Personal Info
Known For:
Acting
Birthday:
July 31, 1947
Place of Birth:
Thornaby-on-Tees, North Yorkshire, England, UK
Social Media
Richard Griffiths
Biography
Richard Thomas Griffiths (July 31, 1947 – March 28, 2013) was an English actor of film, television, and stage. For his performance in the stage play The History Boys, Griffiths won a Tony Award, a Laurence Olivier Award, the Drama Desk Award and the Outer Critics Circle Award. For the 2006 film adaptation, Griffiths was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.
He played Vernon Dursley in the Harry Potter films (2001-2010) and Great Uncle Matthew Brown "Gum" in the BBC film Ballet Shoes (2007). He also portrayed Uncle Monty in Withnail and I (1987), and Henry Crabbe in Pie in the Sky (1994–1997). Earlier in his career, he had supporting roles in such critically acclaimed films as Chariots of Fire (1981), The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981), Gandhi (1982), and The Naked Gun 2+1⁄2: The Smell of Fear (1991). In his later career he appeared in Sleepy Hollow (1999), The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005), Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) and in Martin Scorsese's Hugo (2011).
Known For
Filmography
| Year | Movie | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Showing Up | Self |
| 2013 | About Time | Lawyer in Play (uncredited) |
| 2012 | Private Peaceful | The Colonel |
| 2011 | Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides | King George |
| 2011 | Hugo | Monsieur Frick |
| 2010 | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 | Vernon Dursley |
| 2010 | National Theatre Live: The Habit of Art | Fitz / W. H. Auden |
| 2010 | Jackboots on Whitehall | Hermann Goering (voice) |
| 2008 | Bedtime Stories | Barry Nottingham |
| 2008 | Ballet Shoes | Great Uncle Matthew |
| 2008 | A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa | Santa Claus |
| 2007 | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix | Vernon Dursley |
| 2006 | The History Boys | Hector |
| 2006 | Venus | Donald |
| 2005 | Opa! | Tierrney |
| 2005 | The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy | Jeltz (voice) |
| 2005 | Princes in the Tower | Thomas More voice |
| 2004 | Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban | Vernon Dursley |
| 2004 | Stage Beauty | Sir Charles Sedley |
| 2003 | The Brides in the Bath | Sir Edward Marshall-Hall |
| 2002 | Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets | Vernon Dursley |
| 2002 | Jeffrey Archer: The Truth | Willie Whitelaw |
| 2001 | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone | Vernon Dursley |
| 2000 | Vatel | Dr. Bourdelot |
| 2000 | Sleepy Hollow: Behind the Legend | Self |
| 1999 | Sleepy Hollow | Bürgermeister Phillipse |
| 1998 | Ted & Ralph | Landowner at Party |
| 1995 | Funny Bones | Jim Minty |
| 1994 | Guarding Tess | Frederick |
| 1994 | A Breed of Heroes | Brian Beasely |
| 1992 | Blame It on the Bellboy | Maurice Horton |
| 1992 | Mr. Wakefield's Crusade | Porter |
| 1992 | The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends | Mr. Alderman Ptolomy Tortoise/Mr. Jackson/Sir Isaac Newton |
| 1991 | King Ralph | Duncan Phipps |
| 1991 | The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear | Dr. Meinheimer / Earl Hacker |
| 1989 | Goldeneye | Second Admiral |
| 1989 | The Movie Life of George | Self |
| 1987 | Withnail & I | Monty |
| 1987 | Casanova | Cardinal |
| 1986 | Shanghai Surprise | Willie Tuttle |
| 1984 | A Private Function | Allardyce |
| 1984 | Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes | Captain Billings |
| 1983 | Gorky Park | Anton |
| 1982 | Britannia Hospital | Cheerful Bernie |
| 1982 | The World Cup: A Captain's Tale | Sidney Barron |
| 1982 | A Light Snack | The Window Cleaner |
| 1982 | Gandhi | Collins |
| 1982 | The Merry Wives of Windsor | Sir John Falstaff |
| 1981 | Ragtime | Delmas' Assistant No. 1 |
| 1981 | Chariots of Fire | Head Porter - Caius College |
| 1981 | The French Lieutenant's Woman | Sir Tom |
| 1980 | Superman II | Terrorist |
| 1980 | Breaking Glass | Studio Engineer |
| 1979 | Afternoon Off | Factory Boss |
| 1978 | The Comedy of Errors | Officer |
| 1977 | Twelve Off the Belt | Bedworth Hogg |
| 1977 | It's Only Rock 'n' Roll | Board Member |
| 1976 | It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet | Sam Broadbent |
| 1976 | Well Thank You, Thursday | Window Cleaner |
| 1974 | Norma | Park Keeper |
| Year | TV Show | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | The Hollow Crown | Duke of Burgundy |
| 2011 | Episodes | Julian Bullard |
| 2009 | Creating the World of Harry Potter | Self - 'Vernon Dursley' |
| 2005 | Bleak House | Mr. Bayham Badger |
| 2002 | TLC | |
| 2000 | Gormenghast | Swelter |
| 1999 | Hope and Glory | Leo Wheeldon |
| 1998 | In the Red | Geoffrey Crichton Potter |
| 1994 | Pie in the Sky | Henry Crabbe |
| 1992 | The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends | Mr. Jackson (voice) |
| 1991 | Pebble Mill | Self |
| 1990 | Perfect Scoundrels | Phil Kirby |
| 1990 | El C.I.D. | Weatherby |
| 1988 | Kind of Living | |
| 1987 | Inspector Morse | Canon Humphrey Appleton |
| 1987 | Ffizz | |
| 1987 | The Marksman | Brown |
| 1986 | Boon | |
| 1986 | Lovejoy | Hans Koopman |
| 1983 | The Cleopatras | Pot Belly |
| 1982 | Whoops Apocalypse | |
| 1982 | Countdown | |
| 1982 | Bird of Prey | |
| 1981 | Bergerac | Jean-Pierre |
| 1981 | Six Fifty-Five Special | Self |
| 1979 | Minder | Derek Farrow |
| 1978 | An Audience with... | Self |
| 1978 | The BBC Television Shakespeare | Sir John Falstaff |
| 1975 | The Sweeney | Ronnie Harries |
| 1974 | Village Hall | Mr. Ridealgh |
| 1972 | Crown Court | Interpreter |
| 1956 | Tony Awards | Self - Presenter |
| 1956 | Tony Awards | Self - Winner |