British stage and screen star Timothy West died at the age of 90

LONDON (AP) — British actor Timothy West, who three times portrayed wartime leader Winston Churchill and the classic Shakespearean roles of Hamlet, King Lear and Macbeth, has died. He was 90 years old.

His children said in a statement that West died “peacefully” in his sleep “at last surrounded by his friends and family.”

“After a long and extraordinary life on and off stage, our beloved father Timothy West died peacefully in his sleep last evening,” said his children, Juliet, Samuel and Joseph.

Throughout his long career, West has appeared regularly on stage and screen, and his versatility has allowed him to play a wide range of characters. While he found success as a leading actor in numerous Shakespearean productions, recurring roles on “Coronation Street” and “Eastenders,” two of British television’s most popular soap operas, kept him in the public eye later in life.

Born in Bradford, northern England, West made his stage debut in London in 1959, then honed his acting skills by joining the Royal Shakespeare Company in the 1960s.