Short, roly-poly, pudding-faced Timothy Leonard Spall was an award-winning classical character actor and sometime lead who was born on February 27, 1957, and raised in London. The son of blue-collar parents, Joseph L. Spall, a postal worker, and Sylvia R. (Leonard), a hairdresser, his interest in acting happened early and Spall auditioned and earned a spot with the National Youth Theatre. The young actor showed great promise at RADA where he portrayed the title roles in "Macbeth" and "Othello."
