Tim Pigott-Smith Passes On

Tim Piggot-Smith, who appeared in such British series as The Jewel in the Crown and The Chief, died on April 7 2017 at the age of 70.

Tim Piggot-Smith was born on May 13 1946 in Rugby, Warwickshire. He attended Wyggeston Boys' School, Leicester and King Edward VI School, Stratford-upon-Avon. It was while he was at Wyggeston Boys’ School, Leicester that he developed an interest in theatre. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Drama at Bristol University. He studied acting at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

Mr. Pigott-Smith made his television debut in 1971 in an adaptation of Boswell's Life of Johnson.  In the Seventies he guest starred on such television series as The Regiment, North & South, The Glittering Prizes, Doctor Who, Wings, Play for Today, Danger UXB, and ITV Playhouse. He made his film debut in Aces High in 1976. He appeared in the films Joseph Andrews (1977)  and Richard's Things (1980).

In the Eighties he starred in the TV series Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years, Fame Is the Spur, I Remember Nelson, Struggle, The Jewel in the Crown, and The Chief. He appeared in the films Clash of the Titans (1981), Victory (1981), and A State of Emergency (1986).

In the Nineties Tim Piggot-Smith appeared in the films The Remains of the Day (1993), He continued to star on the TV show The Chief, and guest starred on the series Screen One and Ghosts. He guest starred on Spooks and Midsomer Murders. In the Naughts he starred on the TV series The Vice, North & South, and Holby Blue. He appeared in such films as Laissez-passer (2002), Bloody Sunday (2002), The Four Feathers (2002), Gangs of New York (2002), Johnny English (2003), Alexander (2004), Conflict (2005), V for Vendetta (2005), Flyboys (2006), Quantum of Solace (2008), and Alice in Wonderland (2010).

In the Teens he appeared in such TV programmes as The Hour, Downton Abbey, Silent Witness, The Bletchley Circle, 37 Days, and Inspector Lewis. He starred in the TV film Wodehouse in Exile.

Tim Piggot-Smith was an extremely talented and versatile actor. Many audiences might be most familiar with him as Peter Creedy, the sadistic head of the secret police in V for Vendetta. While Mr. Piggot-Smith could play excellent villains, he was also quite capable in other roles. He played author P. G. Wodehouse in Wodehouse in Exile, and Hotspur in a 1979 television adaptation of Henry IV Part I. And while he played the ruthless Ronald Merrick in The Jewel in the Crown, he also played the kindly Mr. Hale in North & South. Tim Piggot-Smith could play a wide array of roles and be convincing in all of them.