Timothy Spall wins best actor award for his performance in Mike Leigh’s biopic Mr Turner

The Harry Potter actor confessed that he had no idea he was in the running for the award
In character: Timothy as Mr Turner in the biopic
Tom Teodorczuk2 December 2014
The Weekender

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Timothy Spall has won a top acting award for playing British painter JMW Turner but confessed that he had no idea he was in the running for it.

The 57-year-old Londoner won the New York Film Critics Circle best actor award for his performance in Mike Leigh’s acclaimed biopic Mr Turner. The awards are widely viewed as a leading guide to the Oscar nominations which will be announced next month.

Award winning: Sall also won at the Cannes Film Festival in May for his Mr Turner role
Allstar

Speaking at a reception for Mr Turner at Manhattan’s Pierre hotel hosted by The Peggy Siegal Company shortly after he’d heard the news, Spall told the Standard: “I had no idea about the award and didn’t know I was in the frame. But it couldn’t be better — I’m in New York to talk about the film.

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“Mike [Leigh] and I have done seven collaborations over 33 years and when you work with him it's so intense that when the film goes down well the feeling is amplified a billion times.”

Spall also won best actor for Mr Turner at Cannes Film Festival in May and is a main contender at the Oscars, Baftas and Golden Globes. But he spoke of his bemusement at being in the awards race: “You’re only in it because people are talking about you for it. That in itself is very flattering. I certainly didn’t send in an application form.”

Oscar worthy: Spall is a main contender at the Baftas, Golden Globes and the Oscars

Mr Turner has made £6 million at the UK box office. Spall said: “I knew we were on to something when the other day I was walking down Holborn Viaduct and two black cab drivers shouted out to me and one called out ‘Mr Turner!’”

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