Samuel West

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Samuel West, sometimes billed as Sam West, (born June 19, 1966) is a British actor, the son of Prunella Scales and Timothy West. He was educated at Alleyn's School, a co-educational independent school in Dulwich, West London, and later studied English Literature at Lady Margaret Hall at the University of Oxford, but was always destined for an acting career.

In 1991, he played the lower-middle-class clerk Leonard Bast in the Merchant Ivory film adaptation of E.M. Forster's novel Howards End (released 1992) opposite Emma Thompson, Helena Bonham Carter and Anthony Hopkins.

In the 2001 film, Iris, Sam West played the young Maurice, and his father, Timothy West, the older Maurice. They also played the same character at different ages in the TV film Over Here in 1996.

Sam West appears frequently on the stage, and has made a speciality of appearing in concert recitals: he performed the spoken lines from Shakespeare's Henry V, at the Last Night of the Proms in 2002.

In 2003, he played Anthony Blunt in Cambridge Spies. In 2004 he appeared in the year's highest-rated miniseries on German television, "Die Nibelungen," which was released in the USA in 2006 as "Dark Kingdom: The Dragon King."

He is also much sought-after as a narrator of television documentaries, including the acclaimed series The Nazis: A Warning from History and The Planets, both in 1997.

In October 2004, he was appointed artistic director of the Sheffield Theatres, succeeding Michael Grandage.

November 2006 saw him take the lead role in BBC Television production of Random Quest adapted from the short story by John Wyndham.

A former member of the Socialist Workers Party and the Socialist Alliance, Sam West has been politically active for many years and is a strong critic of Tony Blair's New Labour government.

[edit] Filmography

Random Quest (2006 TV Movie) as Colin Trafford
The Inspector Linley Mysteries (TV Series)
E=mc² (2005 TV movie) - Humphry Davy (as Sam West)
Curse of the Ring (2004 TV movie) - King Gunther
Foyle's War (TV series)
- The French Drop (2004) - Lt Col James Wintringham
Van Helsing (2004) - Dr. Victor Frankenstein
Entertaining Mr. Soane (2003) - Wightwick
Cambridge Spies (2003 TV movie) - Anthony Blunt
101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure (2003 video) - Pongo (voice)
Akhenaten and Nefertiti (2002 TV movie) - Narrator
Waking the Dead (TV series)
- Life Sentence (2002) - Thomas Rice
Shrink (2002 short) - George
Iris (2001) - Young Maurice (as Sam West)
Pandaemonium (2000) - Robert Southey
Complicity (2000) - Neil
Bread and Roses (2000) - Samuel West - Party Guest (cameo)
Longitude (2000 TV movie) - Nevil Maskelyne
Runt (1999 short) - Pork
Notting Hill (1999) - Anna's Co-Star (as Sam West)
Hornblower (TV series)
- The Wrong War (1999) - Major Edrington
Battle of the Sexes: in the Animal World (1999 TV series) - Narrator (voice)
The Dance of Shiva (1998 short) - Lt. Davis
Rupert's Land (1998) - Rupert McKay
Stiff Upper Lips (1998) - Edward
The Ripper (1997 TV movie) - Prince Albert Victor Edward
Over Here (1996 TV movie) - Archie Bunting
Jane Eyre (1996) - St. John Rivers
Strangers
- Costumes (1996) - Simon
Heavy Weather (1995 TV movie) - 'Monty' Bodkin
Zoya (1995 TV movie) - Nicolai (as Sam West)
Persuasion (1995) - Mr. Elliot
Carrington (1995) - Gerald Brenan
The Vacillations of Poppy Carew (1995 TV movie) - Victor
A Breed of Heroes (1994 TV movie) - Lt. Charles Thoroughgood
As Time Goes By (TV series)
- We'll Always Have Paris (1994) - Terry (as Sam West)
Open Fire (1994 TV movie) - Steven Waldorf
A Feast at Midnight (1994) - Chef
Doctor Who: Dimensions in Time (1993 TV short) - Cyrian (as Sam West)
The Maitlands (1993 TV movie) - Jack Maitland
Alleyn Mysteries (TV series)
- Death in a White Tie (1993) - Donald Potter
Voices in the Garden (1993 TV movie) - Mark
Archipel (1993) - Alan Stewart
Howards End (1991, released 1992) - Leonard Bast
Stanley and the Women (1991 TV mini-series) - Stephen Duke
Prince Caspian and the Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1989 TV movie) - King Caspian
Reunion (1989) - Count Konradin von Lohenburg
Frankie and Johnnie (1985 TV movie) - Johnnie Mallett
Nanny (TV series)
- Goats and Tigers (1981) - James Lamerton
Edward the Seventh (1975 TV mini-series) - Albert Victor 'Eddy' - Age 5