Sir Leicester Dedlock Husband of Lady Dedlock, a proud aristocrat and bastion of the status quo. Owner of the Chesney Wold estate in Lincolnshire. Timothy West is a major name in British theatre. He's been on stage since the 1950s and is seen regularly in films and on TV. His career began when he started working with repertory companies across the UK. He made his debut in the West End in 1959 in the farce Caught Napping. In 1962 he made his first appearance with the Royal Shakespeare Company. West has appeared in the previous Masterpiece Theatre productions Crime and Punishment (1980), Rebecca (1997) and King Lear (1998). West is president of the famous drama school, LAMDA; he was awarded a CBE for services to acting in 1984. He has been awarded honorary doctorates by six different universities.