“EASTENDERS star Timothy West’s will has been revealed after his death last year at the age of 90 — with wife Prunella Scales set to receive less than half of his estate. West, who was married to Fawlty Towers star Prunella Scales for more than 60 years, appeared on stage, in films and on television”, — write: www.thesun.co.uk
West, who was married to Fawlty Towers star Prunella Scales for more than 60 years, appeared on stage, in films and on television in a host of shows including EastEnders, Coronation Street and Brass.
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Timothy West, who died last year at the age of 90, left a total of £60,000 to a string of charities in his willCredit: Rex
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The acting legend played Winston ChurchillCredit: Alamy
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Timothy West’s wife, Prunella Scales (on the right), is set to receive less than half of the acting legend’s willCredit: PAHe died in November last year after suffering a traumatic brain injury three months earlier in a fall on a footpath near his home in Wandsworth, South West London.
His will revealed he left an estate valued at £110,000, and he asked for donations to be made from his estate to charities supporting the arts, actors and the disabled.
The remainder of his estate passes to his wife, Prunella, who appeared with him in the hugely popular Great Canal Journeys show on Channel 4, where the couple explored inland waterways in a narrowboat.
Prunella was diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2014, and she and Timothy often spoke about the difficulties associated with the illness on the TV channel show.
Her poor health led to them leaving the series in 2019.
The will, which was drawn up in 2020, states £15,000 should be given to the King George V fund for Actors and Actresses, which gives financial help to elderly actors who have fallen on hard times.
Another £10,000 was gifted to the Bristol Old Vic and Theatre Royal Trust, while £5,000 was donated to the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association.
Southwark Cathedral, near London Bridge, was also given a £10,000 donation from the actor’s will, as was Médecins Sans Frontières, a charity that provides medical help to people caught up in wars or natural disasters.
He gave £10,000 to the Snipe Charitable Trust, which helps with arts projects for children and asked for £20,000 to be given to his sister Patricia, who lives in Sheffield.
West was best known for his roles in in EastEnders as Stan Carter, Brass as Bradley Hardacre and Coronation Street as Eric Babbage.
He was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, playing Macbeth twice and King Lear four times.
He was friends with Queen Camilla and attended her wedding to the future King Charles with Prunella in 2005.
Following his death, his children Juliet, Samuel and Joseph released a statement saying: “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. He leaves his wife, Prunella Scales, to whom he was married for 61 years, a sister, a daughter, two sons, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. All of us will miss him terribly.”
West played repertory seasons across the country before making his West End debut at the Piccadilly Theatre in 1959, in the farce Caught Napping.
He was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company for three seasons from 1962 to 1965.
The actor played Macbeth twice, Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya twice and King Lear four times.
On screen he appeared in Seventies thrillers The Day of the Jackal and The Thirty Nine Steps.
The actor was one of just a handful of stars to appear in both rival soaps, alongside Andrew Sachs and Denise Welch.