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Last updated on the 31 March 2024 by Maeve
Mini Biography
Born: 19 June 1966, Hammersmith, London, England.Â
Samuel West is an actor, theatre director and narrator, who has worked in theatre, film, television and radio. He is known for playing historical British figures in movies and television, such as King George VI, Sir Anthony Eden and Anthony Blunt. He is also the son of actors Timothy West and Prunella Scales, and the grandson of actor Lockwood West.
Samuel West attended Alleyn’s School and Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, where he studied English literature and was president of the Experimental Theatre Club. He made his London stage debut in 1989 at the Orange Tree Theatre, playing Michael in Cocteau’s Les Parents Terribles. He then appeared in the first production of Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia at the National Theatre in 1993.
Samuel West has played the title roles in Richard II and Hamlet with the Royal Shakespeare Company, and has directed several plays, including The Lady’s Not for Burning at the Minerva Theatre, Chichester. He was the artistic director of Sheffield Theatres from 2005 to 2007, where he revived the controversial The Romans in Britain. He has also performed as a reciter with orchestras and narrated several documentary series, especially about the Second World War.
Samuel West’s film and television credits include Howards End, Rupert’s Land, Notting Hill, Iris, Van Helsing, Hyde Park on Hudson, Darkest Hour, The Crown and All Creatures Great and Small.
He has been nominated for several awards, including the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, the Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role and the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor.
Samuel West is in a relationship with playwright Laura Wade, with whom he has two children. He is a patron of several charities and organisations, such as the British Humanist Association, the Actors’ Benevolent Fund and the Burma Campaign UK. He is also a supporter of the Labour Party and a vocal critic of Brexit.
Suggested viewing
All Creatures Great & Small (2020)
Bftv 9.0 / IMDb 8.6 In 1930s Yorkshire, a young vet named James joins a quirky veterinary practice. He tackles life’s ups and downs with eccentric colleagues, a warm housekeeper and the animals he treats. From mischievous pups to anxious cows, their struggles become his own, reflecting the beauty and challenges of rural life against the backdrop of a changing world. Top cast: Nicholas Ralph, Samuel West, Anna Madeley, Rachel Shenton, Callum Woodhouse, Imogen Clawson, Tony Pitts, Matthew Lewis, Mollie Winnard. Alternative version
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Over Here (1996)
Bftv 9.0 / IMDb 8.4 In war-torn England, American bomber crews clash with stiff-upper-lip British pilots on a shared base. Tensions simmer as cultural differences and wartime anxieties collide. But amidst jokes and rivalries, friendships blossom, unexpected romances ignite and camaraderie emerges, revealing the shared humanity that binds them beyond national divides, all under the constant shadow of the fight against a common enemy. Top cast: Samuel West, Martin Clunes, Jay Goede, Sharon Geater, Todd Boyce, James Terry, Louise Brighton, Clare Cathcart, Rebecca Charles, Timothy West. |
Cambridge Spies (2003)
Bftv 8.5 / IMDb 7.4 At Cambridge, brilliant young men drawn to ideals of equality are recruited by the Soviets. Fueled by anti-fascism and communist belief, they become Cold War spies, feeding secrets despite growing anxieties and moral complexities. Betrayal, suspicion, and the weight of their actions shadow their lives, culminating in a tense game of cat and mouse as loyalties blur and allegiances are tested. Top cast: Tom Hollander, Toby Stephens, Rupert Penry-Jones, Samuel West, Stuart Laing, Patrick Kennedy, Marcel Iures, lmelda Staunton, Anna-Louise Plowman. |
Mr Selfridge (2013)
Bftv 8.5 / IMDb 7.7 An ambitious American retail titan clashes with London society as he builds his vision: a revolutionary department store. Despite cutthroat competition, flamboyant schemes and personal turmoil, he pushes boundaries, transforming shopping into entertainment and himself into a legend. But success brings its own costs, testing relationships and forcing him to confront the price of ambition in a rapidly changing world. Top cast: Jeremy Piven, Frances O’Connor, Aisling Loftus, Katherine Kelly, Samuel West, Grégory Fitoussi, Trystan Gravelle, Amanda Abbington, Tom Goodman-Hill, Kara Tointon, Zoë Tapper. |
Full filmography (@Wikipedia)
Samuel West Gallery
