Tim Pigott-Smith

As renowned for his many roles on screen as for his performances on stage, Tim Pigott-Smith was born Timothy Peter Pigott-Smith in Rugby, England in 1946. After discovering his love of the stage in grade school, he would go on to major in English, French, and theater at Bristol University, graduating with a bachelor's in 1967. After training at the Old Vic Theatre School in Bristol for two years, Pigott-Smith was advised by a mentor there to shorten his name to something that would better fit on a marquee. Officially appearing under the name Tim Pigott-Smith, the young actor made his professional debut in an Old Vic production of "As You Like It" in 1969. He would shortly thereafter make his first TV appearance in the TV movie "Boswell's Life of Johnson" (STV, 1971) in 1971. Pigott-Smith would remain active on both stage and screen for the entirety of his career, making his Broadway debut in 1974 as Dr. Watson in the show "Sherlock Holmes." He would earn acclaim for his performance in the historical mini-series "The Jewel in the Crown" (PBS, 1984), a project that inspired him to write a book of both prose and poetry about his experiences in India titled Out of India. More memorable performances would come, particularly his villainous turn as Creedy in the film "V for Vendetta" (2005), as well as his starring role in the historical TV movie "Charles III" (BBC, 2017). Tim Pigott-Smith passed away in 2017. He was 71 years old.