenneth Branagh's all-star "Hamlet" (1996). He reunited with Branagh in 2000, playing a comical Don Armado in "Love's Labour's Lost." Spall enjoyed a career as an character actor who would always bring something fresh and surprising to his roles, both in British productions-including the winning rock group reuniting comedy "Still Crazy" (1998) as David 'Beano' Baggot, in Leigh's much-heralded Gilbert & Sullivan biopic "Topsy-Turvy" (1999) as 'Dickie' Temple, as a voice in the UK-animated, DreamWorks-produced "Chicken Run" and in Peter Cattaneo's prisonbreak comedy "Lucky Break" (2001)-as well as in American films such as "Rock Star" (2001) and "Vanilla Sky" (2001).
In 2002 Spall enjoyed another outing with Leigh in the bleak but affecting "All or Nothing," playing part of a couple who must experience tragedy in order to rekindle their fading love. Spall shined as Charles Cheeryble for a production of "Nicholas Nickleby," and was part of the ensemble of HBO's much-honored telepic "My House In Umbria" (2003) opposite Maggie Smith and Chris Cooper. His highest-profile role in a major American release came with "The Last Samurai" (2003), in which Spall played the British diplomatic interpreter Simon Graham, who befriends an alcoholic Army captain (Tom Cruise) on his way to Japan to teach Western warfare. Children and booklovers embraced the actor when he took on the role of Peter Pettigrew for "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" (2003), the third sequel in the beloved film franchise, directed by Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron. Continuing the trend, Spall appeared as Mr. P in "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events" (2004), an adaptation of the popular children's book series, starring Jim Carrey as the dastardly Count Olaf.
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Music (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Life Events
1978
Made early film appearance in "The Life of Baal"
1979
Joined Royal Shakespeare Company; appeared in "The Merry Wives of Windsor," "Cymbeline," "The Three Sisters," and "Nicholas Nickleby"
1979
Appeared in rock opera "Quadrophenia"
1981
First collaboration with director Mike Leigh, BBC film "Home Sweet Home"
1983
Was part of ensemble cast of hit British sitcom "Auf Wiedersehen, Pet" (ITV) as awkward and bashful Barry
1988
Had featured role in stage play "Smelling a Rat," directed by Leigh
1990
Appeared in Bernardo Bertolucci's "The Sheltering Sky"
1991
First feature collaboration with Leigh, "Life Is Sweet"
1992
Made U.S. debut as guest star on episode of "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles" (ABC)
1993
Played title role on British sitcom "Frank Stubbs Promotes" (ITV)
1993
Appeared as comedy player on HBO Special "Tracey Ullman: A Class Act"
1994
Co-starred with Brenda Blethyn on ITV comedy series "Outside Edge"
1996
Briefly retired from acting while undergoing treatment for leukemia
1996
Received international recognition for starring role in Leigh's "Secrets & Lies"
1999
Cast in featured role as D'Oyly-Carte performer Richard Temple in Mike Leigh's "Topsy-Turvy"
2000
Co-starred as Kerry Fox's cab driver husband in "Intimacy"
2001
Co-starred in Peter Cattaneo's film "Lucky Break"
2001
Cast as the road manager of a heavy metal band in "Rock Star"
2001
Appeared in "Vanilla Sky," starring Tom Cruise
2002
Reunited with Mike Leigh as co-star of "All or Nothing"
2003
Portrayed Simon Graham, Tom Cruise's British Interpreter in "The Last Samurai"
2004
Starred as Mr. Poe in "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events," an adaptation of Daniel Handler's beloved children's book series
2004
Cast as Death Eater Peter 'Wormtail' Pettigrew in "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," the third installment of hit series
2005
Again portrayed Wormtail in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," directed by Mike Newell
2007
Played Beadle Bamford in Tim Burton's production of "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"
2007
Portrayed British executioner Albert Pierrepoint in "Pierrepoint," directed by Adrian Shergold
2009
Reprised role in "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," directed by David Yates
2010
Voiced Bayard the Bloodhound in Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland"
2010
Cast as Winston Churchill in "The King's Speech"; later reprised Churchill in Summer Olympic Games Closing Ceremony (2012)
2010
Reprised Wormtail for two-part finale of series "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1" and " Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2"
2012
Helped Jim Sturgess find his soulmate Kirsten Dunst in futuristic love story "Upside Down"
2012
Cast opposite Elle Fanning and Alice Englert in 1960s drama "Ginger & Rosa"
2013
Starred as Lord Emsworth on BBC comedy series "Blandings"
Family
Companions
Bibliography
Notes
Created an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in December 1999
