Richard Griffiths

Birthday: 1947-07-31
Deathday: 2013-03-28
Birthplace: Thornaby-on-Tees, North Yorkshire, England, UK
Gender: Male
Owned By: Unowned

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).

Credits

Year Title Character
2013-09-04 About Time Lawyer in Play (uncredited)
2012-10-12 Private Peaceful The Colonel
2011-11-22 Hugo Monsieur Frick
2011-05-15 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides King George
2010-11-17 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 Vernon Dursley
2010-10-08 Jackboots on Whitehall Hermann Goering (voice)
2010-04-22 National Theatre Live: The Habit of Art Fitz / W. H. Auden
2008-12-24 Bedtime Stories Barry Nottingham
2008-12-17 A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa Santa Claus
2008-08-26 Ballet Shoes Great Uncle Matthew
2007-07-08 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Vernon Dursley
2006-10-02 The History Boys Hector
2006-09-02 Venus Donald
2005-11-13 Opa! Tierrney
2005-04-28 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Jeltz (voice)
2005-01-01 Princes in the Tower Thomas More voice
2004-09-03 Stage Beauty Sir Charles Sedley
2004-05-31 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Vernon Dursley
2003-12-31 The Brides in the Bath Sir Edward Marshall-Hall
2002-12-01 Jeffrey Archer: The Truth Willie Whitelaw
2002-11-13 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Vernon Dursley
2001-11-16 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Vernon Dursley
2000-05-01 Vatel Dr. Bourdelot
1999-11-19 Sleepy Hollow Bürgermeister Phillipse
1998-12-26 Ted & Ralph Landowner at Party
1995-09-20 Funny Bones Jim Minty
1994-09-04 A Breed of Heroes Brian Beasely
1994-03-11 Guarding Tess Frederick
1992-04-22 Mr. Wakefield's Crusade Porter
1992-01-24 Blame It on the Bellboy Maurice Horton
1992-01-01 The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends Mr. Alderman Ptolomy Tortoise/Mr. Jackson/Sir Isaac Newton
1991-06-28 The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear Dr. Meinheimer / Earl Hacker
1991-02-15 King Ralph Duncan Phipps
1989-08-26 Goldeneye Second Admiral
1987-06-19 Withnail & I Monty
1987-03-01 Casanova Cardinal
1986-08-29 Shanghai Surprise Willie Tuttle
1984-11-09 A Private Function Allardyce
1984-03-30 Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes Captain Billings
1983-12-15 Gorky Park Anton
1982-12-28 The Merry Wives of Windsor Sir John Falstaff
1982-12-01 Gandhi Collins
1982-09-08 A Light Snack The Window Cleaner
1982-06-13 The World Cup: A Captain's Tale Sidney Barron
1982-05-27 Britannia Hospital Cheerful Bernie
1981-11-20 Ragtime Delmas' Assistant No. 1
1981-08-28 The French Lieutenant's Woman Sir Tom
1981-05-15 Chariots of Fire Head Porter - Caius College
1980-12-12 Superman II Terrorist
1980-10-01 Breaking Glass Studio Engineer
1979-02-03 Afternoon Off Factory Boss
1978-10-17 The Comedy of Errors Officer
1977-06-28 It's Only Rock 'n' Roll Board Member
1977-05-03 Twelve Off the Belt Bedworth Hogg
1976-11-18 It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet Sam Broadbent
1976-01-25 Well Thank You, Thursday Window Cleaner
1974-10-15 Norma Park Keeper