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Timothy Spall

Timothy Spall is an English actor whose career moves comfortably between theatre, film and television, often finding the unease, humour or humanity in characters who might otherwise sit at the edge of the story. Born in Battersea, London, on 27 February 1957, he turned towards acting at 16 after playing the lion in a school production of The Wizard of Oz. He later trained with the National Youth Theatre and at RADA, graduating in 1978 with the Bancroft Gold Medal as the most promising actor in his year. Spall first established himself on stage, working with Birmingham Rep, the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre. His screen career subsequently ranged from his film debut in Quadrophenia and the television series Auf Wiedersehen, Pet to collaborations with Mike Leigh including Life Is Sweet, Secrets & Lies, Topsy-Turvy and All or Nothing. For a generation of moviegoers, Spall is closely associated with Peter Pettigrew, also known as Wormtail, in the Harry Potter series. He first appears in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, then returns for Goblet of Fire, Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows – Part 1. Spall gives Pettigrew a suitably furtive presence: nervous, compromised and always seeming to shrink beneath the consequences of his choices. His wider film work includes The Last Samurai, Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, Enchanted, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, The King’s Speech, Denial and Spencer. His performance in Mike Leigh’s Mr. Turner earned him the Best Actor Award at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, while his portrayal of Peter Farquhar in the BBC drama The Sixth Commandment brought him the 2024 BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Appointed an OBE in 2000, Spall has built a career distinguished by its range and by his enduring commitment to character acting.