Richard Griffiths

Richard Griffiths OBE
Griffiths at the 61st British Academy Film Awards in 2007
Born	Richard Thomas Griffiths (1947-07-31)31 July 1947 Thornaby-on-Tees, North Riding of Yorkshire, England
Died	28 March 2013(2013-03-28) (aged 65) Coventry, West Midlands, England
Resting place	St Mary The Virgin Churchyard, Bearley, Warwickshire
Education	Stockton & Billingham College
Alma mater	Manchester Polytechnic School of Drama
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1974–2013
Spouse	Heather Gibson ​ (m. 1980)​
Awards	See awards section

Richard Thomas Griffiths OBE (31 July 1947 – 28 March 2013)^[1][2] was an English actor of film, television, and stage. He was known for his portrayals of Vernon Dursley in the Harry Potter films (2001–2010), Uncle Monty in Withnail and I (1987), and Henry Crabbe in Pie in the Sky (1994–1997). Over his career he received numerous accolades including a Tony Award and Olivier Award as well as a nomination for a BAFTA Award. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in 2008. He also played a hijacker in Superman 2.

For his performance in the stage play The History Boys, Griffiths won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play and a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Play. For the 2006 film adaptation, Griffiths was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Griffiths' is also known for his performances at the National Theatre including Equus (2008), The Habit of Art (2010), and The Sunshine Boys (2012).

He had supporting roles in such critically acclaimed films as Chariots of Fire (1981), The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981), Gandhi (1982), A Private Function (1984), Venus (2006), Ballet Shoes (2007), and Hugo (2011). He also appeared in the commercial films The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear (1991), Sleepy Hollow (1999), The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005), Bedtime Stories (2008), and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011).