Timothy Spall facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Timothy Spall OBE
Spall at the world premiere of The Party in Berlin in 2017
Born	Timothy Leonard Spall (1957-02-27) 27 February 1957 (age 68) London, England
Education	Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (BA)
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1978–present
Spouse(s)	Shane Spall ​ (m. 1981)​
Children	3, including Rafe Spall

Timothy Leonard Spall (born 27 February 1957) is an English actor. He is famous for playing many different kinds of characters in movies and TV shows.

In 2000, he was given a special award called the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II. This award is for people who have done great things for their country.

Spall has worked a lot with director Mike Leigh. He acted in six of Leigh's films, including Secrets & Lies (1996) and Mr. Turner (2014). For Mr. Turner, he won the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival.

You might know Timothy Spall from his role as Peter Pettigrew (also known as Wormtail) in five of the Harry Potter movies. He also voiced Nick the rat in the animated movie Chicken Run (2000).

On TV, Spall was in the comedy-drama series Auf Wiedersehen, Pet (1983–2004). More recently, he won awards for his role in the BBC drama The Sixth Commandment (2023).

Early life and training

Timothy Spall was born on 27 February 1957, in Battersea, London. He was the third of four sons. His mother was a hairdresser, and his father worked for the post office.

He loved acting from a young age. He trained at the National Youth Theatre and later at the RADA. RADA is a very famous acting school. He was even given a special award there for being the most promising actor in his year.

Acting career highlights

Spall started his acting journey in theatre. He performed in plays for the Royal Shakespeare Company, including Nicholas Nickleby.

His first movie role was in Quadrophenia. He became more widely known for playing Barry Taylor in the TV show Auf Wiedersehen, Pet.

Working with famous directors

Timothy Spall has worked with many well-known directors. He often worked with Mike Leigh, starring in films like Life is Sweet and All or Nothing.

He also appeared in big Hollywood movies such as The Last Samurai (2003) and Enchanted (2007). In 2007, he was in Tim Burton's musical movie Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

Playing historical figures

Spall has played many real-life people in his career.

• In 2005, he played Albert Pierrepoint in the movie Pierrepoint.
• In 2010, he played Winston Churchill in the award-winning film The King's Speech. He even played Churchill again at the 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony.
• In 2014, he played the famous painter J. M. W. Turner in Mr. Turner. This role was very special to him and even made him want to try painting himself!
• In 2016, he played Holocaust denier David Irving in the film Denial.
• In 2021, he played Major Alistair Gregory in the film Spencer, which was about Princess Diana.

Recent work and awards

In 2018, he was in the TV mini-series Hatton Garden.

In 2023, he starred in the BBC drama The Sixth Commandment. For this role, he won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in 2024. He also won an International Emmy Award for the same role.

Personal life

Spall filming Enchanted in New York City in 2006

Timothy Spall is married to Shane Spall, and they have three children. One of their children, Rafe Spall, is also a well-known actor. The family lives in Forest Hill, in South East London.

In 1996, Timothy Spall had a serious illness, but he has since recovered.

He owns a special boat called a Dutch barge. He and his wife sailed around the British Isles on it for a BBC Four TV series called Timothy Spall: Back at Sea.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

See also

In Spanish: Timothy Spall para niños