Richard Griffiths

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Richard Griffiths as Uncle Vernon in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Richard Griffiths (born 31 July 1947 in Thornaby-on-Tees, Yorkshire, England) is a Tony-award winning English actor who has appeared on stage, film and television.

He has been awarded the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play, the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play, and the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play, all for his role in the play The History Boys.

1 Biography
2 Quotes
3 Trivia
4 Filmography
5 Television
6 External links

[edit] Biography

The son of deaf parents, he learned sign language at an early age in order to communicate with them. He even developed an ear for dialects that subsequently landed him several ethnic roles. In his childhood he attempted to run away from home many times. He dropped out of school at age 15 and worked as a porter for a while, but his boss eventually convinced him to go back to school. Here he decided to attend a drama class at Stockton & Billingham College, a decision that would change his life forever.

After graduating, Richard earned a spot on BBC Radio. He also worked in small theatres, sometimes acting and sometimes managing. He built up an early reputation as a Shakespearean "clown" with hilarious portrayals of Henry VIII and several other characters such as Falstaff in The Merry Wives of Windsor with the Royal Shakespeare Company.

He eventually settled in Manchester and began to get proper lead roles in plays. From there he began to appear on television and then got his big break in film in It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet (1975). His more recognised roles have been in both contemporary and period pieces such as Gorky Park (1983), Withnail and I (1987), King Ralph (1991), Guarding Tess (1994), and Sleepy Hollow (1999). Recently he has been seen as Uncle Vernon in the Harry Potter series (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban).

Although typically known for comic performances, he is probably best recognised, aside from Harry Potter, as Inspector Henry Crabbe, disillusioned policeman and pie chef extraordinaire, in the British Detective-drama Pie in the Sky, a role which was created specifically for him. He also made an extended appearance in the 2005 television version of Charles Dickens' Bleak House. In 2004 he originated the role of Hector (the teacher) in Alan Bennett's play The History Boys, winning the 2005 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor. During the play's subsequent United States run, he added a Drama Desk Award, an Outer Critics Circle Award, and a Tony Award. He reprised his role in the movie version which was released in October 2006. Together with Daniel Radcliffe, who plays Harry Potter, he will appear in a stage revival of Peter Shaffer's Equus in 2007.

[edit] Quotes

(On Uncle Vernon) "Vernon distrusts Harry completely and is always concerned that he is going to do something strange at any moment. That is Vernon's biggest fear—he doesn't want anything strange happening that the neighbours might see."

(On the difference between Cuarón and Columbus) "You can't tell yet. We're a bad part of the story, the unliked. Of course there's the basic difference, which is the form of how each one treats the project and everyone knows that the story will become more darker from now on. What I thought was interesting, is that Alfonso showed us that there should be more fear. Harry's more powerful each time. We're not a threat to him anymore. Now he can act on his own, in a frightening way. In the beginning, we were evil. Now, we want to be, but we don't have this power anymore. We were scared all the time, that Harry was gonna do something to us."

[edit] Trivia

Was at one point considered for the part as The Doctor in Doctor Who following Tom Baker's departure in 1981. Co-incidentally, two of his co-stars from Withnail and I went on to play the role in some capacity. He was strongly considered once again to take on the role of the Eighth Doctor, had the series continued past 1989.
Was the voice for Slartibartfast for the radio adaptation of Life, the Universe and Everything
Was the movie voice for the Vogon Jeltz in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
In The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear, one character seems to pull down Griffiths' pants and underpants. However, the credits list the "stunt butt" as being played by Chuck Le Fever.